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 Panoramic view ofAlexanderplatz in 2015 | |
 Interactive map of Alexanderplatz | |
| Former names |
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| Part of | |
| Namesake | Alexander I of Russia |
| Type | Public square |
| Area | 34,000 m2 (370,000 sq ft)[2] |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Quarter | Mitte |
| Nearest metro station | |
| Coordinates | 52°31′18″N13°24′48″E / 52.52167°N 13.41333°E /52.52167; 13.41333 |
| Major junctions |
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Alexanderplatz (German:[alɛkˈsandɐˌplats]ⓘ,Alexander Square) is a largepublic square and transport hub in the centralMitte district ofBerlin. The square is named after theRussian TsarAlexander I, which also denotes the larger neighbourhood stretching fromMollstraße in the north-east toSpandauer Straße and theRotes Rathaus in the south-west.
Alexanderplatz is reputedly the most visited area of Berlin, beatingFriedrichstrasse andCity West. It is a popular starting point for tourists, with many attractions including theFernsehturm (TV tower), theNikolai Quarter and theRotes Rathaus ('Red City Hall') situated nearby.Alexanderplatz is still one of Berlin's major commercial areas, housing variousshopping malls,department stores and other large retail locations.
A hospital stood at the location of present-dayAlexanderplatz since the 13th century. NamedHeiliger Georg (St. George), the hospital gave its name to the nearbyGeorgentor (George Gate) of theBerlin city wall. Outside the city walls, this area was largely undeveloped until around 1400, when the first settlers began buildingthatched cottages. As agallows was located close by, the area earned the nickname theTeufels Lustgarten ('Devil's Pleasure Garden').[3]
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The George Gate became the most important of Berlin's city gates during the 16th century, being the main entry point for goods arriving along the roads to the north and north-east of the city, for example fromOderberg,Prenzlau andBernau, and the bigHanseatic cities on theBaltic Sea.
After theThirty Years' War, the city wall was strengthened. From 1658 to 1683, a citywidefortress was constructed to plans by theLinz master builder,Johann Gregor Memhardt. The new fortress contained 13 bastions connected by ramparts and was preceded by a moat measuring up to 50 metres (160 ft) wide. Within the new fortress, many of the historic city wall gates were closed. For example, the southeasternStralauer Gate was closed but the Georgian Gate remained open, making the Georgian Gate an even more important entrance to the city.
In 1681, the trade of cattle and pig fattening was banned within the city.Frederick William, the Great Elector, granted cheaper plots of land, waiving the basic interest rate, in the area in front of the Georgian Gate. Settlements grew rapidly and a weekly cattle market was established on the square in front of the Gate.
The area developed into a suburb – theGeorgenvorstadt – which continued to flourish into the late 17th century. Unlike the southwestern suburbs (Friedrichstadt,Dorotheenstadt) which were strictly and geometrically planned, the suburbs in the northeast (Georgenvorstadt,Spandauervorstadt and theStralauer Vorstadt) proliferated without plan. Despite a building ban imposed in 1691, more than 600 houses existed in the area by 1700.
At that time, the George Gate was a rectangular gatehouse with a tower. Next to the tower stood a remaining tower from the originalmedieval city walls. The upper floors of the gatehouse served as the city jail.[4] A drawbridge spanned the moat and the gate was locked at nightfall by the garrison using heavy oak planks.
A highway ran through the cattle market to the northeast towardsBernau. To the right stood the George chapel, an orphanage and a hospital that was donated by the ElectorSophie Dorothea in 1672. Next to the chapel stood a dilapidated medievalplague house which was demolished in 1716. Behind it was a rifleman's field and an inn, later named theStelzenkrug.
By the end of the 17th century, 600 to 700 families lived in this area. They included butchers, cattle herders, shepherds and dairy farmers. The George chapel was upgraded to the George church and received its own preacher.
After his coronation inKönigsberg on 6 May 1701 thePrussian KingFrederick I entered Berlin through the George Gate. This led to the gate being renamed theKing's Gate, and the surrounding area became known in official documents asKönigs Thor Platz (King's Gate Square). TheGeorgenvorstadt suburb was renamedKönigsvorstadt (or 'royal suburbs' short).
In 1734, theBerlin Customs Wall, which initially consisted of a ring ofpalisade fences, was reinforced and grew to encompass the old city and its suburbs, includingKönigsvorstadt. This resulted in the King's Gate losing importance as an entry point for goods into the city. The gate was finally demolished in 1746.
