History of Beatles-Platz Square

Beatles-Platz Square was built in 2008 to commemorate Hamburg’s important role in the history of The Beatles.

In the 1960’s, many bars and music venues along St. Pauli’s infamous Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit streets hosted bands, helping them gain stardom, both for German and international musicians.

Before the ‘British Invasion’ began in 1964, the Beatles too spent two years playing gigs in this area (from August 1960 to December 1962) in small venues like Indra and the Star-Club and later the larger Kaiserkeller, amongst the area’s neon lights, clubs and restaurants. During this time, they often stayed above the venues they played in, in shabby living conditions.

However, playing at these venues helped improve and hone their performance skills, widened their reputation, and led to their first recording, ‘My Bonnie’, made in Hamburg with Tony Sheridan – bringing them to the attention of Brian Epstein. Indeed George Harrison is quoted at having said “Hamburg was really like our apprenticeship, learning how to play in front of people”, and John Lennon later said, “I might have been born in Liverpool – but I grew up in Hamburg”.

The Beatles are also said to have first met Astrid Kirchherr in Hamburg, who was instrumental in their adoption of the mop topped Beatle haircut.

The draft design of The Beatles’ silhouettes was by architects Dohse & Stich, and the project cost about €500,000 to build, covered by the City of Hamburg, sponsors and donations from members of the public. Construction took approximately three months and a ceremonial opening took place on 11 September 2008, presided over by the city’s First Mayor.

Beatles-Platz Square today

Alongside the silhouettes of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe, their original bass-player, one figurine represents a hybrid of drummers Pete Best and Ringo Starr — who both played with the band in Hamburg. In addition to the metal statues of the band members, there are song names of successful songs.

Tourists often pose inside the silhouettes imagining they were part of the band.

Getting to Beatles-Platz Square

Beatles-Platz Square is situated at the intersection of the renowned nightlife district of the Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit street, a short walk from the city centre. The closest public transport links are U3 St. Pauli or S1, S2 and S3 Reeperbahn.

Bedford Square history

Built between 1775 and 1783, Bedford Square was designed as an upper middle class residential area, and took its name from the Dukes of Bedford, who owned much of the land around Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia.

Many – if not all – of the houses were designed by architect Thomas Leverton and constructed by famous London builders William Scott and Robert Grews. Leverton was lauded for his ‘palace front’ designs which made rows of terraced townhouses resemble a single country mansion, each with their own distinctive Coade-stone entrance.

The Square’s central garden was the first in London with imposed architectural uniformity, and set the design trend for many of the city’s garden squares throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Bedford Square today

Today virtually all of the houses on Bedford Square hold Grade I listed status, with many home to a number of cultural institutions – Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Yale University Press, and New College for Humanities to name a few.

Visitors are welcome to traverse the historic square, admiring the geometric elegance of its many ornate facades some 250 years old. While the central gardens are private, they are opened annually to the public as part of the Open Garden Squares Weekend, and they themselves hold Grade II listed status.

A number of blue plaques adorn the buildings of Bedford Square, representing their many notable residents over the years. Significant figures include Lord Chancellor Lord Eldon; Henry Cavendish, the scientist responsible for the discovery of hydrogen; and anti-slavery activist Elizabeth Jesser Reid, who all at some time lived in Bedford’s eminent buildings.

Getting to Bedford Square

Bedford Square is located in Bloomsbury in London, directly next to the British Museum. Tottenham Court Road Underground station is a 4-minute walk from the Square, and the nearest bus stop is Great Russell Street, also a 4-minute walk away. The nearest train station is London Euston, a 20-minute walk away.

The market itself was initially a place to buy fruit and vegetables, but over the centuries has become a popular shopping and tourist site, famous for its street performers.

History of Covent Garden

The area was briefly settled in the 7th century by the Anglo-Saxons as a trading town (Lundenwic) then abandoned. Then in 1200, the Abbot of Westminster Abbey walled 40 acres off for use by the convent of St Peter’s, Westminster, who maintained a kitchen garden there. This “Convent Garden” became known as Covent Garden.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site was granted to John Russell, the 1st Earl of Bedford, in 1552. His descendent, the 4th Earl, later commissioned the famous architect Inigo Jones to build a residential square on land to attract wealthy tenants – the first ‘square’ in London. Jones did so inspired by the Italian piazza of Livorno.

