Bebelplatz
The Bebelplatz (formerly and colloquially the Opernplatz) is a
The square is located on the south side of the
History
Early history
Parts of the fortification of Berlin built in the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War (the baroque Berlin Fortress) were later integrated into the boulevard Unter den Linden when the fortifications had become useless through the advance of artillery pieces. The site of the fortifications is visible until today as there are no linden trees on this stretch up to the Berlin Palace on the Spree river island itself. The avenue of trees in the direction of the Brandenburg Gate begins where it once began outside the fortifications.
The square, then called Platz am Opernhaus (i.e. square at the opera house), was laid out between 1741 and 1743 under the rule of King
The Opernplatz (today Bebelplatz), which was a bit cramped as a result, has survived almost unchanged: State Opera, St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the Old Library Building and the Palace of Prince Henry, the king's brother, today the main building of Humboldt University, giving the square an almost complete surround of 18th-century buildings.
On 12 August 1910, it was renamed for Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria (Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Platz) on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The buildings surrounding the square were subsequently largely destroyed in World War II by air raids and the Battle of Berlin. The ensemble was restored in the 1950s, and the square was renamed on 31 August 1947 as Bebelplatz.
Nazi book burning
The Bebelplatz is known as the site of one of the infamous
Recent history
In 2006, an exhibition of "United Buddy Bears" was held in the square, for the third time in Berlin. The exhibition consisted of more than 180 bear sculptures, each 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in height and designed by a different artist. Due to its difficult past the use of Bebelplatz remains disputed, recently sparked off by a wintry skating rink and a party tent of the Berlin fashion week.
In 2012 several protests were caused by the announced plan of an underground carpark serving the attendees of the opera to be erected under the square and around the subsurface memorial.
See also
- Blücher Memorial, Berlin
- Bülow Memorial, Berlin
- Gneisenau Memorial, Berlin
- Scharnhorst Memorial, Berlin
- Yorck Memorial, Berlin
References
- ^ "Where they burn books, they will ultimately also burn people". Onejerusalem.com. May 20, 2008.
External links
- Panorama Bebelplatz - Interactive 360° Panorama