By the end of the 18th century, the basic structure of the royal suburbs of theKönigsvorstadt had been developed. It consisted of irregular-shaped blocks of buildings running along the historic highways which once carried goods in various directions out of the gate. At this time, the area contained large factories (silk and wool), such as theKurprinz (one of Berlin's first cloth factories, located in a former barn) and a workhouse established in 1758 for beggars and homeless people, where the inmates worked a man-powered treadmill to turn a mill.[5]
Soon, military facilities came to dominate the area, such as the 1799–1800 military parade grounds designed byDavid Gilly. At this time, the residents of thePlatz were mostly craftsmen, petty-bourgeois, retired soldiers and manufacturing workers.[5] The southern part of the laterAlexanderplatz was separated from traffic by trees and served as a parade ground, whereas the northern half remained a market. Beginning in the mid-18th century, the most important wool market in Germany was held inAlexanderplatz.
Between 1752 and 1755, the writerGotthold Ephraim Lessing lived in a house on Alexanderplatz. In 1771, a new stone bridge (theKönigsbrücke) was built over the moat and in 1777 a colonnade-lined row of shops (Königskolonnaden) was constructed by architectCarl von Gontard. Between 1783 and 1784, seven three-storey buildings were erected around the square byGeorg Christian Unger, including the famousGasthof zum Hirschen, whereKarl Friedrich Schinkel lived as a permanent tenant andHeinrich von Kleist stayed in the days before hissuicide.
On 25 October 1805 the RussianTsar Alexander I was welcomed to the city on the parade grounds in front of the old King's Gate. To mark this occasion, on 2 November, KingFrederick William III ordered the square to be renamedAlexanderplatz:[6]
His Royal Majesty, by means of the supreme Cabinet, orders on the 2nd of this month, those in theKönigs-Vorstadt Sandgasse to take the nameKaiserstrasse, and the square in front of the workhouse in the newly-conceived suburb settles with the name ofAlexander-Platz, this is hereby made known to the public for news and attention."
— Royal Prussian Police Directorate
In the southeast of the square, the cloth factory buildings were converted into theKönigstädter Theater byCarl Theodor Ottmer at a cost of 120,000Taler. The foundation stone was laid on 31 August 1823 and the opening ceremony occurred on 4 August 1824. Sales were poor, forcing the theatre to close on 3 June 1851. Thereafter, the building was used for wool storage, then as a tenement building, and finally as an inn calledAschinger until the building's demolition in 1932.
During these years, the Alexanderplatz was populated byfish wives,water carriers, sand sellers,rag-and-bone men,knife sharpeners andday laborers.[6] Because of its importance as a transport hub, horse-drawn buses ran every 15 minutes between Alexanderplatz andPotsdamer Platz in 1847.[7] During theMarch Revolution of 1848, large-scale street fighting occurred on the streets of Alexanderplatz and revolutionaries used barricades to block the route from Alexanderplatz to the city. The novelist and poetTheodor Fontane, who worked in the vicinity in a nearby pharmacy, participated in the construction of barricades and later described how he used materials from theKönigstädter Theater to barricadeNeue Königstraße.[8]
TheKönigsstadt district continued to grow throughout the 19th century, with three-storey developments already existing at the beginning of the century and fourth storeys being constructed from the middle of the century. By the end of the century, most of the buildings were already five storeys high. The large factories and military facilities gave way to housing developments, mainly rental housing for the factory workers who had just moved into the city, and trading houses. At the beginning of the 1870s, the Berlin administration had the former moat filled to build the Berlin city railway, which was opened in 1882 along with the train stationBahnhof Alexanderplatz.
From 1883 to 1884, the Grand Hotel, a neo-Renaissance building with 185 rooms and shops beneath was constructed. From 1886 to 1890,Hermann Blankenstein built the police headquarters, a huge brick building whose tower on the northern corner dominated the building. In 1890, a district court at Alexanderplatz was also established. In 1886, the local authorities built a central market hall west of the rail tracks, which replaced the weekly market on the Alexanderplatz in 1896. During the end of the 19th century, the emerging private traffic and the firsthorse bus lines dominated the northern part of the square, the southern part (the former parade ground) remained quiet, having green space elements added by garden directorHermann Mächtig in 1889. The northwest of the square contained a second, smaller green space where, in 1895, the 7.5-metre (25 ft) copperBerolina statue by sculptorEmil Hundrieser was erected.
