berlin

Around Town – Central Berlin: Around Alexanderplatz
130
Left Altar painting in Marienkirche Centre Frieze on the Münze Right Knoblauch-Haus
Central Berlin: Around Alexanderplatz
THE 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 18thcentury
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
s
Hackescher
Markt
BURG-
STR.
6
LiebknechtbrückeRathausbrücke
4
Nikolaiviertel
BRÜDER-
STR.
NEUMA NNSGASSE
FRIEDRICHSGRACHT
K
A
ROSENSTRASSE
PETRI-
PLATZ
S E Y D E L S T R A S S E
D I RC KSE N STRASSE
ROC HSTRASSE
SPANDAUER STRASSE
STR.
WE R DER-
-
L
R
BREITE STRASSE
SP RE E U F E R
NEUE GRÜNSTR.
POSTSTR.
@ Alexanderplatz
£ 1 u
s
u
3
5
9
L I E B K N E C
RATHAUSSTR.
PROPSTSTR.
8
Spree- kanal
G E RTR A UDENSTR.
FISCHERINSEL
W A L L S T R A S S E
ROSA-
LUXEMBURG-
STR.
H T -
2
RATHAUSSTRASSE
JÜDENSTR.
GUSTAV-
BÖSS-STR.
Bahnhof
GONTARDSTRASSE
MOLKEN-
MARKT
ALTE JAKOBSTR.
JÜDENSTR.
STR .
D I RCKSE N STR .
Klosterstr.
u
MÄ R K ISCHE S U F E R
N E U E R OSS STR .
.
R
T
S
G R U N E R S T R A S S E
Mühlendammbrücke
Mühlendamm-
Schleuse
M ÜHLENDAM M
Inselbrücke
PAR OCHIALSTR.
K LOSTE R -
WALLSTRASSE
INS ELSTR.
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
WAISENSTRASSE
LITTENSTR.
ROL ANDUF E R
NEUE JAKOBSTR.
NEUE JAKOBSTRASSE
DI RC KS E N ST R AS S E
VOLTAIRE-
STRASSE
S TR ALAU E R ST R ASSE
Spree
MÄRKISCHER-
PLATZ
7
NISCHEN PARK
MARKISCHES
UFER
SCHICKLER-
STR.
u
s
0
JACOBYSTRASSE
Jannowitzbrücke
RUNGESTRASSE RUNGESTR.
AM KÖLL-
ALE X ANDE R STR ASS E
HEINRICH-
HEINE- STR.
OTTO-
BRAUN-STR.
B R Ü CKEN S T R .
OHMSTRASSE
WEYDEMEYER-
STRASSE
KARL-MARX-
ALLEE
MAGAZINSTR.
SCHILLING-
STR.
Fischerinsel
u
u
Spittelmarkt
Märkisches
Museum
SCHULTZE-
DELITZSCH-
PLATZ
500 yards 0 metres
u
Heinrich-
Heine-Str.
500
Jannowitzbrücke
KÖPENICKER STR.
Berliner Rathaus
Sights
1 Alexanderplatz
2 Berliner Rathaus
3 Berliner Fernsehturm
4 Nikolaiviertel
5 Marienkirche
6 Marx-Engels-Forum
7 Märkisches Museum
8 Ephraim-Palais
9 Neptune Fountain
0 Karl-Marx-Allee and
Frankfurter Allee
Alexanderplatz on a 24-hour webcam:
www.berlinonline.de/spass/live_kamera/.html/alex.html