Breitscheidplatz

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  The Weltkugelbrunnen on Breitscheidplatz.

• Tourists walk past the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Breitscheidplatz in City West on a sunny day.

• Flowers and pictures stand at the Goldener Riss memorial for the victims of terrorism at Breitscheidplatz.

• The Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Breitscheidplatz in Berlin Charlottenburg is to West Berlin what Alexanderplatz is to the east of the city. The square is not only home to the Memorial Church, but also the Europacenter. The famous Kurfürstendamm, Berlin Zoo and KaDeWe department store are all nearby.

Several boulevards and major streets in Berlin converge at Breitscheidplatz in the west of Berlin. In addition to Budapester Straße and Kantstraße, the famous Kurfürstendamm, which becomes Tauentzienstraße after the square, is also located here. The volume of visitors and traffic around the square is correspondingly high. In addition to the sights, there are plenty of shopping opportunities and restaurants to discover.

Before Breitscheidplatz was given its current name, the square was first called Gutenbergplatz, later Auguste-Viktoria-Platz. It was only after the Second World War that it was given its name - after the social democrat Rudolf Breitscheid.

Memorials: Memorial Church and Golden Rift

The most important sight on Breitscheidplatz is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. With its striking ruined tower - a conscious decision was made not to rebuild the tower after it was damaged in the Second World War - the church is today not only a place of worship, but also a memorial against war and destruction.

Since December 19, 2017, a second memorial can be found on Breitscheidplatz. The Goldener Riss (Golden Rift) memorial commemorates the terrorist attack on the Christmas market at Berlin's Memorial Church in 2016, when an attacker drove a truck into the Christmas market. In the Islamist terrorist attack in Germany, 12 people died and almost 70 were injured.

More than shopping: Europa Center

The Europa Center is located on the eastern side of Breitscheidplatz. Where people stroll with shopping bags today, there used to be the legendary Romanesque Café in the Golden 20s. The café was a meeting place for writers and intellectuals. Regular guests included Max Liebermann, Bertolt Brecht, Else Lasker-Schüler, Erich Kästner and many more. During the war, the building in which the café was located was badly damaged in an air raid. After the war, the ruins were demolished. The Europa-Center was built on the same site from 1963 to 1965. Alongside the Memorial Church, the center quickly became one of West Berlin's landmarks, also thanks to the rotating Mercedes star on the roof of the associated high-rise building.

The lowest of the center's two floors is mainly used by stores and restaurants. Worth seeing within the center is the clock of flowing time. The 13-metre-high water clock with numerous water spheres extends over three floors and is an impressive technical work of art. In front of the Europa Center, the water gurgles in the Weltkugelbrunnen (world fountain), known to Berliners as the Wasserklops (water ball).

Around Breitscheidplatz

In addition to the Memorial Church and Europa Center, there are other sights around Breitscheidplatz. In addition to the Berlin Zoo and the Aquarium, the internationally renowned KaDeWe is well worth a visit. Numerous stores around Breitscheidplatz, in the Concept Mall Bikini Berlin and on the adjacent Kudamm and Tauentzien invite you to go on extended shopping tours.

Information

• Address:
  Tauentzienstr. 9
  10789 Berlin
  City map