Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz (German: [ˈpɔtsdamɐ plats] , Potsdam Square) is a public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about 1 km (1,100 yd) south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park. It is named after the city of Potsdam, some 25 km (16 mi) to the south west, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate. Initially, the open area near the city gate was used for military drills and parades. In the 19th into the 20th century, it developed from an intersection of suburban thoroughfares into the most bustling traffic intersection in Europe. The area was totally destroyed during World War II and then left desolate during the Cold War era when the Berlin Wall bisected it. Following German reunification in 1990, Potsdamer Platz underwent extensive redevelopment throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Today, it is a bustling commercial and cultural hub featuring corporate offices, retail spaces, restaurants, cinemas, and hotels.