Alexanderplatz, known to locals simply as “Alex,” is Berlin’s largest and most visited public square, a 34,000-square-meter hub in the Mitte district. Once a parade ground and farmers’ market, it became a major transport junction in 1882 and the city’s main shopping center by the early 1900s. It was the site of street fighting during the 1848 March Revolution and, more recently, the staging ground for peaceful demonstrations just before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
The square’s defining landmark is the 365-meter Fernsehturm (TV Tower), built in 1969 and still the tallest structure in Germany; its rotating observation deck offers panoramic views of Berlin. Nearby, the World Time Clock and the Fountain of Friendship Between Nations are popular meeting points, while the Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall), Museum Island, and Berlin Cathedral are all within easy walking distance.
Alexanderplatz is also a major S-Bahn and U-Bahn interchange, making it a convenient base for exploring the rest of eastern Berlin. Allow about an hour to see the square itself, or two if you ride to the top of the TV Tower.
