Alexanderplatz: Between Twilight and Renewal

Dr Julien Drouart
5 days ago
4 min read

Alexanderplatz : entre crépuscule et renouveau

Alexanderplatz is one of the most visited squares in the German capital. It was the epicenter of the GDR, which made it its cultural and architectural showcase. With its many structural problems, its former grandeur now seems a distant memory.

A Visit to Alexanderplatz Is Optional.

As the city was divided, Berlin reinvented itself and saw hitherto secondary and peripheral centers take off. In West Berlin, the Zoologischer Garten became the emblematic square of Western freedoms and national renewal. Shops, music clubs and illuminations surrounded the Church of Remembrance. In East Berlin, the East German government set out to build a new world, with the ambition of making Alexanderplatz the German equivalent of Moscow's Red Square.

Work began late in the 1960s. The abandonment of socialist realism paved the way for a new phase, that of standardization, which saw the combination of modernity and functionalism. In the shadow of the Television Tower, immense buildings sprang up in just a few years, encircling a large pedestrian zone designed to host events organized by the authorities. In popular culture, and particularly for young people, the square became a meeting place, a place to see and be seen. The choice of Alexaderplatz by opponents of the GDR for their protests should not be seen as an act of defiance: East Berliners had a genuine affection for the square.

The fall of the GDR led to the complete disintegration of Alexanderplatz. Buildings were privatized, some razed to the ground and replaced by architecturally diverse establishments, detracting from the original harmony, while others were abandoned and sat like ghost ships. Despite political goodwill, development projects were slow to see the light of day, mainly due to insufficient public funding. Today, Alexanderplatz remains an important hub for all those living in the east of the capital.

La fontaine pour la fraternité entre les peuples sur Alexanderplatz à Berlin.

Hello Sadness

First of all, the famous Television Tower is not located on Alexanderplatz, but several hundred meters away. The adjacent thoroughfares are gigantic, long and wide at the same time. Designed for the monumental parades of the East German regime, they contribute to the isolation of the square, which has no natural outlet. People go to Alexanderplatz to shop or take public transport, but rarely cross it on foot to reach a more distant point. As such, the square lives in a vacuum.

The square has two faces, depending on perspective, and two moods, depending on the time of day. The western part of the square is home to the East German sights of the time: the Berolinahaus architectural complex, the shopping arcades, the picturesque Fountain of Brotherhood between Peoples and, of course, the intriguing Urania world clock, which indicates the time of the world's capitals according to their time zones and the location of the planets in the solar system - which, if not correct, adds to the singularity of the monument. Many people take photos here, meet up and enjoy impromptu street concerts. A hundred meters away, the eastern side of the square is much colder, more impersonal, disfigured by incessant roadworks and tramway lines. The view is of ugly, dilapidated, prefabricated housing blocks, some of them completely abandoned. No activity on the horizon, just concrete.

During the day, the square is filled with onlookers looking for the next streetcar to the east, or in transit to and from the metro and train station. Thousands of them cross the square every hour. Others linger in the offices, the few restaurants and the standardized shopping arcades. When darkness falls, the square empties and gangs appear, sometimes peaceful, sometimes idle and threatening. Insecurity and urban violence have necessitated the installation of a police station in recent years. At nightfall, time stands still as there is no place for socializing, pleasure or entertainment. It's true that the cold, rectilinear architecture doesn't encourage you to linger either.

Scène en soirée sur Alexanderplatz à Berlin.

Don't Split Berlin in Two

Zoologischer Garten is the gateway to Berlin for people from the West. Whether they're coming from Spandau, Steglitz or Wannsee, travelers will always pass through here. The same applies to Alexanderplatz: it's here that people from Biesdorf, Wartenberg or Marzahn arrive in the central city. The feeling is catastrophic. For some, Alexanderplatz no longer merits a visit. For others, nostalgic for a country that no longer exists and to whom Germany still promises national reconciliation, it's the source of deep bitterness that translates into a rejection of the socio-economic elites of central Berlin.

The case of the former GDR House of Statistics is emblematic of this malaise. Since 1990, this immense building has been abandoned, and the Cyrillic script of the slogans glorifying the Soviet Union and East Germany can be seen on its top. At the very least, the public authorities could have razed it to the ground to wipe the slate clean, or rehabilitated it for our own civic and cultural projects. To have allowed it to languish for three decades in plain sight is a clear lack of sensitivity and intelligence, despite budget restrictions, real estate speculation and governmental inertia. The same applies to Alexanderplatz.

In the 2010s, the construction of skyscrapers has profoundly altered the landscape of the Zoologischer Garten. Unfortunately, the Alexanderplatz has not benefited from this dynamic. However, modest improvements could be made, such as the creation of a park on this entirely concrete, treeless square. In the meantime, the Alexanderplatz is slowly dying and falling into anonymity.