Welcome to Alexanderplatz—or, for short: “Alex.” Today, the place is a bustling hive of activity: people, trams, subway trains, Ferris wheel riders, and backpackers. But did you know that cows used to stand here? No joke—in the Middle Ages, this was a livestock market situated just outside the gates of Berlin.
The square owes its current name to a Russian Tsar: Alexander I visited in 1805, and in his honor, the former “Ox Market” was renamed “Alexanderplatz.” Quite a royal upgrade, wouldn’t you agree?
In the 19th century, Alex took on a truly urban character. The railway station arrived, trams began running, and the square soon became a major transportation hub. The 1920s saw the place truly come alive: neon signs, big-city flair, department stores—Berlin felt like the New York of Europe. This atmosphere was even captured by the writer Alfred Döblin in his famous novel, Berlin Alexanderplatz.
Much of the area was destroyed during World War II, and the GDR later rebuilt the square in the style of Socialist Modernism: lots of concrete, plenty of open space—and the TV Tower as the crowning centerpiece, completed in 1969. The famous World Time Clock has also stood here ever since, displaying the time in places like Tokyo or Buenos Aires around the clock.
It has always been—and remains—a highly popular meeting spot.
And then came November 4, 1989—just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. One of the largest demonstrations in the history of the GDR took place right here, with hundreds of thousands of people peacefully protesting for greater freedom.
Today, Alexanderplatz is a place in constant flux—navigating the space between Ostalgie (nostalgia for the East), construction sites, and everyday Berlin life. It is a square that reflects the city’s history like few others—and one that never stands still. History of the Alex
Image Source (4th Image):
By unknown author – Alexanderplatz – Ein Ort deutscher Geschichte. Parkland Verlag,
Stuttgart, 1980. ISBN 3-88059-602-6. Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=177597
Alexanderplatz
from the audio walk Berlin Like You’ve Never Heard It Before – True Stories & Secrets
254:05 min Audio
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Other stops on this audio tour:
A Brief Excursion into Berlin's History (7:59 min) • St. Nicholas' Church / St. Nicholas' Quarter (2:49 min) • Newspaper District (4:28 min) • Checkpoint Charlie (1:55 min) • Former Gestapo Headquarters (2:57 min) • Former Tempelhof Airport (3:46 min) • 7 Wannsee Conference (4:45 min) • Walther Rathenau Memorial (2:34 min) • Olympic Stadium / 1936 Olympic Games (5:36 min) • Commune 1 (2:27 min) • Benno Ohnesorg / Student Movement (2:16 min) • Rolf Eden (1:54 min) • Café Kranzler (2:08 min) • Kurfürstendamm (3:03 min) • Zoo Palace (3:47 min) • Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (2:22 min) • Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg (3:28 min) • Schöneberg Town Hall (2:33 min) • Former Sportpalast / Sportpalast Speech (5:12 min) • Bendlerblock/Stauffenberg assassination attempt (4:47 min) • Kroll Opera House / Enabling Act (3:09 min) • Reichstag Building (4:14 min) • Reichstag Fire (4:28 min) • Brandenburg Gate (2:52 min) • People's Court (3:08 min) • Potsdamer Place (2:58 min) • Former "Führerbunker" (5:06 min) • "Tresor" (Safe) (1:43 min) • Popular Uprising in the GDR (2:11 min) • Reich Chancellery / Hitler's Seizure of Power (5:11 min) • "Die weiße Maus" (The White Mouse) (2:57 min) • Friedrichstraße Station / "Tränenpalast" (Palace of Tears) (3:46 min) • Humboldt University (1:56 min) • Berlin Palace (5:04 min) • Red City Hall (2:30 min) • Otto Weidt's Workshop for the Blind / Anne Frank Center (2:05 min) • Hackesche Höfe (5:21 min) • Rosenthaler Platz (2:58 min) • St. Sophia's Church (3:03 min) • Sophie-Gips Courtyards (2:08 min) • Koppenplatz (3:16 min) • Clärchen's Dance Hall (3:54 min) • New Synagogue (2:19 min) • Berliner Ensemble (3:55 min) • Friedrichstadt-Palast (4:02 min) • Dorotheenstadt Cemetery (2:25 min) • Bloody May (2:18 min) • Humboldthain Flak Tower (5:17 min) • Chris Gueffroy and the Victims of the Wall (1:28 min) • Tunnel 57 / Egon Schultz (2:40 min) • AMIGA (1:37 min) • Bernauer Street (4:07 min) • Former Bornholmer Straße Border Crossing (3:26 min) • Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Sports Park (3:43 min) • Mauerpark (4:07 min) • Arkonaplatz (3:03 min) • Zion Church (3:44 min) • Prenzlauer Berg Fire Station (3:18 min) • Hirschhof (2:41 min) • Freya Klier (2:28 min) • Prater (2:28 min) • Oderberger Straße Municipal Baths (3:36 min) • Oderberger Street 2 (1:58 min) • Currywurst (2:16 min) • Konnopke's Snack Bar (2:43 min) • Gethsemane Church (2:09 min) • Museum in the Kulturbrauerei (1:06 min) • Kulturbrauerei (3:24 min) • Frannz-Club (2:31 min) • Husemann Street (1:58 min) • Jews' Passage (3:32 min) • Prenzlauer Berg Water Tower (2:37 min) • Rosa Luxemburg Square (4:34 min) • Mont Klamott (1:43 min) • Samaritan Church (2:23 min) • Former Stasi Headquarters / Stasi Museum (2:48 min) • Berlin-Karlshorst Museum / Unconditional Surrender (2:54 min) • East Side Gallery (2:59 min) • House Squatting in the 1980s (2:34 min)
