Pappelplatz

Pappelplatz is a triangular square in Berlin’s Mitte district, where poplar trees stand among plantings screening surrounding streets. A semicircular, three-step staircase leads northward to a broad pathway plateau with benches and greenery.

Established in 1833 as a market for a new residential area, the square later gained its first garden design. Hermann Mächtig created that simple layout with a semicircular seating niche between 1892 and 1893. In 1907, an artists’ competition produced Ernst Wenck’s winning design for The Money Counter. Unveiled in 1912, the over-life-sized kneeling athlete is carved from shell limestone and recalls the former market. Rose beds arrived in 1977, adding colour to the garden setting.

After German reunification, missing trees and shrubs returned, while the sculpture fountain received restoration with historical materials. Completed in 2006, the redesign also brought a skatepark between Invalidenstraße and Ackerstraße and restricted vehicle traffic. The most memorable detail remains the kneeling figure, counting money in stone beside the quiet pathway.