Pleasure Garden Lustgarten

The Lustgarten lies on the far side of the Schlossbrücke (Palace Bridge) in Berlin. Originally laid out in 1573 as a herb and kitchen garden, it was transformed in 1643 into an ornamental garden, in which the first potatoes in Prussia were grown in 1649. Thereafter it gradually changed its aspect. In the reign of Frederick William I it became a military parade ground.

The first trees were planted in the 1830s and thereafter the first large buildings were erected. The Lustgarten lay at the center of the old Berlin. After 1945 the square was enlarged by the demolition of the old Berlin palace. From 1951 it was known as Marx-Engels-Platz and was used for mass rallies and parades. The square on the far side of the street in front of the Palace of the Republic is still called Marx-Engels-Platz, while the Lustgarten has been given back its original name. The main buildings on the Lustgarten are the Cathedral on the east side and the Old Museum on Museum Island to the north.