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At the beginning of the 20th century,Alexanderplatz experienced its heyday. In 1901,Ernst von Wolzogen founded the first German cabaret, theÜberbrettl, in the formerSezessionsbühne ('Secession stage') atAlexanderstraße 40, initially under the nameBunte Brettl. It was announced as "Kabarett as upscale entertainment with artistic ambitions. Emperor-loyal and market-oriented stands the uncritical amusement in the foreground."
The merchantsHermann Tietz,Georg Wertheim andHahn opened large department stores onAlexanderplatz:Tietz (1904–1911),Wertheim (1910–1911) andHahn (1911).Tietz marketed itself as a department store for the Berlin people, whereasWertheim modelled itself as adepartment store for the world.
In October 1905, the first section of theTietz department store opened to the public. It was designed by architectsWilhelm Albert Cremer andRichard Wolffenstein, who had already won second prize in the competition for the construction of theReichstag building. TheTietz department store underwent further construction phases and, in 1911, had a commercial space of 7,300 square metres (79,000 sq ft) and the longest department store façade in the world at 250 metres (820 ft) in length.[10]
For the construction of theWertheim department store, by architectsHeinrich Joseph Kayser [de] andKarl von Großheim, theKönigskolonnaden were removed in 1910 and now stand in theHeinrich von Kleist Park inSchöneberg.
In October 1908, theHaus des Lehrers ('the teacher's house') was opened next to theBunte Brettl atAlexanderstraße 41. It was designed byHans Toebelmann and Henry Gross. The building belonged to theBerliner Lehrererverein ('teachers’ association'), who rented space on the ground floor of the building out to a pastry shop and restaurant to raise funds for the association. The building housed the teachers' library which survived two world wars, and today is integrated into the library for educational historical research.[10] The rear of the property contained the association's administrative building, a hotel for members and an exhibition hall. Notable events that took place in the hall include the funeral services forKarl Liebknecht andRosa Luxemburg on 2 February 1919 and, on 4 December 1920, theVereinigungsparteitag (Unification Party Congress) of theCommunist Party and theUSPD.
The First Ordinary Congress of theCommunist Workers' Party of Germany was held in the nearbyZum Prälaten restaurant, 1–4 August 1920.
Alexanderplatz's position as a main transport and traffic hub continued to fuel its development. In addition to the threeU-Bahn underground lines, long-distance trains andS-Bahn trains ran along thePlatz's viaduct arches. Omnibuses, horse-drawn from 1877 and, after 1898, also electric-powered trams,[11] ran out ofAlexanderplatz in all directions in a star shape. The subway station was designed byAlfred Grenander and followed the colour-coded order of subway stations, which began with green atLeipziger Platz and ran through to dark red.
In theGolden Twenties,Alexanderplatz was the epitome of the lively, pulsating cosmopolitan city of Berlin, rivalled in the city only byPotsdamer Platz. Many of the buildings and rail bridges surrounding the platz bore large billboards that illuminated the night. The Berlin cigarette company Manoli had a famous billboard at the time which contained a ring of neon tubes that constantly circled a black ball. The proverbial "Berliner Tempo" of those years was characterized as "total manoli". WriterKurt Tucholsky wrote a poem referencing the advert, and the composerRudolf Nelson made the legendaryRevue Total manoli with the dancerLucie Berber. The writerAlfred Döblin named his novel,Berlin Alexanderplatz, after the square, andWalter Ruttmann filmed parts of his 1927 filmBerlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt (Berlin: The Symphony of the Big City) atAlexanderplatz.
One of Berlin's largestair-raid shelters during theSecond World War was situated underAlexanderplatz. It was built between 1941 and 1943 for theDeutsche Reichsbahn byPhilipp Holzmann.[12]
The war reachedAlexanderplatz in early April 1945. TheBerolina statue had already been removed in 1944 and probably melted down for use in arms production. During theBattle of Berlin,Red Army artillery bombarded the area aroundAlexanderplatz. The battles of the last days of the war destroyed considerable parts of the historicKönigsstadt, as well as many of the buildings aroundAlexanderplatz.
