Platz des 18. März

Platz des 18. Maerz sits immediately west of the Brandenburg Gate, at the eastern end of the Strasse des 17. Juni. It received its current name only in 2000 and commemorates two dates: the March Revolution of 1848, whose Berlin victims fell during the street fighting on 18 March, and the first free Volkskammer elections in East Germany on 18 March 1990, which opened the way to unification. Until 1989 the Berlin Wall cut across the square, leaving the Gate visible only at a distance for decades. Today tourists crowd around the Quadriga, street performers in fake Soviet uniforms charge for photos, and political rallies find their iconic backdrop.