The Spreeplatz – probably the must unusual public square on earth. Not so much because it is actually a square, but because it represents a space – a geological space.

A river – the Spree – breaks through the linear architectural phalanx of the government buildings between the Paul Löbe House and the Marie Elisabeth Lüders Building. It has always been here, not long ago still crashing through the east-west border, which divided Berlin and Germany, day by day. The Spreeplatz now taps into this symbolism, demonstrating the recent history of separation and reunification. “The space between the buildings is what makes a city,” is the philosophical explanation given its planner and builder, architect Stephan Braunfels.Almost like a provocation, the Spree takes up center-stage on the square – an area where nobody can walk, but nonetheless inviting passers-by to stay for a while, observe and contemplate on the stone squares on each side of the river – especially on the “Spanish Steps”, the name given to the large stairway, the Piazzetta. Incidentally, all the unconventional buildings here have been labeled in this way as a result of an apparently inborn creativity characteristic of Berliners.

Take the Lafayette department store and the House of World Cultures, for example: the former has been christened the “Quiet Breeder”, the latter the “Pregnant Oyster”. But then, that is a whole different subject. And this is exactly how the hypnotic, mirroring effect of the river at the center of the square sets people to pondering. One may even start to consider whether it might be possible to walk over the water. Fortunately, there are bridges that connect the two sides of the square – especially in Berlin, yet another symbol.