March 18th place
| March 18th place | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Place of March 18th with the Brandenburg Gate |
|
| Basic data | |
| place | Berlin |
| District | center |
| Created | 18th century |
| Newly designed | 21st century |
| Hist. Names |
Square in front of the Brandenburg Gate (18th century – 1934 and 1958–2000) , Hindenburgplatz (1934–1958) |
| Confluent streets |
Ebertstrasse , Strasse des 17. Juni |
| Buildings | Brandenburg Gate |
| use | |
| User groups | Pedestrians , cyclists |
| Space design | 45,000 m² |
The 18th of March Square lies at the eastern end of the Straße des 17. Juni and the Tiergarten on the western side in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the Dorotheenstadt in Berlin district of Mitte and thus at a very central and symbolic place. Historically, the car-free space in its inner area is located at the front of the gate at the gate entrance to Old Berlin . He is the counterpart to the Pariser Platz east of the Brandenburg Gate and was like this after the German reunification with an elaborate paving, historic Schupmann - candelabra equipped and information boards. It is particularly popular with visitors to the city and is often used for rallies and events.
meaning
The name is intended to commemorate the events of March 18, both in 1848 ( March Revolution ) and in 1990 ( first free election in the GDR 's Volkskammer ). March 18, on which hundreds of civilians were killed in barricade fighting, is considered to be the most significant date of the revolution of 1848, which established liberal and democratic traditions in Germany. On March 18, 1990, a large majority of the citizens of the GDR decided in favor of regaining German unity and against the continued existence of the GDR. At both historical turning points, the naming of the square at the most famous building in Germany and at the same time at what is probably the most famous point of the Iron Curtain pays homage.
During the existence of the Berlin Wall , the square was in the restricted area of East Berlin between 1961 and 1990 and was surrounded by a semicircular section of the wall, which was three meters thick towards the anti-tank barrier and whose course is now marked in the asphalt with a row of double stones.
With a viewing platform for a view of the eastern part of the city, the square was also a point of confrontation during the Cold War . On the right and left of Straße des 17. Juni have been two boards on the Berlin Wall History Mile since the late 1990s, showing the construction of the barriers in this area, to which state visitors and delegations from both halves of the divided city are regularly taken were.
In 1987, US President Ronald Reagan visited Berlin and immediately in front of the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate called for: "Mister Gorbachev , open this gate". After the announcement of the freedom to travel and the surprising opening of the border on November 9, 1989, people from West Berlin flocked to the Brandenburg Gate and many climbed the top of the wall around the square. These pictures went around the world. On December 22nd, 1989 the wall opened here too.
History of the renaming
The District Assembly (BVV) of the Central District and the Council of Mayors decided in 1997 and 1999 to rename the square in front of the Brandenburg Gate to Platz des 18. March 1848 . This was supported by the citizens' initiative "Aktion 18. März", founded by Volker Schröder ( Alternative List ) among others in 1979 , which originally wanted to make March 18 a public holiday in both German states, as well as by people of different political origins who had fought for years for the renaming, but not from the Berlin Senate under the leadership of Building Senator Jürgen Klemann ( CDU ). After a modification ( proposed by the then President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse ) in Platz des 18. März , which also made a reference to the first free election of the People's Chamber , approval from all sides was finally achieved. On March 18, 2000, the two mayors of the then Mitte and Tiergarten districts initially unofficially unveiled the street sign that had been in existence for three years and read Platz des 18. March 1848 . However, the renaming of the square only officially became effective on June 15, 2000. On June 19, 2000 the official unveiling of the now official street sign with the inscription Platz des 18. März took place by the two mayors.
Chronicle of the naming
- Place in front of the Brandenburg Gate from the 18th century.
- Hindenburgplatz ; the renaming took place immediately after the death of Paul von Hindenburg .
- Place in front of the Brandenburg Gate ; On November 30, 1958, the East Berlin magistrate gave the part of Hindenburgplatz in the Mitte district its historic name.
- March 18th place (since June 15, 2000)
Web links
- Place of March 18th in Kaupert's street guide through Berlin
- Brief history of the action March 18th
- Ronald Reagan's speech on the square in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Individual evidence
- ^ The March 18 campaign
- ↑ Hans J. Reichardt et al .; Landesarchiv Berlin (edit): Berlin. Chronicle of the years 1957–1958. Spitzing, Berlin 1974, p. 771.
Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 58.5 " N , 13 ° 22 ′ 38.2" E