Alexanderplatz was not only the center of old East Berlin, architecturally it was also intended to represent the center of the GDR. For this reason, the square is still particularly fascinating today because of its design breadth: Wide main roads lead from the square (including the Karl-Marx-Allee with Stalinist buildings in the sugar-baker's style) and lined with high-rise buildings is the tallest building in Berlin at "Alex": the TV tower.

Also in the immediate vicinity are the Red Town Hall (the seat of the Berlin Mayor) and the Nikolaiviertel, which was rebuilt in the 1980s based on the historical model. Incidentally, the oldest churches in the city are located around Alexanderplatz, completely unsuitable for the socialist idea, such as the Nikolaikirche from 1230 and the Marienkirche from 1294.