I am always interested in how cities develop and change, both from a city-planning and a grassroots perspective, and Ebertplatz is the perfect example for that. The square today is a leftover of city planning from 1974, a lowered concrete bowl that was created to make space for the inner city traffic ring. Today, pedestrians can only cross it by using stairs (the escalators here have long stopped working), and the square is increasingly taken over by homeless people and drug dealers. The subway station here remains one of the main public transport hubs, but it seems the square with its weird sculpture fountain is increasingly shunned by the public.  

However, there is also a vivid cultural scene centered on Ebertplatz. The salesrooms on the western end of the square, created during construction in the 70s, have been taken over by a group of independent art galleries and collectives, like Gold & Beton and Bruch und Dallas, who organise exhibitions, talks and performances here. Vernissages, finissages and events also spill into the square, where the local arts scene often meets and mingles. I think that Ebertplatz is not a beautiful place, but one where the dynamics of contemporary urban life are clearly visible for everyone interested.