As part of the square, Jones also designed the church of St Paul in 1630, the first wholly and authentically classical church built in England, inspired by Palladio and a Tuscan temple. Now known as the Actor’s Church for its links to London’s theatre, it was here where Samuel Pepys watched England’s first Punch and Judy show in 1662. (Indeed opposite St Paul’s church is the Punch and Judy pub, built in 1787 and named after the puppet shows performed in the piazza to entertain the flower-sellers’ children).

The market began in 1654 after the Earl of Bedford allowed several temporary open-air fruit-and-vegetable stalls to be built in the gardens of Bedford House. By 1670, a licence was granted to hold a market every day except Sundays, and by 1700 the market was held three times a week, with permanent shops being built against the garden wall. (Pineapples were very popular at the time, and were adopted as the symbol of Covent Garden Market).

Gradually the area fell into disrepute as taverns, theatres and brothels opened, leading to an Act of Parliament being drawn up to bring the area under control, raising the tone of the market once more. Still, the area around Covent Garden became synonymous with theatre, with the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane and the Royal Opera House close by. (Rules Restaurant on nearby Maiden Lane was established in 1798, and is now the oldest restaurant in London).

In 1828 the entire complex was rebuilt to a neo-classical design by Charles Fowler to cover and organise the market. It was later expanded with the Floral Hall, Charter Market and Jubilee Market.

Bombs fell on Covent Garden during World War Two, yet most structures were unharmed. Traffic congestion at the end of the 1960s prompted the market to relocate to the New Covent Garden Market in 1974 at Nine Elms, and the original market’s central building re-opened as a shopping centre in 1980.

Covent Garden today

The square and surrounding area have now become predominantly a tourist destination, with craft markets, cafes and pubs – and Covent Garden’s notorious street performers. Small shops have increasingly been surpassed by high-end, designer or more established retail giants such as the Apple Store, though there are still many tourist-friendly souvenir markets and independent craft stalls.

It is close to an array of other famous sites including the Royal Opera House, London Transport Museum, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, St Paul’s church, the London Transport Museum (housed in a building built in 1871 as part of Covent Garden’s old flower market) and the Apple Market (selling antiques and crafts). Covent Garden’s street performers remain, from busking musicians to magicians.

Getting to Covent Garden

The market is around a 2-3 minute walk from Covent Garden underground station on the Piccadilly Line. As the market gets busy, it’s easier to walk here from other nearby underground stations such as Leicester Square, just 275 metres away.

History of Dealey Plaza

Dealey Plaza is sometimes nicknamed the ‘birthplace of Dallas’ – it was donated to the new town by philanthropist and businesswoman Sarah Horton Cockrell. The nickname stems from the fact that the plaza was where the first home, courthouse, post office, store and fraternal lodge were all built. The plaza was completed in 1940: a triple underpass converges here on the western edge of Dallas.

The name Dealey Plaza commemorates George Bannerman Dealey, one of the early publishers of The Dallas Morning News and a key voice in campaigning for improvements in this part of Dallas.

However, the plaza is most well known for being the site where John F. Kennedy was shot. At the time of his assassination, Kennedy was being driven through Dealey Plaza in an open-top car with his wife Jacqueline in the presidential motorcade. He was shot and later declared dead in the emergency room of Parkland Hospital.

The circumstances of the assassination of President Kennedy remain a source of contention. Official investigations at the time found that his killer had been Lee Harvey Oswald, who is said to have hidden on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, from where he fired the deadly shots. However, some witnesses also heard shots coming from the so-called ‘grassy knoll’ alongside, a hillock that rises from Elm St to the railroad yards.