TheWehrmacht had entrenched itself within the tunnels of the underground system. Hours before fighting ended in Berlin on 2 May 1945, troops of theSS detonated explosives inside the north–southS-Bahn tunnel under theLandwehr Canal to slow the advance of the Red Army towards Berlin's city centre. The entire tunnelflooded, as well as large sections of theU-Bahn network via connecting passages at theFriedrichstraße underground station. Many of those seeking shelter in the tunnels were killed.[12] Of the then 63.3 km (39.3 miles) of subway tunnel, around 19.8 km (12.3 mi) were flooded with more than one million cubic meters (260,000,000 US gal) of water.
Before a planned reconstruction of the entireAlexanderplatz could take place, all the war ruins needed to be demolished and cleared away. A popular black market emerged within the ruined area, which the police raided several times a day.
One structure demolished after World War II was the 'Rote Burg', a red brick building with round arches, previously used as police and Gestapo headquarters. The huge construction project began in 1886 and was completed in 1890; it was one of Berlin's largest buildings. The 'castle' suffered extensive damage during 1944-45 and was demolished in 1957. The site on the southwest corner of Alexanderplatz remained largely unused as a carpark until the Alexa shopping centre opened in 2007.[13]
Reconstruction planning for post-war Berlin gave priority to the dedicated space to accommodate the rapidly growing motor traffic in inner-city thoroughfares. This idea of a traffic-oriented city was already based on considerations and plans byLudwig Hilberseimer andLe Corbusier from the 1930s.[12]
Alexanderplatz has been subject to redevelopment several times in its history, most recently during the 1960s, when it was turned into a pedestrian zone and enlarged as part of theGerman Democratic Republic's redevelopment of the city centre. It is surrounded by several notable structures including theFernsehturm ('TV Tower').
During thePeaceful Revolution of 1989, theAlexanderplatz demonstration on 4 November 1989 was the largest demonstration in the history of theGerman Democratic Republic.Protests starting 15 October and peaked on 4 November with an estimated 200,000 participants who called on the government of the rulingSocialist Unity Party of Germany to step down and demanded a free press, the opening of the borders and their right to travel. Speakers wereChrista Wolf,Stefan Heym,Friedrich Schorlemmer,Heiner Müller,Lothar Bisky,Christoph Hein andSteffie Spira. The protests continued and culminated in the unexpectedFall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989.[14]
Ever sinceGerman reunification,Alexanderplatz has undergone a gradual process of change with many of the surrounding buildings being renovated. After the political turnaround in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall,socialist urban planning and architecture of the 1970s no longer corresponded to the current ideas of an inner-city square. Investors demanded planning security for their construction projects. After initial discussions with the public, the goal quickly arose to reinstateAlexanderplatz's tram network for better connections to surrounding city quarters. In 1993, an urban planning ideas competition for architects took place to redesign the square and its surrounding area.[15]
In the first phase, there were 16 submissions, five of which were selected for the second phase of the competition. These five architects had to adapt their plans to detailed requirements. For example, the return of the Alex's trams was planned, with the implementation to be made in several stages.
The winner, who was determined on 17 September 1993, was the Berlin architectHans Kollhoff.Kollhoff's plan was based on Behrens’ design, provided a horseshoe-shaped area of seven- to eight-storey buildings and 150-metre (490 ft) high towers with 42 floors. TheAlexanderhaus and theBerolinahaus – both listed buildings – would form the southwestern boundary. Second place went to the design byDaniel Libeskind andBernd Faskel. The proposal of the architecture firm Kny & Weber, which was strongly based on the horseshoe shape of Wagner, finally won the third place. The design byKollhoff was chosen on 7 June 1994 by theBerlin Senate as a basis for the further transformation ofAlexanderplatz.
In 1993, architectHans Kollhoff's master plan for a major redevelopment including the construction of several skyscrapers was published.[16]
In 1995,Landesbank Berlin completed the renovation of theAlexanderhaus. In 1998, the first tram returned toAlexanderplatz, and in 1999, the town planning contracts for the implementation ofKollhoff andTimmermann's plans were signed by the landowners and the investors.[citation needed]
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On 2 April 2000, the Senate finally fixed the development plan forAlexanderplatz. The purchase contracts between investors and the Senate Department for Urban Development were signed on 23 May 2002, thus laying the foundations for the development.[citation needed]
The CUBIXmultiplex cinema (CineStar Cubix am Alexanderplatz,[17] styled CUBIX[18]), which opened in November 2000, joined the team ofBerlin International Film Festival cinemas in 2007, and the festival shows films on three of its screens.[19]
Renovation of theCentrum department store began in 2004, led by Berlin professor of architecture,Josef Paul Kleihues and his sonJan Kleihues. The building was enlarged by about 25 metres (82 ft) and has since operated under the nameGaleria Kaufhof.
