The Christopher Street Day (CSD) procession crosses Leipziger Platz.
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Leipziger Platz was initially called Octogon am Potsdamer Tor because of its shape. Today it is an important traffic junction and shopping address.
Leipziger Platz was built between 1731 and 1734 according to the plans of architect Philipp Gerlach. Due to its octagonal shape, the square was initially only called Octogon am Potsdamer Tor (Octogon at Potsdam Gate). The gardens were designed by Peter Joseph Lenné. In 1814, the square was renamed Leipziger Platz.
In the 19th century, magnificent palaces lined Leipziger Platz. Publisher Rudolf Mosse lived in one of these palaces. Hotel and commercial buildings followed somewhat later. Leipziger Platz was particularly famous for the Wertheim department store. It was so badly destroyed during the Second World War that it had to be demolished.
For a time in the 1990s, the legendary techno club Tresor resided in the surviving rooms of the Wertheim. In the direction of Potsdamer Platz stood the "Palast-Hotel" by Ludwig Heim and the Aschinger Hotel "Der Fürstenhof".
Almost all of the buildings were destroyed during the Second World War, but the octagonal structure of the square and the gate buildings by Schinkel were preserved. The construction of the Wall turned Leipziger Platz into a border area.
After reunification, the square was heavily developed. Next to the Mosse-Palais, the Canadian Embassy occupies one of the eight corners.
In September 2014, the Mall of Berlin shopping center opened on the same site where the Wertheim once stood. A hotel chain also opened on Leipziger Platz.
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