The conclusion of the 1970s’ House Select Committee on Assassinations, that a sniper did indeed fire (and miss) from behind the picket fence here, bolstered the belief that Kennedy’s assassination was part of a conspiracy. Oswald always denied the crime. However, he was never tried as he himself was fatally shot two days later. Conspiracy theories continue to circulate about Kennedy’s assassination.

Dealey Plaza today

Dealey Plaza has changed little from the day of Kennedy’s assassination. There are several nearby monuments, such as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza. There is also a small museum, known as the Sixth Floor Museum, in the adjacent Texas School Book Depository where Oswald is alleged to have hidden. This chronicles the life of John F Kennedy. The museum also offers audio guides to Dealey Plaza and nearby sites, which is included in the entry fee.

Getting to Dealey Plaza

Dealey Plaza is in downtown Dallas, where Elm Street and Commerce Street merge with the freeway. There’s plenty of parking in the surrounding area, but as with all major cities, expect there to be traffic.

Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station is less than a 5 minute walk away, with connections throughout the city and beyond – including to Fort Worth. Bus routes 19, 21, 60, 161 and 283 stop on Commerce Street, 2 minutes away.

History of the Grand Place

The Grand Place, known as the Grote Markt in Dutch, is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Originally an 11th century marketplace in the early city of Brussels, the Grand Place had become by the 14th century associated with the city’s merchants and tradesmen.

The market had been located along an important commercial road called the Causeway, which connected the County of Flanders to the prosperous regions of the Rhineland. Three indoor markets had been built on the northern edge in the 13th century: the meat market, bread market and cloth market.

Until the 14th century, the Grand Place had not been formally planned out. The city of Brussels expropriated and demolished a number of buildings in the square when it commissioned the construction of a large indoor cloth hall to the south of the square.

The Town Hall of Brussels was built in the square between 1401 and 1455. This was met by a corresponding symbol of ducal power when the Duke of Brabant ordered the construction of a building across from the Town Hall. This became known as the King’s House.

The Grand Place was bombarded by a French army in 1695 which destroyed much of its buildings. The city’s guilds rebuilt the square. It was sacked in the late 18th century during the Brabant Revolution.

The Grand Place today

The Grand Place has been at the centre of Brussels for a millennium and has consequently been the location of a number of significant historic events, from the execution of Protestant martyrs by the Inquisition to the foundation of the Belgian Labour Party.

The Grand Place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every year, a large flower carpet is installed in the centre of the square as part of its calendar of regular cultural events.

Getting to the Grand Place

The Grand Place is a natural destination for visitors to Brussels. The Grand Place receives tens of thousands of tourists every year and is unmissable in the centre of the city. Walking tours often begin in the Grand Place.

History of Heroes’ Square

The central feature of Heroes’ Square is the Millennial Monument (Millenáriumi Emlékmű), which was commissioned in 1896 to mark the foundation of the Hungarian State through the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin. This was not the only building project undertaken at this time: Andrássy Avenue was also expanded and the first metro line was added to the city.

By 1900, the majority of the square’s construction was completed, and it was dubbed Heroes’ Square for the first time. In 1906 it was officially inaugurated

The Millennial Monument, consists of a semicircle of Doric columns, several statues representing important historical Hungarian figures and an obelisk crowned with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel. Spaces were left for future members of the Habsburg dynasty, who at that point in time ruled Hungary. During the Second World War, the monument was damaged and during rebuilding, the Habsburg figures were replaced by contemporary political figures.

Also located at Heroes Square is the Hungarian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is marked by a stone cenotaph surrounded by an iron chain. Unlike its European counterparts, there are no human remains interred there.

Heroes’ Square today

The square remains a focal point in Budapest and celebrations, ceremonies and the occasional protest are known to take place here. It’s a popular place for tourists to visit in the summer, and its giant proportions remain impressive.

Getting to Heroes’ Square

Hősök tere metro station opens out onto the square, making it easy to access from anywhere in the city. The Szchenyi baths are located in the park beyond the square. Heroes’ Square is about 30 minutes walk from the Parliament buildings – not far, but it can be hot and sweaty in the summer.

