Walking through Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz today, nestled in Berlin's Mitte district, you might not realize at first glance that this small, triangular square encapsulates over three centuries of Berlin’s—and Germany’s—tumultuous, vibrant, and ever-evolving history. But take a closer look, and this unassuming space unfolds like a living textbook, touching on everything from urban planning to revolutions, from Nazi terror to socialist dreams, from war destruction to cultural resilience. Join me on a journey through time at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, a key stop on my Weimar Berlin tour, where the layers of the past are still visible in the cityscape and architecture.
1672: The Origins – Barns and Fire Safety
Elector Friedrich Wilhelm decrees that flammable materials must be stored outside the city. This leads to 27 barns being built near the Georgentor, laying the foundation of the Scheunenviertel (Barn Quarter), marking the area’s initial agricultural function.
1750–1800s: Urbanization and Overcrowding
As the city expands, the barns give way to residential buildings. Textile workers and craftsmen flood the area, causing intense overcrowding and poverty. Landlords rent out every available space. The neighborhood, now densely populated, declines into a hotbed of crime, poverty, and prostitution. Meanwhile, Grenadierstraße (now Almstadtstraße) becomes the heart of Eastern European Jewish life, with synagogues, shops, and prayer houses dominating the street.
1907: Demolition and the Birth of Babelsberger Platz
The old Scheunenviertel is demolished to make room for a modern square, initially named Babelsberger Platz. Babelsberg is - at the time - a similarly poor working class district in Potsdam. The surrounding Almstadtstraße (then Grenadierstraße) remains intact but faces deterioration over time.
1913–1914: Volksbühne – Theater for the People
The square becomes a cultural beacon with the opening of the Volksbühne, a theater for the working class, funded by the “Arbeitergroschen” (workers’ pennies) and designed by Oskar Kaufmann. It champions political and experimental theater, shaped by figures like Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator.
1926: Communist Power Base – Karl-Liebknecht-Haus
The KPD (Communist Party of Germany) buys a nearby office building and names it Karl-Liebknecht-Haus, after the revolutionary Karl Liebknecht, murdered alongside Rosa Luxemburg in 1919 by right-wing Freikorps. It becomes a political and artistic hub, hosting revolutionaries like John Heartfield and Max Gebhard.
1928–1929: Bauhaus at the Babylon
Hans Poelzig, leading architect of New Objectivity, designs the Babylon Cinema and adjacent apartment blocks (170 flats, 80 shops). Opened in 1929 as a silent film cinema with orchestra pit and organ, Babylon blends Bauhaus design with cinematic innovation. It becomes not just a cultural center, but also a resistance site during the Nazi era.
1929: Renaming to Bülowplatz
Reflecting political shifts, the square is renamed Bülowplatz after Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow.
August 9, 1931: Mielke Murders
In a violent moment of Weimar-era political unrest, Erich Mielke and Erich Ziemer, KPD members, assassinate two police officers, Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck, in front of the Babylon Cinema. The attack is in retaliation for the police killing of a KPD supporter the day before. The chaos leaves two more civilians dead and 35 injured. Mielke flees to Moscow and later becomes East Germany’s head of the Stasi. He’s convicted for these murders in 1993.
1933: Nazis Take Over – Horst-Wessel-Platz
After Hitler seizes power, the square is renamed Horst-Wessel-Platz, in honor of Horst Wessel, a Nazi SA member killed in 1930, elevated to martyr status through Nazi propaganda.The Karl-Liebknecht-Haus is occupied by the SA, turned into the Horst-Wessel-Haus, and used as a makeshift concentration camp for political enemies.
1933–1945: Jewish Expulsion and Holocaust
Nearby Almstadtstraße, once the vibrant heart of Jewish life, is devastated. Most Jewish residents are deported or flee. Buildings survive but fall into disrepair. Kempler’s kosher pastry shop at No. 32 closes as its owners flee to Palestine in 1933.
1945: Post-War Reclamation
Soviet forces return Karl-Liebknecht-Haus to the now SED (East German Communist Party). Volksbühne, damaged during WWII, reopens in 1954 after reconstruction.
1951: Almstadtstraße Renamed
Grenadierstraße is renamed Almstadtstraße in honor of communist Bernhard Almstadt. Jewish memory is lost;until in 2021, a Yiddish street sign is installed as artistic commemoration.
1969: Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz – Final Renaming
In honor of Rosa Luxemburg, Jewish revolutionary and co-founder of the KPD, the square receives its current name. Luxemburg, murdered in 1919, is remembered for her anti-war stance, revolutionary zeal, and the quote: “Freedom is always the freedom of the dissenters.”
1990–2000s: Restoration and Memory
Babylon Cinema reopens after extensive renovation. A 2006 memorial to Luxemburg is installed with 60 dark concrete slabs bearing her quotes, anchoring the space in reflection and resistance.
Karl-Liebknecht-Haus remains politically active. Since 2007, it is headquarters of Die Linke (The Left), successors of the SED. Memorial plaques honor victims of Stalinist repression, underscoring the complex communist legacy.
Walking across the square, past memorials and monuments, one feels the weight of history—from the idealism of Rosa Luxemburg to the brutality of the Nazis, from socialist dreams to reunified realities. Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz doesn’t just tell Berlin’s story. It is Berlin’s story.
Join me on my Weimar Berlin tour, and we’ll explore how this square, seemingly quiet, is alive with echoes of the past and voices of change. It’s proof that in Berlin, history isn’t just in books—it’s beneath your feet.
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