Rosenthaler Platz in
Berlin's Mitte
Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding.
It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuzb ...
district, district Mitte, forms a crossroads where Rosenthaler Strasse, Brunnenstrasse and Weinbergsweg meet Torstrasse, and is therefore not a square in the true sense of the word. It is located on the site of the former Rosenthaler Tor
of the Berlin customs wall, from which a road led to the village of
Rosenthal
Rosenthal is a German and Jewish surname meaning "rose valley". Notable people with the name include:
A
* Abe M. Rosenthal (1922–2006), ''New York Times'' editor and columnist
*Albert Rosenthal (1863–1939), American portrait artist
* Albert ...
. This gate was one of the few through which Jews were allowed to enter Berlin until the 19th century. Those who were not allowed to enter could stay overnight in a special Jewish hostel.
Directly in front of the gate, at the behest of Friedrich II, the Rosenthal suburb was built, a colony in which
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
guest workers were settled. The Rosenthaler Tor was demolished around 1867 during Berlin's expansion and the demolition of the customs wall.
In
Alfred Döblin
Bruno Alfred Döblin (; 10 August 1878 – 26 June 1957) was a German novelist, essayist, and doctor, best known for his novel '' Berlin Alexanderplatz'' (1929). A prolific writer whose œuvre spans more than half a century and a wide variety of ...
's novel
Berlin Alexanderplatz
''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' () is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers the book was named among the top 100 books of all time.
...
, published in 1929, Rosenthaler Platz plays the central role in his second book; the construction work on the underground between Alexanderplatz and Rosenthaler Platz is also mentioned in it.
The
Rosenthaler Platz underground station was opened on 18 April 1930. When construction of the Berlin Wall began in the night of 13 August 1961, it was closed because the line led to West Berlin on both sides. Shortly after reunification in the GDR, from 22 December 1989 until the summer of 1990, the station functioned as a temporary border crossing.
To the north of Rosenthaler Platz is the
Weinbergspark.
References
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Year of establishment missing
Squares in Berlin
Mitte