Bebelplatz, Public square in Mitte, Germany

Bebelplatz is a square in Berlin's Mitte district, laid out from 1740 as part of Frederick the Great's Forum Fridericianum to plans by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in the Rococo style. It consists of a green area east of the State Opera and an open paved area west of it, surrounded by the opera, St Hedwig's Cathedral, the Old Library and the Old Palace. The paving is set in 5.20-metre squares of 51 cm granite slabs with 10 cm granite setts between them.

The square was created in 1740 following a design by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff under Frederick II's orders as part of a grand royal building project. The site played a dark role during the Nazi era when book burnings took place there in 1933.

The square's popular name, Opernplatz, survives all official renamings, most recently to Bebelplatz in 1947 after Social Democrat August Bebel. Each year Humboldt University students hold a book sale here on the anniversary of the 1933 book burning. Since 2024, temporary installations have also marked a "Hostages Square" for Israeli captives.

The square lies on the south side of Unter den Linden, between the State Opera, St Hedwig's Cathedral, the Old Library and the Prinzessinnenpalais. The paving is flat and level, with the Empty Library set flush into the ground near the centre. A two-level underground car park with 462 spaces lies beneath the square, reached directly from the opera.

Beneath the square lies an underground memorial chamber with empty shelves designed to hold exactly 20,000 books, honoring the lost literary works destroyed during that dark period. The chamber is visible through a glass panel set flush in the plaza floor, inviting visitors to contemplate the loss of knowledge and free expression.