Theodor-Heuss-Platz is a station on line U2 of the

Berlin U-Bahn The Berlin U-Bahn (; short for , "underground railway") is a rapid transit system in Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany, and a major part of the city's public transport system. Together with the S-Bahn, a network of suburban train li ...

, located in the Westend district.

Overview

When the station first opened on 29 March 1908, it was named ''Reichskanzlerplatz'' after the eponymous square laid out between 1904 and 1908, referring to the office of

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

and its inaugural holder,

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

. It had been built according to the plans of

Alfred Grenander Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander (26 June 1863 – 14 March 1931) was a Swedish architect, who became one of the most prominent engineers during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn network in the early twentieth century. Biography Gre ...

in the course of the second western extension of the 1902 ''Stammstrecke'' route, which originally ran from Warschauer Brücke (now

Warschauer Straße Warschauer Straße is a major thoroughfare in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district of central Berlin, the capital of Germany. The street begins at Frankfurter Tor to the north and spans 1.6km south to the intersection of the Oberbaumbrücke, Mü ...

) to Knie (now

Ernst-Reuter-Platz Ernst-Reuter-Platz is a town square in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany. It is named after Ernst Reuter, mayor of West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin duri ...

). At the same time, the Sophie-Charlotte-Platz and

Kaiserdamm Kaiserdamm is a boulevard in the Westend and Charlottenburg districts of Berlin, Germany. Route Kaiserdamm is a 50m wide road, that runs for between Sophie-Charlotte-Platz in the east to Theodor-Heuss-Platz in the west. It forms a westward c ...

stations were opened. Two weeks before the opening,

Emperor William II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empi ...

had the occasion of a first trip on the new line on 14 March 1908. ''Reichskanzlerplatz'' remained the western terminus until the Stadion (now Olympia-Stadion) station opened in 1913. In the course of the

Nazi takeover Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

, the square and the station were renamed ''Adolf-Hitler-Platz'' on 21 April 1933 (

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

had an apartment nearby at the time; the building of Hitlerjungen was here). After the Second World War the Allies reverted the name to ''Reichskanzlerplatz'', which remained until 18 December 1963, when the square and the station were renamed after President

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor Ko ...

, who had died six days before.J. Meyer-Kronthaler: Berlins U-Bahnhöfe. be.bra Verlag (1996) The station features two platforms, one for each direction, which are not connected; passengers have to exit the station, cross the street, and reenter the station to reach the other platform. Although it suffered only little damage during World War II, the original rich decor, including

maiolica Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. Italian maiolica dating from the Renaissance period is the most renowned. When depicting historical and mythical scenes, these works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ( ...

tiles from

Kadyny Kadyny (german: Cadinen) is a village of Gmina Tolkmicko, within Elbląg County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Geography It is situated in the Elbląg Upland Landscape Park, a protected area on a terminal moraine stretchi ...

, were not preserved.

Notable places nearby

Theodor-Heuss-Platz Theodor-Heuss-Platz (; colloquially called Theo by locals, ) is a large city square in the Westend district of Berlin, Germany. It is named after Theodor Heuss (1884–1963), the first President of Germany after World War II. Location The sq ...

Haus des Rundfunks The Haus des Rundfunks ("Broadcasting House"), located in the Westend district of Berlin, the capital city of Germany, is the world's oldest self-contained broadcasting centre. Designed by Hans Poelzig in 1929 after he won an architectural compet ...

Messe Berlin Messe Berlin (') are exhibition grounds in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf precinct of Berlin, Germany, at Masurenallee opposite the Haus des Rundfunks. Since 2011, they have officially been known as "Berlin ExpoCenter City" and operated by the M ...

References

External links

{{BU-BahnStations U2 (Berlin U-Bahn) stations Buildings and structures in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Railway stations in Germany opened in 1908 Theodor Heuss