Platz der Republik (Berlin)
Platz der Republik (German: [ˈplats deːɐ̯ ʁepuˈbliːk], Republic Square) is a square in Berlin, Germany. It is located in the Tiergarten (borough Mitte), directly in front (west) of the Reichstag building. The square has an area of about 36,900 square meters and is almost completely covered by grass but is decorated with some hedges and a few trees.
Before 1926 and between 1933 and 1948 it was called Königsplatz (German: [ˈkøːnɪçsˌplats], King's Square). The Victory Column stood here before it was moved to its present location in 1939.
History
The square was created in about 1735 and was used under
In 1873 the Victory Column was erected in the center of the square, at the end of the newly created Siegesallee boulevard. At the east end of the square stood the Palais of the Polish-Prussian count Atanazy Raczyński, before the Reichstag building was built there from 1884 to 1894.
During the
The Berlin Wall ran past the back side of the Reichstag. The square, now a large lawn, was thus far away from traffic and was used as a recreational area for weekend barbecues etc. After German reunification in 1990 the square regained its position of central importance in Berlin. A large German flag was raised on the square in the night from 2 to 3 October 1990.
In 1991 the
Events
In the fall of 1948, the square saw a huge demonstration protesting against the
A number of concerts had taken place at the Platz der Republik in the late 1980s, including in 1987
On 22 July 2005 an ultralight aircraft crashed on the square, killing the pilot. The police later determined that it was a likely suicide.
Leading up to the
Sources
- Hans-Werner Klünner: Berliner Plätze. Fotografien von Max Missmann. Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung Beuermann GmbH, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-87584-610-9, S. 76–79.
- Heinz Ohff, Rainer Höynck (Hrsg.): Das BerlinBuch. Stapp-Verlag, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-877762-31-X.
- Wolfgang Ribbe, Jürgen Schmädicke: Kleine Berlin-Geschichte. 3. erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage. Stapp-Verlag, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-877762-22-0.
References
- ^ "Baum-Casting für den Platz der Republik". Berliner Zeitung. 22 November 2006.
External links
52°31′7″N 13°22′21″E / 52.51861°N 13.37250°E
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