Explore the real-world places that appear in Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Alexanderplatz, Humboldt University, Oranienplatz, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and 7 more.
Central square — Site of the refugee protest
This is where Richard first encounters the African refugees staging their hunger strike. The sight of these men protesting in silence beneath the TV Tower transforms Richard from a detached academic into someone deeply concerned with their plight. He returns here repeatedly, drawn by curiosity that becomes genuine compassion as he begins to understand their desperate situation.
Alexanderplatz has been Berlin's central square since medieval times. Under East Germany, it was redesigned as a showcase of socialist architecture, dominated by the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) built in 1969. The square was a focal point for the 1989 protests that led to German reunification.
Alexanderplatz remains one of Berlin's busiest transportation hubs and shopping districts. The TV Tower is now a major tourist attraction, and the square frequently hosts demonstrations and public gatherings, continuing its role as a space for political expression.
Visit: Alexanderplatz (landmark)
Unter den Linden — Richard's academic world
Richard is a retired classics professor from this prestigious university. His former academic life represents the intellectual world he's leaving behind as he becomes increasingly involved with the refugees. The contrast between his privileged academic existence and the harsh realities faced by the asylum seekers becomes a central theme as Richard's transformation unfolds.
Founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin, it was renamed Humboldt University in 1949. It has been home to 29 Nobel Prize winners and numerous influential thinkers including Marx, Engels, and Einstein. During the Cold War, it was located in East Berlin and served the socialist state.
Humboldt University remains one of Germany's most prestigious institutions, with over 35,000 students. The main building on Unter den Linden houses the central administration and continues to be a symbol of German academic excellence.
Visit: Humboldt University (historic site)
Kreuzberg — Refugee camp and protest site
Richard visits the refugee camp here, where many of the asylum seekers have set up tents and temporary shelters. This becomes a crucial location where he conducts interviews with individual refugees, learning their personal stories of flight from Africa. The camp represents both solidarity among the displaced and the inadequacy of official government responses to the crisis.
Oranienplatz has long been a center of political activism in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. The square has hosted numerous demonstrations and protests, particularly during the student movements of the 1960s and various immigrant rights campaigns since reunification.
The square continues to be a gathering place for political demonstrations and cultural events. While the refugee camp depicted in the novel has been cleared, Oranienplatz remains an important symbol of grassroots political organizing in Berlin.
Visit: Oranienplatz (park)
Pariser Platz — Symbol of German division and unity
Richard passes this iconic landmark during his wanderings through Berlin as he reflects on his changing perspective. The gate serves as a symbol of the barriers and borders that the refugees face, contrasting with Richard's freedom of movement as a German citizen. It represents both division and eventual unity, themes that resonate with Richard's growing understanding of the refugee experience.
Built in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate became a symbol of divided Berlin when the Berlin Wall cut off access from the west in 1961. Its reopening in 1989 marked German reunification and it has since become the most recognizable symbol of modern Germany.
The Brandenburg Gate is Berlin's most visited landmark, drawing millions of tourists annually. It serves as a venue for major celebrations, political speeches, and cultural events, embodying Germany's complex history and democratic present.
Visit: Brandenburg Gate (monument)
Friedrichstraße — Former border crossing
This former border crossing point serves as a powerful symbol in Richard's mind of the arbitrary nature of borders and the human suffering they can cause. As he learns more about the refugees' harrowing journeys across multiple borders to reach Germany, he reflects on how this once-divided city now faces new questions about who belongs and who doesn't.
Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War from 1961 to 1990. It was the site of dramatic escapes, tense confrontations, and became a symbol of the divided world during the Cold War era.
The checkpoint is now a major tourist attraction with a replica guardhouse and museum. The area has been commercialized but still serves as an important reminder of Berlin's divided past and the arbitrary nature of political borders.
Visit: Checkpoint Charlie Museum (museum)
Riverside paths — Richard's contemplative walks
Richard often walks along the Spree as he processes his encounters with the refugees and reflects on his late wife's death. The river becomes a space for contemplation where he considers the flow of people across borders, much like the flow of water through the city. These walks represent his internal journey from isolation to engagement with the world around him.
