Built during the reconstruction of East Berlin after the Second World War, the Karl-Marx-Allee is a boulevard in Berlin that recounts the socialist era in which it was built. The Karl-Marx-Allee is 2 kilometers long and stretches from the Frankfurter Tor to Alexanderplatz. It is 300 feet wide. While the reconstruction of the Eastern and the Western part of the city were still underway, the mayor of the eastern sector came up with the idea of creating a boulevard in the year 1959.
Karl-Marx-Allee was designed to house some of the important offices, business centers, restaurants and residential areas. All of these structures were built on the lines of the socialist neo-classical style of architecture. This whole project
was referred to as the Stalinalle,after the name of the great Russian
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dictator Joseph Stalin. In the later years of its construction, it generated huge controversy among the public who declared it as the first 'Socialist Street' in Berlin. It was also witness to the ferocity of the construction workers who were against the communist regime.
After the death of Stalin, the Stalinalle was renamed as Karl-Marx-Allee, after the great German philosopher and communist, Karl Marx. Today, the Karl-Marx-Allee is an important cultural center with renowned theaters like ‘The International’, which is not only known for its international film screenings but is also famous for its classic interior décor. Crystal chandeliers and plush upholstery add to the class and grandeur of the building. One of the other places to see in Karl-Marx-Allee is the Frankfurter Tor.
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