Kemperplatz

Kemperplatz lies on the southeastern edge of Tiergarten and is today mainly a traffic junction at the entrance to the Kulturforum. It was named in 1888 after Hermann Kemper, the Tiergarten director who shaped the park in the 19th century. Until World War II the square was framed by Wilhelmine townhouses and counted as one of the smartest addresses in West Berlin; bombing and the Wall erased that streetscape. Today Tiergartenstrasse, Ben-Gurion-Strasse and the access ramp to the Tiergarten tunnel meet here; the Berlin Philharmonie and State Library stand only steps away. A square without much identity of its own, but a daily threshold between park and concert hall crossed by thousands.