Welcome to Koppenplatz, a place in the heart of Berlin that tells a story spanning over 300 years of history. The moment you step onto the square, you can sense the past lingering amidst the buildings, monuments, and green spaces.
It all began in 1704, when Berlin’s City Captain, Christian Koppe, donated a cemetery for the poor to the city. This “Koppe’s Cemetery for the Poor” was significantly larger than the square we see today. An almshouse was added in 1708, followed by a mortuary in 1800. Burials continued here until 1838.
From 1844 to 1904, the site was home to a gasworks facility. Once the cemetery ceased operations, the area was subdivided, and the surrounding land was opened up for residential development and street construction. Many of the buildings erected from 1852 onwards survived the Second World War largely unscathed.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area surrounding Koppenplatz evolved into a vibrant center of Jewish life, situated here on the edge of the Scheunenviertel district. By 1905, over 7,400 Jewish residents were living in the neighborhood. During the Nazi era, the square served as a designated assembly point for the deportation of the Jewish population. Today, the monument Der verlassene Raum (The Abandoned Room) stands as a memorial to this dark chapter of history.
In 1927, Koppenplatz was transformed into the park-like space we see today. Starting in 1940, air-raid shelters were constructed beneath the square; the last remnants of these bunkers were removed in the late 1990s. During the GDR era, the square was well-maintained and served as a popular local gathering spot. Artworks—including bronze sculptures dating from both the GDR period and the post-reunification era—continue to enrich the square to this day.
Surrounding Koppenplatz stands a wealth of historic architecture—including buildings in the Historicist and Art Nouveau styles—that defines the unique character of the square. These include the Hollmann-Wilhelminen-Amalien Foundation and other heritage-listed residential buildings. The combination of green spaces, monuments, and historic architecture makes the square a unique piece of Berlin’s history.
Today—particularly on sunny days—Koppenplatz serves as a green oasis: a place of relaxation for young and old alike, where one can experience history firsthand—from the pauper’s cemetery, the Jewish center, and the GDR era, right through to its vibrant urban landscape filled with monuments and works of art.
Koppenplatz
Aus dem Audiowalk Berlin Like You’ve Never Heard It Before – True Stories & Secrets
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Andere Stationen in dieser Audiotour:
A Brief Excursion into Berlin's History (7:59 min) • St. Nicholas' Church / St. Nicholas' Quarter (2:49 min) • Newspaper District (4:28 min) • Checkpoint Charlie (1:55 min) • Former Gestapo Headquarters (2:57 min) • Former Tempelhof Airport (3:46 min) • 7 Wannsee Conference (4:45 min) • Walther Rathenau Memorial (2:34 min) • Olympic Stadium / 1936 Olympic Games (5:36 min) • Commune 1 (2:27 min) • Benno Ohnesorg / Student Movement (2:16 min) • Rolf Eden (1:54 min) • Café Kranzler (2:08 min) • Kurfürstendamm (3:03 min) • Zoo Palace (3:47 min) • Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (2:22 min) • Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg (3:28 min) • Schöneberg Town Hall (2:33 min) • Former Sportpalast / Sportpalast Speech (5:12 min) • Bendlerblock/Stauffenberg assassination attempt (4:47 min) • Kroll Opera House / Enabling Act (3:09 min) • Reichstag Building (4:14 min) • Reichstag Fire (4:28 min) • Brandenburg Gate (2:52 min) • People's Court (3:08 min) • Potsdamer Place (2:58 min) • Former "Führerbunker" (5:06 min) • "Tresor" (Safe) (1:43 min) • Popular Uprising in the GDR (2:11 min) • Reich Chancellery / Hitler's Seizure of Power (5:11 min) • "Die weiße Maus" (The White Mouse) (2:57 min) • Friedrichstraße Station / "Tränenpalast" (Palace of Tears) (3:46 min) • Humboldt University (1:56 min) • Berlin Palace (5:04 min) • Red City Hall (2:30 min) • Alexanderplatz (2:30 min) • Otto Weidt's Workshop for the Blind / Anne Frank Center (2:05 min) • Hackesche Höfe (5:21 min) • Rosenthaler Platz (2:58 min) • St. Sophia's Church (3:03 min) • Sophie-Gips Courtyards (2:08 min) • Clärchen's Dance Hall (3:54 min) • New Synagogue (2:19 min) • Berliner Ensemble (3:55 min) • Friedrichstadt-Palast (4:02 min) • Dorotheenstadt Cemetery (2:25 min) • Bloody May (2:18 min) • Humboldthain Flak Tower (5:17 min) • Chris Gueffroy and the Victims of the Wall (1:28 min) • Tunnel 57 / Egon Schultz (2:40 min) • AMIGA (1:37 min) • Bernauer Street (4:07 min) • Former Bornholmer Straße Border Crossing (3:26 min) • Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Sports Park (3:43 min) • Mauerpark (4:07 min) • Arkonaplatz (3:03 min) • Zion Church (3:44 min) • Prenzlauer Berg Fire Station (3:18 min) • Hirschhof (2:41 min) • Freya Klier (2:28 min) • Prater (2:28 min) • Oderberger Straße Municipal Baths (3:36 min) • Oderberger Street 2 (1:58 min) • Currywurst (2:16 min) • Konnopke's Snack Bar (2:43 min) • Gethsemane Church (2:09 min) • Museum in the Kulturbrauerei (1:06 min) • Kulturbrauerei (3:24 min) • Frannz-Club (2:31 min) • Husemann Street (1:58 min) • Jews' Passage (3:32 min) • Prenzlauer Berg Water Tower (2:37 min) • Rosa Luxemburg Square (4:34 min) • Mont Klamott (1:43 min) • Samaritan Church (2:23 min) • Former Stasi Headquarters / Stasi Museum (2:48 min) • Berlin-Karlshorst Museum / Unconditional Surrender (2:54 min) • East Side Gallery (2:59 min) • House Squatting in the 1980s (2:34 min)