History of Pickering Place

The courtyard is the covered remains of a garden that existed when houses were first built here in the mid-1660s when the Earl of St Albans secured a lease from King Charles II.

In 1731, some of the nearby houses and tenements were demolished, and the square was named Pickering Court, after William Pickering – a coffee merchant and son-in-law of Widow Bourne, founder of Berry Bros & Rudd Ltd wine merchants, whose shop still operates on the premises.

Later known as Pickering Place, the tiny square started its life much like any other Georgian terrace – lit by gaslights, with stately homes lining its corners. However, despite Mayfair’s upmarket reputation, in the 18th century the square’s secluded location facilitated its notoriety for gambling dens and bear-baiting – as well as its shady reputation as a popular location for duels.

The most famous duel that took place here was that in which Beau Brummel – a close friend to King George IV and inventor of the cravat – fought here, though like many London legends, it’s slightly uncertain whether the duel took place at all.

For a short while, the square was also the home of the Embassy of the Republic of Texas, when Texas was nominally an independent country before it joined the United States in 1845. Esteemed author Graham Greene once lived here, as did former Prime Minister Lord Palmerston.

Pickering Place today

Much of the square’s original Georgian architecture and detailing has remained in place, as have its quaint railings and still-functioning original gaslights – factors that have lead the square to being Grade II listed. Such quiet seclusion in central London helps visitors feel like they’re back in a previous time.

Getting to Pickering Place

Pickering Place is hidden down an unremarkable narrow arched alleyway, with dark wainscoting and the words ‘Pickering Place’ in small gold letters. The alleyway can be found on St James’s Street (it has either a closed gate or the number ‘3’ above its entrance) and is squeezed between two old 16th century shops, one of which is still Berry Bros & Rudd Ltd – now said to be the oldest wine merchants in London.

You can also find the alleyway by looking for King Henry’s old barn which is almost directly opposite.

The nearest underground stations are Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines) and Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines), both a short 5-10 minute walk away.

Plac Bohaterów Getta history 

On 20 March, 1941 the Kraków Ghetto was officially established, designed by the Nazi regime to eradicate Krakow’s Jewish population from its city centre and into cramped and unsafe living quarters. 

Life in the ghetto was bleak, with many Jews living an isolated and hopeless life. Plac Bohaterow Getta, then known as Zgody Square, allowed Jewish residents to meet with one another, trading food, information, and friendly exchanges. This socialisation alongside fresh air and open space was often a much-welcome relief to the ghetto’s residents.

From 30th May 1942 onwards, the square would become a place of deep despair however, when the Nazis began mass deportations out of the ghettos to the surrounding concentration camps. Zgody Square became the meeting point for such deportations, where queues of Jewish residents gathered to await their forced departure. On 13–14 March 1943, the final liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto occurred.

Those deemed unfit to work, such as the elderly, ill or children, would be killed in the street before even reaching the trains that would otherwise take them to Auschwitz, Płasów or Belzec. A total of 11,000 were transported to Belzec death camp, 2,000 to Plaszów labor camp, 3,000 to Auschwitz, and 2,000 were killed before even boarding the trains. 

The Square today 

Today the square is inhabited by a memorial to those who once gathered waiting there. 70 empty chairs of different sizes face the direction thousands walked to board the concentration camp trains, and never returned.

The chairs symbolise the belongings they were forced to leave behind as they vacated their homes, and the empty seats that would remain in their absence. It is a sombre spot, and commands visitors to consider some of Krakow’s darkest history.

A plaque in the north side of the square also remembers those who resisted German troops in the months prior to the liquidation. The text reads: ”we are fighting for three lines in history only to show that Jewish youth did not go like sheep to the slaughter”.

Getting to Plac Bohaterów Getta 

Plac Bohaterów Getta is located southeast of Krakow’s Old Town across the river, and is a 30-minute walk from the Main Square. The closest tram and bus station is Plac Bohaterow Getta and is directly beside the square, while the nearest train station is Kraków Zablocie, a 3-minute walk away. 

