Squares of Berlin: Bertold Brecht Square in Mitte

Berlin is a city where work is always in process. Years after years, new buildings appear while old ones are destroyed to the ground in order to leave place for new interesting ideas. Yesterday, I was spending some early morning time in Mitte, 10 minutes away from Friedrichstrasse, when I noticed that the old construction works in Bertold Brecht Square were finished and some interesting constructions were erected. 

First, I noticed the game of small volumes, sweetened by the gracious white and the fragility of the glass. In the vicinity, an ensemble of statues, almost lost in the orderly register of the building. 

Coming closer, I noticed the alongated silhouette, sitting on a chair on a round stone structure, with black pillars with quotes written in Caps-Locks. I made more than one tour around, trying if there is any mention about the artist or if there is any mention about who is the man standing. I asked a lady who was taking pictures near me if she knows who he is, but he did not have any idea. Obviously, in Bertold Brecht Square the statue should belong to Brecht, but if you have no idea about literary history, or about Brecht work and about Germany in general, you just end up taking pictures of something that looks interesting to you. 

But even without that applied knowledge, there is still something interestin to observe. I entered the interior yard of the white cubicle building, passing by the intensive works preparing the interior of an art gallery. 

Till the work was done, sculptures inspired by ancient cultures were spread all over the place, bringing more diversity and even mystery to the sober ensemble. As for now, it was looking empty, without too much noticeable life behind the clean windows. Maybe soon, the inhabitants of the place will also leave their own traces of life and individuality around.

Another suggestion that the man on the chair cannot be other than Brecht, is also the vicinity with the Berliner Ensemble, that he established in January 1949 after coming back from exile. He leaded this noteworthy post-war Berlin institution till 1956, his place being taken till 1971 by her life partner Helene Weigel. The presence of Brecht in this part of Berlin left traces also in the history of some pubs around, some of them still serving Brecht's favourite meal.
I left the now empty and sunny square, happy with solving this literary riddle and decided to turn more often in the next weeks in this part of Berlin.