A green area of around 6 hectares was created in Berlin’s Mitte district after the Second World War. It is bordered by Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, Alexanderplatz station, Rathausstraße and Spandauer Straße. One of the city’s most famous buildings, the Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall), is located here
On a short tour, I took a look at the most important sights on this square, such as the Red Town Hall, the Neptune Fountain and St. Mary’s Church. Don’t forget the Berlin TV Tower, which is also located on this square.
Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall) – the seat of government in Berlin
The RRed Town Hall is the seat of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, the meeting place of the Berlin Senate and the seat of the Senate Chancellery. This is the political center of the city of Berlin.
Origin of the Red Town Hall
The present town hall was designed by building councillor Hermann Friedrich Waesemann in 1859 and was built between 1860 and 1871. The old town hall had to be demolished first to make way for the new building. The medieval courthouse, part of the old town hall, was demolished in 1871. Parts of the building were used in Babelsberg Park.
The construction costs for the Red Town Hall were estimated at three million – and as is the case in Berlin, they actually amounted to more than 10 million marks.
Very innovatively, the Red Town Hall was equipped with a telephone system in 1882.
In 1921, the founding of Greater Berlin was decided. The city council chamber was now too small and had to be rebuilt to accommodate 225 city councillors. The last meeting took place in this hall on March 12, 1933. During the National Socialist era, the councillors no longer met in the Red Town Hall. There were now 45 councillors who exercised a purely advisory function. The Lord Mayor was assigned a State Commissioner in 1934, and from 1936 the City President took over both offices. The Red Town Hall was rebuilt from 1934-36 in the “spirit of the Third Reich”.
From November 1943, air raids and artillery fire caused massive damage to the building. Almost fifty percent of the town hall was destroyed, so the Berlin City Council, the Berlin Magistrate and the Lord Mayor initially moved to the New Town Hall from the end of 1945.
The East Berlin magistrate had the Red Town Hall rebuilt from 1951-56 according to the plans of Fritz Meinhardt. The exterior was largely faithful to the original. The main staircase was almost undestroyed and was preserved. The upper floor was completely rebuilt. When handing over the keys to Lord Mayor Friedrich Ebert, the commissioned construction worker announced that the whole of Berlin would one day be administered from this town hall. However, he had no idea that it would take a few more years. After the division of Berlin, the East Berlin City Council initially used the Red Town Hall. It was not until October 1991, after the reunification of the city, that the construction worker’s statement came true. Now the Red Town Hall is the seat of government for the whole of Berlin.
Neptunbrunnen (Neptune Fountain)
The Neptune Fountain is located centrally in the park by the television tower.
The fountain, designed by Reinhold Begas, was built on the Schlossplatz in 1888-1891. The palace fountain, now the Neptune Fountain, was inspired by Italian and French influences and was a gift from the Berlin magistrate to Kaiser Wilhelm II.
During the Second World War, the fountain was walled up and thus survived the war unscathed. Unfortunately, non-ferrous metal thieves damaged the figures in 1946 and further damage was caused when the city palace was blown up. The fountain was finally dismantled in 1951. The figures were put into storage and the red Swedish marble bowl was destroyed.
In 1969, in the course of designing the park by the television tower, the government decided to rebuild the fountain in a new location. The bowl was replaced with red Jawlensk granite and the figures restored. Since then, the fountain has been known as the Neptune Fountain.
Structure of the fountain
Today, the fountain is one of the largest and most important fountains in Berlin. The fountain bowl has a diameter of 18 meters, the highest point of the fountain – the trident – is 10 meters high. In the middle of the fountain is a rock pedestal surrounded by sea creatures. Four water-spouting tritons carry a conch shell with Neptune. Four women sit on the edge of the fountain, symbolizing the four German rivers (Rhine, Vistula, Oder, Elbe) and their characteristic landscapes.
The Neptune Fountain is not only a popular meeting place, children and tourists like to splash around in the water here in hot weather. I am thrilled every time I walk around the fountain and always feel like I’m discovering something new.
At Christmas time, there is a large Christmas market around the fountain. A visit to the square at this time of year is well worthwhile.
I am curious to see whether the fountain will find its way back in front of the newly built Berlin Palace as planned. Funds for this have been approved by the federal government, but there should first be a concept for a replacement in the park by the television tower. There is also still the alternative of building a copy of the Neptune Fountain in front of the palace.
St. Mary’s Church
St. Mary’s Church stands on the edge of the park by the television tower. The parish church was built as a hall church in the brick Gothic style. It was first mentioned in a document in 1294 and the tower was built in 1415. Over the years, the nave was redesigned several times – for example, an organ was installed, the pulpit was moved and the imperial box was built.
Today, St. Mary’s Church looks back over 700 years and is one of the few surviving buildings from the early Middle Ages in Berlin.
When you enter the church, you will see the Dance of Death mural behind a glass wall in the tower hall. The Dance of Death is one of the oldest monuments in Berlin. The painting has been extensively restored in recent years and is now once again clearly visible to visitors.
You shouldn’t miss out on a visit to the church. I was really impressed. You can see the imperial box in the right-hand aisle. The pulpit (from around 1660) and the baptismal font (from 1437) are impressive and the altar really draws the eye almost magically. There are numerous tombs and epitaphs on the church walls and pillars. I particularly like the organ (1721/22). It is supposed to cover another painting, a 16th-century Madonna of the Protection.
Opening hours
daily 10 am – 6 pm
Epiphany – Palm Sunday: daily 10 am – 4 pm
No viewing possible during the church service.
Guided tours:
Guided tours on a special topic are offered once a month after the church service (Sunday).
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