This plaza sits between the Berlin State Opera House and the Law Library of Humboldt University. In…read morethe middle of the wide expanse of cobblestones is a window in the ground - a memorial to the May 10, 1993 book burning that Nazi's held to burn books they banned. These were books by authors they persecuted or topics they forbade Germans to learn about, including the works of hundreds of independent authors, journalists, philosophers and academics. About 20,000 books went up in flame. Nazis claimed that their actions were for the benefit of the people, preventing decadence and moral decay. The quote from the plaque on the ground - "That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well." Heinrich Heine 1820 Below the glass window in the ground is a lit room, blank, its white shelves sit empty, a space for 20,000 books. The memorial was dedicated in March 1995, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn about this historic event in history. What a poignant reminder to question when government authorities seek to limit the access to education of varied perspectives, and undermine support of and turn public opinion against minorities and those of different backgrounds.

Bebelplatz is in the center of Humboldt Universität…read more We came here to see the Empty Library, the symbol and site where books were burned during the dark day of National Socialism. Unfortunately, given the typical Berlin weather, there was a great deal of condensation on the inside of the plexiglass. Grrr Others and Lars S have posted much better photos. As he says in his post: "Die leeren Bücherregale erinnern a die Bücherverbrennung auf diesem Platz."Never forget.

As plazas go in Berlin, this one has a lot of good and a fair bit of bad…read more The good is the size of the space and the traffic that wanders through, The bad is the serious lack of soul and warmth, and a church from the modernist era that really does not do justice to the ruin it accompanies. The Plaza: A place where many paths cross, transit brings the masses and shopping and street kiosks do everything possible to provide the shopper with places to spend money. The Europa Center anchors the East side, providing a time capsule of 1980s cheesy architecture, a funky fountain and a generally lackluster facade taken up with (mostly) signs for the businesses that inhabit that space. The Kaiser Church ruin: One really wishes there was more space around the tower so that it stood silent testament to the horrors of war, and the end result of an overwrought militarism. But no, there are these two carbuncles attached to it. One is locally called the 'pillbox' and in any other place would be pretty cool. Actually, if he pillbox was alone, it would be acceptable... but no... it has a companion. A tower called locally called "the lipstick tube", and it has about that much character, It blocks a side of the broken tower, and thats a pity. And inside its base is a really tacky shop selling imported crap. Yeah, great way to honor the purpose of the church and the ruin. Fail. Entry into the ruin and church are free, as they should be. The west side is mostly forgettable, as are the buildings on the north and south. This place combines amazing traffic with lackluster architecture to succeed in spite of itself. Its a place with people - lots of them - but go on a Sunday, when its almost empty, and see just how bland and uninspired that space really is.

Potsdamer Platz is one of those places you can't miss simply because it's in a fairly central…read morearea--if you are into cultural and artistic activities such as museums, memorials, concerts, shopping (like how I threw shopping in there ;) you'll probably catch transportation close by. You'll likely stumble upon this plaza if you're visiting and your hotel is near, or if you're walking between attractions, or simply commuting and transferring between different trains. It's maintained its role as a transit hub since the mid-1800s, when it was the location for a long distance train station. After WWI, Europe's first traffic light was installed at this intersection. The square was destroyed in WWII and subsequently became an area for black market activities where the purviews of the foreign powers coalesced, and further became a demarcation between East and West Berlin when the wall went up in 1961. The area was devoid of infrastructure development until the 1990's once the wall came down, followed by major corporations moving in, and new buildings and highrises going up expeditiously to accommodate the needs for commercialization. While I didn't see anything exciting happening in the area when I was there, other reviews mention a Christmas market and other holiday, performance and community events being staged here. Surrounding the square are a number of retailers including the Mall of Berlin, some restaurants, and a lot of office buildings.

Is this a must stop on your vacation? No. But this seems to be a good part of town with the hotels,…read moremall, and stores in the area. We just so happen to be at a chain hotel in the area and this was our daily stomping ground for 7 day, 6 nights. You will find some pieces of the Berlin Wall on the line marking where The Wall was. There is a major metro stop which was great for getting to everything on our bucket list. They happen to have an Easter Market in the Plaza while we were visiting.