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|
 Pariser Platz with theBrandenburg Gate | |
 Interactive map of Pariser Platz | |
| Former names | |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Paris, France |
| Type | Public square |
| Area | c. 1.5 ha (3.7 acres)[1] |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Quarter | Mitte |
| Nearest metro station | |
| Coordinates | 52°30′59″N13°22′44″E / 52.5164°N 13.3789°E /52.5164; 13.3789 |
| West end | |
| East end | Unter den Linden |
| Construction | |
| Inauguration | 1734 (1734) |
Pariser Platz (transl. Parisian Square) is a square in thehistoric center ofBerlin, Germany, situated by theBrandenburg Gate at the end ofUnter den Linden boulevard. The square is named after the French capital ofParis to commemorate the victory of theSixth Coalition over theFrench Empire at theBattle of Paris (1814), and is one of the main focal points of the city.
Pariser Platz is the square immediately behind the Brandenburg Gate when approaching the historic heart of Berlin from thezoological garden in the west. TheNeoclassical Brandenburg Gate was completed in the early 1790s byCarl Gotthard Langhans. Until 1814, the square was known simply asViereck orQuarree (the Square). In March 1814, after Prussian troops along with the other Allies captured Paris after the overthrow ofNapoleon, it was renamed Pariser Platz to mark this triumph.
The Brandenburg Gate was the main gate in the western side of theCustoms Wall that surrounded the city in the eighteenth century. In fact, the Pariser Platz is located at the western end ofUnter den Linden, the ceremonial axis of the city, down which the victorious troops of all regimes ranging from theHohenzollern's to theGerman Democratic Republic have marched in triumph.
BeforeWorld War II, Pariser Platz was the grandest square in Berlin, surrounded by theAmerican andFrenchembassies, the finest hotel (theAdlon Hotel), theAcademy of the Arts, and several blocks of apartments and offices.
During the last years of World War II, all the buildings around the square were turned to rubble by air raids and heavy artillery bombardment. The only structure left standing in the ruins of Pariser Platz was the Brandenburg Gate, which was restored by the East Berlin and West Berlin governments. After the war and especially with the construction of theBerlin Wall, the square was laid waste and became part of the death zone dividing the city.
When the city was reunited in 1990, there was broad consensus that the Pariser Platz should be made into a fine urban space again. The embassies would move back, the hotel and arts academy would be reinstated, and prestigious firms would be encouraged to build round the square. Under the rules of reconstruction, eaves heights had to be 22 meters, and buildings had to have a proper termination against the sky. Stone cladding was to be used as far as possible. Interpretations of these constraints, however, have varied to a great extent.
The following is a partial list of buildings and structures on Pariser Platz, working anti clockwise from the Brandenburg Gate:
In the vicinity of Pariser Platz are:
Near the square is theBrandenburger Tor underground station which is served by theBerlin S-BahnS1 line, and is a station onBerlin U-Bahn lineU5. The S-Bahn station was opened in 1936 with the nameUnter den Linden and was closed in 1961 with the construction of theBerlin Wall, becoming one of Berlin'sghost stations. It reopened on September 1, 1990.
The square itself is closed to automobile traffic, but is served by local bus lines nearby.
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