Alexanderplatz Berlin: the World Clock, the TV Tower and East Berlin's great square

Updated on October 9, 2026

Alexanderplatz, known to Berliners as "Alex", is the great square of the former East Berlin. It takes its name from Tsar Alexander I's visit in 1805. Remodelled by the GDR in the 1960s, it is dominated by the TV Tower and remains one of the city's main crossroads: U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and regional trains all meet here. For somewhere to eat nearby, see our picks near Alexanderplatz. It is a transit and shopping square rather than a postcard sight, but it holds some powerful symbols of the East German era, and the neighbouring area (Rotes Rathaus, Marienkirche, Nikolaiviertel) is easy to explore on foot. The square is free and open at all hours.

Highlights

The World Clock

The Urania World Clock (Weltzeituhr), about 10 m high, was installed in 1969 to a design by Erich John. A rotating cylinder shows the time in more than 140 cities around the world, and the central column represents the solar system. It is the traditional Berlin meeting point: "under the Weltzeituhr".

The square and its buildings

Around the square, the Haus des Lehrers (Teachers' House) and the Kongresshalle, designed by Hermann Henselmann and completed in 1964, carry a painted mural frieze by Walter Womacka. The Berolinahaus and the Alexanderhaus, two office buildings by Peter Behrens from the early 1930s, are among the few pre-war buildings left.

At the foot of the tower

The TV Tower, opened in 1969, rises over the square (see its own page for the panoramic platform). Between the tower and the Rotes Rathaus, the Neptune Fountain is a good landmark on the way down to the Marienkirche and the Nikolaiviertel.

4 November 1989

Five weeks before the fall of the Wall, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Alexanderplatz for the largest demonstration in the history of the GDR, demanding freedoms and reforms. The Fountain of International Friendship (Brunnen der Völkerfreundschaft), from 1970, is still a place to take a break.

Alexa and the department store

The Alexa shopping centre and the Galeria department store, on the edge of the square, bring together many shops. Opening hours are those of the shops: check their official websites.

Practical info

Tips

The square is very busy at all hours and known for pickpockets: keep your phone and wallet out of reach, especially on trains and platforms. For the tower's platform, book a time slot in advance (see the tower's page). For lunch, the courtyards of the Hackesche Höfe or the Nikolaiviertel offer more choice than the square itself. Our guide to scams to avoid in Berlin describes the common traps.

How to get there

Alexanderplatz, 10178 Berlin (Mitte). S+U Alexanderplatz station: U-Bahn U2, U5 and U8; S-Bahn S3, S5, S7 and S9; trams M2, M4, M5 and M6; bus 100; regional trains. The station is one of the network's main hubs, less than a 10-minute walk from Museum Island.