Unter den Linden, Main boulevard in Mitte, Germany
Unter den Linden is a central boulevard in Mitte that runs 1390 meters long and 60 meters wide, linking the Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island. The street is lined with historic buildings, including Humboldt University, the State Opera, and the German Historical Museum.
The street began in the 16th century as a riding path for the Elector of Brandenburg, who used it to reach his hunting grounds in Tiergarten. In 1647 the first linden trees were planted, later giving the path its name.
The avenue takes its name from the double rows of linden trees that shape the entire streetscape and provide thick shade during summer. Today locals and visitors gather on the wide sidewalks to stroll or rest on benches beneath the canopy.
The avenue runs about 1.5 km from the Berlin Palace site to the Brandenburg Gate, with Friedrichstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse crossing it. The central pedestrian mall is lined with benches beneath the linden trees, and the broad pavements are level enough for wheelchairs and strollers. Bebelplatz, where the boulevard passes the State Opera, has no trees on that stretch.
A street sign bearing the name Unter den Linden from before the 1930s was removed by British forces and is now held at the Imperial War Museum in London. The original planting plan of 1647 called for six rows of 1,000 nut trees and 1,000 lindens, though the nurseries could not supply them in time.
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