Place de la Concorde history

During the French Revolution, Place de la Concorde was named Place de la Revolution. Prior to this, it had been known as Place Louis XV and had contained a statue of the monarch. However, when the revolution took hold, this monument was taken down and replaced with the guillotine.

Place de la Concorde became the focus of the executions of France’s elite during the Reign of Terror, a period of exceptional violence during the French Revolution. Over 1,300 people were executed at Place de la Concorde, amongst them Louis XVI’s wife Marie Antoinette and even leading revolutionary figures such as Danton and Robespierre.

In the decades following the chaos of the French Revolution, the square acquired its current appearance between 1836 and 1840, when the imposing 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk was placed in its center, by orders of King Louis Philippe, in 1836. The obelisk was sent by the Egyptian government to France in 1829 as a gift. Decorated with hieroglyphics that allude to the reign of pharaoh, Ramesses II, the obelisk had once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple.

In order to immortalize the intrepid and complicated task of transporting the obelisk – due to the technical limitations back in the day – on the pedestal are carved diagrams explaining the machinery that had to be used for the transportation from Egypt to France. Since the obelisk was missing its original cap – believed to be stolen in the 6th century BC – the French government added a gold pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998.

Also in the 1830s, the square was adorned with two elegant fountains that were designed by Jacques Hittorff, a student at the famous, École des Beaux-Arts.

Place de la Concorde today

Located in the 8th arrondissement, Place de la Concorde is the biggest square in Paris, measuring over 8 hectares! Today, it is the the finish line for the annual Tour de France bicycle race, the winner of which gets to stay in the illustrious Hotel Crillon that sits on the north side of the square.

During the festive season at the end of the year, don’t miss the chance to have a go on the Concorde’s big wheel. It offers untrammelled views of the Champs-Élysées, the Tuileries Garden, the Louvre Palace and the Christmas illuminations!

Getting to Place de la Concorde

Located at the bottom of one of the world’s most famous avenues, the Champs-Élysées, this immense square at the heart of the capital is accessible via the Concorde Metro station.

You will find the Place de la Concorde in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, north of the Seine River. The Seine Bridge “Pont de la Concorde” as well as Rue Royale, Rue de Rivoli, and Cours la Reine all lead into (and end at) the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The postal code of the Place de la Concorde is 75018.

Because it is a public plaza there are no designated opening hours and you do not need to book tickets in order to visit the site.

History of Plaza de Bolivar

Plaza de Bolivar is named after statue of Simon Bolivar in the centre of it. Cast in 1846 by the Italian artist Pietro Tenerani, the statue was Bogota’s first public monument. Simon Bolivar remains a key figure of historical importance in South America, and particularly in the northern countries of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Nicknamed El Libertador (the Liberator), Bolivar led the modern day nations of Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, Bolivia and Peru to independence from the Spanish Empire: almost all these countries have major cities with Plaza de Bolivars in them in recognition of this fact.

The site was used by the Muisca, a pre-Hispanic civilisation, and it is thought they built several temples in the immediate area. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they chose the area to build a makeshift cathedral on the east side: the square itself became a spot for public celebrations for major cultural or religious events.

Plaza de Bolivar today

Several major municipal buildings are located around the square, including Palace of Justice on the north side of the square. Versions of this building have stood on the square since 1921: the original building was burnt down the El Bogotazo riots following the assassination of Jorge Gaitan, the leader of the Liberal Party at the time. It was rebuilt before being destroyed again in 1985 during a siege between guerrillas and the Colombian army. The new building was finished in 1998.

Bogota’s main cathedral now stands on the east side, a 19th century incarnation of previous buildings on the site. On the west side stands the Lievano Palace (Bogota’s city hall) and on the south is the National Capitol which houses both of Colombia’s national congresses.

Plaza de Bolivar remains an important site of protest, with major protests often starting or ending here. It is also a popular place for protesters to camp out.

Getting to Plaza de Bolivar

The Plaza is located in the heart of La Candelaria, the old heart of Bogota. It is extremely hard to miss: it lies between Calle 10 in the south and Calle 11 in the north and Carrera 7 and Carrera 8 in the east and west respectively.