Boxhagener Platz, Berlin

Boxhagener Platz is a public square whose lawns, play areas and market life make it a neighbourhood meeting place. The layout was completed in 1903, after the site was known as Platz D; in 1900, it took its present name from the former estate of Boxhagen. The square’s most unusual feature is the Café Achteck, a small cast-iron public lavatory with an octagonal plan.

Carl Theodor Rospatt designed it toward the end of the nineteenth century, originally for men בלבד. Its wall is assembled from seven decorated segments, and gas lamps once served both practical and ornamental purposes. After a fire in 1992, the exterior was rebuilt in faithful historical form, while the interior received modern facilities; it reopened in October 2000.

On the western half, the children’s area includes a 300-square-metre paddling pool with penguin and duck sculptures, created around 1925 to plans by Erwin Barth. Every Saturday, the square has hosted a weekly market since 1905, while Sunday brings a flea market. That mix of recreation, commerce and everyday argument is part of what gives this square its distinctive character.