Boxhagener Platz, Public square and garden monument in Friedrichshain district, Berlin, Germany.
Boxhagener Platz is a rectangular public square in Friedrichshain, bounded by Grünberger, Krossener, Gärtner and Gabriel-Max-Straße. Its western half holds a children's playground and a 300-square-metre paddling pool with penguin and duck sculptures; the eastern half is a large open lawn. A low fence with rounded bars and sphere-topped posts encloses the grass, and a hedge and double row of trees line the grounds.
The square was laid out in 1903 on the site marked as Platz D on the 1893 Berlin development plan, and took its name from the Vorwerk Boxhagen. Its present form dates from 1929, when Erwin Barth gave the rectangular space its lawn, playground, hawthorn hedge and double row of trees. The octagonal Café Achteck on the east side was built at the end of the 19th century to plans by Carl Theodor Rospatt, burned out in 1992 and reopened in October 2000.
The square functions as a weekend market hub where locals buy fresh produce and crafted items on Saturdays. On Sundays, a large flea market fills the space with secondhand furniture, clothing, and everyday objects from residents and collectors.
The square is best visited during daytime, especially on market days when activity fills the space. Visitors should know the area remains open and freely accessible, though it becomes crowded during weekend markets.
On the eastern half stands a "Café Achteck", a cast-iron public toilet built to plans by city building officer Carl Theodor Rospatt in the late 19th century, originally for men only. It burned out in 1992, was rebuilt outside to the original design and reopened in October 2000; it is one of about 30 such structures left in Berlin.
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