| Alexanderplatz -the City center of Berlin |
| The Alexanderplatz is regarded as the city center today, but was in fact arable land in the 17th Century. In the 1880s the place developed into a junction for the eastern parts of Berlin. WWII reduced Alexanderplatz to a heap of ruins, but was transformed into this magnificent square laid out by the DDR-Government in the 1960s. Such remarkable sights as The World Clock, Brunnen der Völkerfreundschaft (The fountain of Friendship between Peoples) and the TV-Tower were created in an attempt to compete with the center of West Berlin. The fountain was being restored when I was there in March 2003, and in July I could see the result. One last thing. Why is the square called Alexanderplatz? The Russian tsar Alexander I paid a visit to Berlin in 1805, and that is the reason for renaming the square. |
©2024 André Odeblom