Unter den Linden

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A view of Unter den Linden, showing the linden trees for which it is named

At dusk. Looking to the Aeroflot building next to the Russian Embassy

Unter den Linden (“under the linden trees”) is a street in the centre of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is named for its linden (also called lime in the UK) trees that line the grassed pedestrian mall between two carriageways. Unter den Linden runs east–west from the Brandenburg Gate to the former site of the imperial palace (Berliner Stadtschloss) where the Palast der Republik is currently under deconstruction. The street then crosses over the River Spree heading east. The major north–south street crossing Unter den Linden is Friedrichstraße.

Map showing the main points of interest along Unter den Linden, Berlin

Unter den Linden is at the heart of the historic section of Berlin dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. It connects Pariser Platz, Bebelplatz and, after crossing the Schlossbrücke (castle bridge), the Lustgarten and Museum Island. Buildings along the street include (from west to east) the Hotel Adlon, the Russian Embassy (former Soviet Embassy), the Berlin State Library, the Berlin State Opera, Humboldt University, Cathedral of St. Hedwig, the Kronprinzenpalais (former palace of the crown princes), the Neue Wache war memorial, the Zeuhaus Berlin (old armory; now houses the German Historical Museum (DHM)), the Alte Kommandantur, and the Berliner Dom. Most of these buildings are shown on the accompanying map (click to enlarge).

Well-known statues of Frederick the Great, Alexander von Humboldt, Wilhelm von Humboldt, and several Prussian generals also adorn the street.

A boulevard of linden trees was planted from 1647 extending from the electoral palace to the gates of the city by Friedrich Wilhelm, the “Great Elector” who wanted to beautify the route from his castle to his hunting park, the Tiergarten. 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.

The eastern end of the Unter den Linden, at the Schlossbrücke (castle bridge), with the Fernsehturm (television tower) and the Berliner Dom in the distance.	Looking west along Unter den Linden from the Schlossbrücke. The linden trees which give the street its name do not begin until further west.	The Berlin State Opera, one of many public buildings in the classical style along the Unter den Linden. Most were heavily damaged in World War II and have been extensively rebuilt.	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.	Statue of General Gerhard von Scharnhorst, one of a number of such statues along Unter den Linden	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 west
Cathedral of St. Hedwig on Bebelplatz, south of Unter den Linden	The entrance to the Berlin State Library	The Adlon Hotel, which has been completely rebuilt on the site of the prewar hotel, on Pariser Platz near the Brandenburg Gate	The Brandenburg Gate, once the western entrance to Berlin and now the symbol of the city, marks the western terminus of Unter den Linden