Unter den Linden

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Not to be confused with "Unter der Linden," a poem by Walther von der Vogelweide.

Under the linden trees

Unter den Linden ("under the linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is named for its linden (lime in British English) trees that line the grassed pedestrian mall between two carriageways.

Unter den Linden runs east–west from the site of the former Stadtschloss royal palace at the Lustgarten park, where the demolished Palast der Republik used to be, to Pariser Platz and Brandenburg Gate. Eastward the boulevard crosses the Spree river at Berlin Cathedral and continues as Karl-Liebknecht-Straße. The western continuation behind Brandenburg Gate is Straße des 17. Juni. Major north–south streets crossing Unter den Linden are Friedrichstraße and Wilhelmstraße.

J. Stridbeck, LindenAllee 1691

Unter den Linden at the heart of the historic section of Berlin developed from a bridle path laid out by Elector John George of Brandenburg in the 16th century to reach his hunting grounds in the Tiergarten. It was replaced by a boulevard of linden trees planted in 1647, extending from the city palace to the gates of the city, by order of the “Great Elector” Frederick William. While the western part of the boulevard retained its character, the area around present-day Bebelplatz was integrated into the fortification of Berlin in the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War, visible until today as there are no trees. By the 19th century, as Berlin grew and expanded to the west, Unter den Linden became the best-known and grandest street in Berlin. During the last days of World War II most of the linden trees were destroyed or cut down for firewood. The trees were replanted in the 1950s.^{[citation needed]}

Since 1937 the numbering starts at the Schlossbrücke (palace bridge), connecting Unter den Linden with the Lustgarten and Museum Island. The replica of the Alte Kommandantur is No. 1, vis-à-vis the Zeughaus arsenal, today the seat of the Deutsches Historisches Museum (No. 2). Buildings along the street include (from east to west) the Kronprinzenpalais (former palace of the Hohenzollern crown princes, No. 3), the Neue Wache war memorial (No. 4), the Berlin State Opera (No. 7) and St. Hedwig's Cathedral on Bebelplatz, Humboldt University (No. 6) and House 1 of the Berlin State Library (No. 8). On the western end are the Russian Embassy (former Soviet Embassy, No. 63-65) and finally the Hotel Adlon (No. 77) at the corner of Pariser Platz. Well-known statues of Frederick the Great, Alexander von Humboldt, Wilhelm von Humboldt and several Prussian generals also adorn the street.

[edit] Along Unter den Linden

An aerial view of Unter den Linden	The eastern end at the Schlossbrücke (palace bridge)	The Berlin State Opera, one of many public buildings in the classical style along the Unter den Linden.	The Zeughaus (now the German Historical Museum) is the oldest building on Unter den Linden, built between 1695 and 1706.
The Neue Wache (new watchhouse), considered by many to be Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s masterpiece, was built in 1817 and is now the National War Memorial.	Part of the campus of Humboldt University, which straddles Unter den Linden	A statue of Frederick the Great in the middle of Unter den Linden, facing east	Bebelplatz with the Cathedral of St. Hedwig, south of Unter den Linden
The Adlon Hotel, which has been completely rebuilt on the site of the prewar hotel	The Brandenburg Gate at the Pariser Platz marks the western terminus of Unter den Linden	At dusk looking toward the Aeroflot building next to the Russian Embassy	Map showing the main points of interest along Unter den Linden, Berlin
Unter den Linden at night	An equestrian east facing statue of Frederick the Great in the middle of Unter den Linden