Pariser Platz in Berlin

Pariser Platz is a central square in Berlin and one of its focal points, next to the Brandenburg Gate and neighbouring the Unter den Linden Boulevard. Its name comes from the French capital and was given in honour of the Allied occupation of Paris in 1814. Before gaining its current name, it was called Viereck (which means The Square). The most important site in the area is the Brandenburg Gate, which was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans. It was in the period before World War II that Pariser Platz was the biggest square in the city, home to the American and French embassies, as well as the Academy of Arts, the most refined hotel – the Adlon Hotel and administrative offices.

The air raids turned the buildings into ruins and the sole structure that survived was the Brandenburg Gate, which was restored by the East and West Berlin authorities. After the war, as many other sites in Berlin, the square was also turned into a devastated area. Later, the reuniting of the city brought the idea that the Pariser Platz had to become an urban area again. Thus, the two embassies were positioned again on the square, together with the Arts Academy and the hotel.