Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Altar painting in Marienkirche
Centre
Frieze on the Münze
Right
Knoblauch-Haus
Central Berlin: Around Alexanderplatz
T
HE AREA AROUND ALEXANDERPLATZ
is one of the oldest parts of the city;
it was here that the twin towns of Cölln and Berlin merged to become
one town in the 13th century. Berlin's oldest coherent quarter, the 18th-
century Nikolaiviertel and its medieval Nikolaikirche, the city's oldest church,
lie in the shadow of the TV tower, the pride of the “capital” of former East
Germany. On the occasion of Berlin's 750th anniversary, in 1987, the East
German government had the Nikolaiviertel restored. Very few of the original
buildings are preserved, however; most houses were rebuilt from scratch.
Only a few paces away from the alleyways of Nikolaiviertel extends
Alexanderplatz, referred to by locals simply as “Alex”. Before World War II,
Alex defined the heartbeat of the city; after the ravages of war, it seemed
vast and a little forlorn. Although the giant square is now livelier again,
especially in summer, a chilly easterly wind still blows between the houses.
The vibrancy of the square, as described by Alfred Döblin in his novel
Berlin
Alexanderplatz
, is only slowly returning to the area. Much building and
reconstruction work is planned for Alex in the coming years.
HACKESCHER
MARKT
N S
s
Hackescher
Markt
Bahnhof
Alexanderplatz
@
Alexanderplatz
£
1
u
s
u
3
0
Alexanderplatz
5
9
Berliner Rathaus
6
2
Liebknecht-
brücke
Rathaus-
brücke
Sights
Klosterstr.
u
4
1
Alexanderplatz
2
Berliner Rathaus
3
Berliner Fernsehturm
4
Nikolaiviertel
5
Marienkirche
6
Marx-Engels-Forum
7
Märkisches Museum
8
Nikolai-
viertel
MOLKEN-
MARKT
8
u
Mühlendamm-
brücke
Mühlendamm-
Schleuse
Jannowitzbrücke
s
MÄRKISCHER-
PLATZ
Jannowitz-
brücke
Insel-
brücke
7
PETRI-
PLATZ
Fischer-
insel
u
Märkisches
Museum
u
Ephraim-Palais
r
e
SCHULTZE-
DELITZSCH-
PLATZ
Spittelmarkt
W A L
9
Neptune Fountain
u
0
Karl-Marx-Allee and
Frankfurter Allee
Heinrich-
Heine-Str.
500
yards
0
metres
500
Alexanderplatz on a 24-hour webcam:
www.berlinonline.de/spass/live_kamera/.html/alex.html
130
