The World Clock
A rotating column showing the time in cities worldwide, from 1969, and a traditional Berlin meeting point.
Flocci Nivis โ CC BY 4.0 ยท Flocci Nivis โ CC BY 4.0 ยท Flocci Nivis โ CC BY 4.0 ยท Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). โ CC BY-SA 4.0
Not in the conventional sense โ concrete, shops and crowds. But it matters historically and shows the shape of East Berlin better than anywhere else. For architectural beauty, go to Gendarmenmarkt instead.
The view from the highest point in Germany is striking, but the ticket is expensive and queues are long without a booking. Book online and pick a slot before sunset to get the city by day and night.
Museum Island is ten minutes' walk west, and the old Nikolai quarter is close too. The square makes a good starting point because every transport line passes through.
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Alexanderplatz is a wide square in the eastern part of central Berlin, which Berliners simply call Alex. It is not pretty in the usual sense, but it is one of the most useful places in the city for understanding its recent history. The square was the heart of East Berlin. After the war's destruction it was rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s in a socialist style: large concrete buildings and wide open space designed for parades and marches. That character is still obvious today. It holds two well-known landmarks: the World Clock, a rotating metal column showing the time in cities around the world, long a standard meeting point; and behind it the TV Tower, the tallest building in Germany, which you can go up with a ticket. The square itself is free and always open, and it is a major transport hub. In December a large Christmas market fills it.
A rotating column showing the time in cities worldwide, from 1969, and a traditional Berlin meeting point.
The tallest building in Germany, with a viewing deck and revolving restaurant. Booking ahead saves queueing.
1960s buildings and wide open space โ the clearest place to see East Berlin's planning.
Alexanderplatz, 10178 Berlin