Beginning with the reconstruction of theKaufhof department store in 2004, and the biggest underground railway station of Berlin, some buildings were redesigned and new structures built on the square's south-eastern side. Sidewalks were expanded to shrink one of the avenues, a new underground garage was built, and commuter tunnels meant to keep pedestrians off the streets were removed.[16] Between 2005 and 2006,Berolinahaus was renovated and later became a branch of the clothing chain,C&A.[20]
In 2005, theBerliner Verkehrsbetriebe began work to extend the tram line fromPrenzlauer Allee toAlexanderplatz (Alex II). This route was originally to be opened in 2000 but was postponed several times. After further delays caused by the2006 FIFA World Cup, the route opened on 30 May 2007.[citation needed]
In February 2006, the redesign of the walk-in plaza began. The redevelopment plans were provided by the architecture firmGerkan, Marg and Partners and the Hamburg-based companyWES-Landschaftsarchitekten. The final plans emerged from a design competition launched by the state of Berlin in 2004. However, the paving work was temporarily interrupted a few months after the start of construction by the 2006 FIFA World Cup and all excavation pits had to be provisionally asphalted over. The construction work could only be completed at the end of 2007.
The renovation ofAlexanderplatz U-Bahnhof, the largest Berlin underground station, had been ongoing since the mid-1990s and was finally completed in October 2008.[21]
ThePlatz was given a pavement of yellow granite, bordered by grey mosaic paving around the buildings. Wall AG modernized the 1920s-era underground toilets at a cost of 750,000 euros. The total redesign cost amounted to around 8.7 million euros.[when?][citation needed]
On 12 September 2007 the Alexa shopping centre opened. It is located in the immediate vicinity of thePlatz, on the site of the old Berlin police headquarters. With a 56,200 m2 (605,000 sq ft) sales area, it is one of the largest shopping centres in Berlin.
In May 2007, the Texas property development companyHines began building a six-story commercial building nameddie mitte.[22] The building was built on a plot of 3,900 m2 (42,000 sq ft), which, according to theKollhoff plans, closes the square to the east and thus reduces the area of the Platz. The building was opened on 25 March 2009.[citation needed]
At the beginning of 2007, the construction companyWöhr + Bauer created an underground garage with three levels below theAlexanderstraße, located between the hotel tower and theElektroindustrie building, which cost 25 million euros to build and provides space for around 700 cars.[23] The opening took place on 26 November 2010.[24] At the same time, the Senate narrowedAlexanderstraße from almost 100 m (330 ft) wide to 58 m (190 ft) wide (328 to 190 ft), thus reducing it to three lanes in each direction.[citation needed]
Behind theAlexanderplatz station, next to the CUBIX cinema in the immediate vicinity of the TV tower, the 30-metre (98 ft) high residential and commercial building, Alea 101, was built between 2012 and 2014.[25]
As of 2014,[update] it was assessed that due to a lack of demand the skyscrapers planned in 1993 were unlikely to be constructed.[16]
In January 2014, a 39-story residential tower designed byFrank Gehry was announced, but this project was put on hold in 2018.[26]TheAlexanderplatz area is the largest area for crime in Berlin. As of October 2017,Alexanderplatz was classified akriminalitätsbelasteter Ort ("crime-contaminated location") by theBerlin Allgemeinen Sicherheits- und Ordnungsgesetz (General Safety and Planning Laws).[27]
Despite the reconstruction of thetram line crossing, it has retained its socialist character, including the much-graffitiedFountain of Friendship between Peoples [de], a popular venue.[28]
Alexanderplatz is reputedly the most visited area of Berlin, beatingFriedrichstrasse andCity West.[29] It is a popular starting point for tourists, with many attractions including theFernsehturm (TV tower), theNikolai Quarter and theRotes Rathaus ('Red City Hall') situated nearby.Alexanderplatz is still one of Berlin's major commercial areas, housing variousshopping malls,department stores and other large retail locations.
