cicerone imposter wrote:As we pause for an intermission.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Alexanderplatz - that's where this worls clock is situated in Berlin - was one of the busiest squares in the city. Originally it was called the Ochsenmarkt or oxen market, but after a visit by Tzar Alexander I it was renamed to Alexanderplatz. The locals simply call this large square 'Alex'.
Most of the buildings on the square were destroyed by bombing during the second world war. As the center of East-Berlin, the square was used as a showcase of socialist architecture. This resulted in some plain bulky buildings and a huge television tower.
The TV tower, known as the Fernsehturm or the Tele-spargel (toothpick) is one of the largest structures in Europe. The total length to the top of the spire is 365m or 1197 ft. It was built in 1969 by a team of architects with the help of Swedish experts. It contains a concrete shaft, a steel-cladded metal sphere and a TV antenna. The sphere contains a revolving restaurant (Telecafé) at 207m and a viewing platform at a height of 203m.
In 1969 two more monuments were added to the square, the Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock) by Erich John and the Fountain of International Friendship.
The ten meter high "World Clock" was set up as part of the socialist redesign of the entire Alexanderplatz. The popular clock was created by the industrial designer Erich John and built by Hans Joachim Kunsch. A colorful enameled cylinder with etched aluminum plates rotates atop a column and displays the names of different countries and the current time of day in the world's most important cities. The spheres attached on rotary metal circles above the cylinder symbolize the planets in their orbits. The soil at the foot of the structure was formed into a mosaic of a wind rose. The "World Clock" continues to be a popular meeting place for local Berliners as well as tourists.
