Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz remains the largest urban square in all of Germany and is a central meeting place in Berlin, located in the Mitte District.  At its center is the large railway station (Alexanderplatz) with connections to many subway (U-Bahn), tramway (Strassenbahn), city trains (S-Bahn) and buses.

Named after the Russian Czar Alexander I, who visited the capital of Prussia in 1805, "Alex" became a traffic hub when a train station was established there in 1882.

Alexanderplatz took on its present form in the 1960’s after being ravaged in World War II. After the war it became the center of East-Berlin and used as a showcase of socialist architecture. This resulted in some unattractive buildings like the former Centrum department store and the Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower). In 1969 two more monuments were added to the square, the Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock) by Erich John and the Fountain of International Friendship.

The Fountain of International Friendship is a circular fountain; at its center is a modern structure that consists of a series of basins along which water flows down.

The square was known to be one of the least attractive from an architectural point of view, so the city of Berlin commissioned an architectural competition which was won by Hans Kohlhoff (one of the architects who designed Potsdamer Platz). The plan resulted in a complete redevelopment of the square, as well as the renovation and reconstruction of surrounding buildings.

If you look up, socialist art adorns a number of the buildings surrounding the square, created by artist Walter Womacka.