Bebelplatz
Bebelplatz was designed by Frederick the Great and is renowned as the centre for arts and science. The buildings which are now popular tourist sites were built at the time of Friedrich II, who wished to create an area that would reflect his great political power. Thus, an academy, an opera house and royal palace were constructed and the area became known as the Frederick’s Forum. Later it was renamed to Opernplatz and gained its current name in 1947, after August Bebel, a social-democratic leader of the epoch.
The imposing state opera house was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff and is the oldest among all the attractions on the square. The state orchestra of
Staatskapelle Berlin holds grandiose concerts there and tourists can take a guided tour to see the Opera’s interior. Another landmark of the square is the
St Hedwig’s Cathedral, which was constructed in 1747 as the first Catholic church built in Germany after the Protestant Reformation. Its architecture resembles the
Pantheon in
Rome and its shining dome can be seen from various areas of the city.
The Old Library (
Alte Bibliothek) is located on the west side of the square and also deserves your attention. Today it is a part of the Humboldt University, which boasts prominent graduates, including Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,
Grimm brothers etc. Its history, however, is rather dark. In 1933, the Nazi minister Joseph Goebbels ordered to burn more than 20 000 books by Jews, pacifists and communists. Today, one can look through the glass plate and view the rows of empty book-shelves, which are a reminder of that awful day.
Name: Bebelplatz
Address: Bebelplatz
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