Named after Alexanderplatz, which honours Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
The square in front of the old Königstor (King’s Gate) was long officially called Königs Thor Platz. On 25 October 1805 the Russian Tsar Alexander I was received here on a visit, and on 2 November King Friedrich Wilhelm III ordered it to be renamed Alexanderplatz. Berliners usually just call it ‘Alex’.