Alexanderplatz, popularly known as Alex, is a square and transport hub in the eastern part of Berlin. More than 300,000 people visit it every day. Located in the Mitte district of the city, the square was named after Tsar Alexander I of Russia on 25 October 1805. On the square, the 1969 Weltzeituhr is a well-known meeting place. Close to the square, a major tourist attraction is the Fernsehturm (television tower).
During the GDR era, the square was the artificially created centre of East Berlin, with important government buildings and prestige projects on the square, including the Stadt Berlin hotel.
After die Wende, plans were developed for a complete remodelling of the square, in which most of the existing buildings would be demolished and replaced by new construction. However, disappointing economic growth meant that the plans have not yet been implemented. Only the Kaufhof department store was drastically rebuilt, moving its façade forward towards the square, and to the southeast of the square the new Alexa shopping centre emerged. In the northeast corner of the square, construction started in 2007 on a new office/retail building, which should give the square a more closed look.