This square served the tanners for leather processing and has therefore been called "Semischplatz" on maps since 1763. The name "Semisch" derives from chamois leather (Sämischleder), a type of soft leather produced by a specific tanning method. The designation "Kleiner Irrgarten" (Small Maze Garden) was given to the gardens created here around 1840 by the Beautification Society (Verschönerungsverein), to distinguish them from the older garden installations at the Olivaer Tor (Oliva Gate).

This was not actually a street but a park. Originally it was the site used for tanning hides, hence the name Semischplatz. From about 1840, the garden laid out here by the Beautification Society was called Kleiner Irrgarten.

History