Many historic buildings are located in the vicinity ofAlexanderplatz. The traditional seat of city government, theRotes Rathaus, or 'Red City Hall', is located nearby, as was the former East German parliament building, thePalast der Republik. ThePalast was demolished from 2006–2008 to make room for a full reconstruction of the BaroqueBerlin Palace, orStadtschloss.[30][31]
Alexanderplatz is also the name of theS-Bahn andU-Bahn stations there. It is one of Berlin's largest and most important transportation hubs, being a meeting place of three subway (U-Bahn) lines, threeS-Bahn lines, and many tram and bus lines, as well as regional trains.
It also accommodates thePark Inn Berlin and theWorld Time Clock, a continually rotating installation that shows the time throughout the globe, theHouse of Travel, andHermann Henselmann'sHaus des Lehrers (House of Teachers)'.
Long-term plans exist for the demolition of the 125-metre (410 ft) high formerInterhotel Stadt Berlin (now the Hotel Park-Inn), with the site to be replaced by three skyscrapers. If and when this plan will be implemented is unclear, especially since the hotel tower received a new façade as recently as in 2005, and the occupancy rates of the hotel are very good. However, the plans could give way in the next few years to a suggested 35-metre (115 ft) high new block conversion. The previous main tenant of the development, Saturn, moved into thedie mitte building in March 2009. In 2014,Primark opened a branch inside the hotel building.
The majority of the planned 150-metre (490 ft) high skyscrapers will probably never be built. The state of Berlin has announced that it will not enforce the corresponding urban development contracts against the market. Of the 13 planned skyscrapers, 10 remained as of 2008, after modifications to the plans – eight of which had construction rights.[32] Some investors in the Alexa shopping centre announced several times since 2007 that they would sell their respective shares in the plot to an investor interested in building a high-rise building.[33]
The first concrete plans for the construction of a high-rise were made by Hines, the investor behind die mitte. In 2009, the construction of a 150-metre (490 ft) high tower to be built behind die mitte was announced. On 12 September 2011, a slightly modified development plan was presented, which provided for a residential tower housing 400 apartments. In early 2013, the development plan was opened to the public.[34]
In autumn 2015, the Berlin Senate organized two forums in which interested citizens could express their opinions on the proposed changes to thePlatz. Architects, city planners and Senate officials held open discussions. On that occasion, however, it was reiterated that the plans for high-rise developments were not up for debate. According to the master plan of the architectHans Kollhoff, up to eleven huge buildings will continue to be built, which will house a mixture of shops and apartments.[35]
During the post-war reconstruction of the 1960s,Alexanderplatz was completely pedestrianized. Since then,trams were reintroduced to the area in 1998.
Alexanderplatz station providesS-Bahn connections, access to theU2,U5 andU8subway lines,regional train lines forDB Regio andODEG services and, on weekends, theHarz-Berlin-Express (HBX). Several tram andbus lines also service the area.
The following main roads connect toAlexanderplatz:
Severalarterial roads lead radially fromAlexanderplatz to the outskirts of Berlin. These include (clockwise from north to south-east):
Karl-Marx-Allee (B 1 and B 5) –Strausberger Platz –Karl-Marx-Allee /Frankfurter Tor –Frankfurter Allee (B 1 and B 5 toBerlin-Hellersdorf junction atBerliner Ring)
The World Clock (‹See Tfd›German: Weltzeituhr), is a large turret-style world clock located. By reading the markings on its metal rotunda, the current time for 148 major cities from around the world can be determined. Since its erection by the German Democratic Republic in 1969, it has been a tourist attraction and meeting place.
Berolina is the female personification[36] ofBerlin and theallegorical female figure symbolizing the city. One of the best-known portraits of Berolina is the statue that once stood in Alexanderplatz.
The Fountain of Friendship (Brunnen der Völkerfreundschaft) was erected in 1970 during the redesign ofAlexanderplatz and inaugurated on October 7. It was created byWalter Womacka and his group of artists. Its water basin has a diameter of 23 meters, it is 6.20 meters high and is built from embossedcopper,glass,ceramics andenamel. The water spurts from the highest point and then flows down in spirals over 17 shells, which each have a diameter between one and four meters. AfterGerman reunification, it was completely renovated in a metal art workshop during the reconstruction of theGaleria Kaufhof.
Apart fromHackescher Markt,Alexanderplatz is the only existing square in front of one of the medieval gates of Berlin's city well.
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