The Spree River has been central to Berlin's development since the city's founding in the 13th century. During the Cold War, sections of the river formed part of the border between East and West Berlin, with escape attempts across its waters.
The Spree is now lined with parks, restaurants, and cultural venues. Boat tours along the river are popular with tourists, and the riverbanks serve as recreational spaces for Berliners, representing the city's transformation from divided to unified.
Visit: Spree River Promenade (park)
Hauptbahnhof — Arrivals and departures
This massive transportation hub symbolizes the movement of people that is central to the novel's themes. Richard observes the constant flow of travelers and reflects on how some, like himself, move freely while others, like the refugees, face barriers at every border. The station represents both connection and displacement in the modern world.
Berlin Hauptbahnhof opened in 2006 as Europe's largest crossing station, built on the site of the former Lehrter Bahnhof. It represents Berlin's role as a transportation hub connecting Eastern and Western Europe, embodying the city's reunification.
The station serves over 300,000 passengers daily and is a marvel of modern architecture with its glass and steel construction. It continues to be a symbol of Berlin's central role in European transportation networks.
Visit: Berlin Hauptbahnhof (landmark)
Museum Island — Classical antiquities
As a classics professor, Richard has deep connections to this museum housing ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. The classical world represents his former intellectual pursuits, but as he becomes involved with the refugees, he begins to see connections between ancient stories of exile and displacement and the contemporary crisis unfolding before him.
The Pergamon Museum opened in 1930 and houses one of the world's most important collections of ancient architecture and art, including the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. It survived World War II bombing and Cold War division.
The museum remains one of Berlin's most popular cultural attractions, drawing over a million visitors annually. Major renovation work is ongoing to preserve and modernize the facility while maintaining its world-class collections.
Visit: Pergamon Museum (museum)
Former airport — Now public park
Richard visits this vast former airport, now converted to public space, as he contemplates themes of arrival, departure, and belonging. The field represents transformation and adaptation - much like his own personal journey from academic isolation to active engagement with the refugee crisis. The open space provides perspective on the city's capacity for change.
Tempelhof Airport was central to the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49 when Allied planes supplied West Berlin during the Soviet blockade. The airport closed to commercial traffic in 2008 and the field was opened as a public park in 2010.
Tempelhof Field is now one of the world's largest urban parks, popular with cyclists, kite flyers, and urban gardeners. The former terminal building hosts cultural events and serves as a reminder of Berlin's Cold War history.
Visit: Tempelhofer Feld (park)
Near Brandenburg Gate — Holocaust memorial
This memorial resonates with Richard as he grapples with questions of displacement, persecution, and moral responsibility. Walking among the concrete stelae, he draws parallels between historical and contemporary forms of exclusion and violence. The memorial becomes a place where past and present injustices converge in his consciousness.
Designed by Peter Eisenman, the memorial opened in 2005 consisting of 2,711 concrete slabs of varying heights creating a maze-like field. It commemorates the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and serves as a central site of remembrance in Berlin.
The memorial is visited by hundreds of thousands of people annually and includes an underground information center with exhibits about Holocaust history. It serves as both a place of remembrance and education about the dangers of intolerance.
Visit: Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (monument)
Multicultural neighborhood — Immigrant community
Richard explores this diverse neighborhood where many immigrants have settled over decades. The Turkish community, established guest workers, and newer refugees create a complex tapestry that helps Richard understand Berlin as a city shaped by migration. He begins to see parallels between different waves of newcomers and the current refugee crisis.
Kreuzberg became home to Turkish guest workers starting in the 1960s and evolved into one of Berlin's most multicultural districts. During the Cold War, it was surrounded by the Berlin Wall on three sides, creating a unique island community.
Kreuzberg remains one of Berlin's most diverse neighborhoods, known for its vibrant cultural scene, street art, and mix of established immigrant communities and newer arrivals. It continues to be a center for political activism and cultural innovation.
Visit: Kreuzberg (historic site)
Southwestern Berlin — Peaceful retreat
Richard visits this lake area for solitude and reflection, especially after intense encounters with refugee stories. The peaceful waters contrast sharply with the turbulent journeys across the Mediterranean that many of the refugees describe. Here he processes the weight of their testimonies and his growing sense of moral obligation to act.
Lake Wannsee has been a popular recreational area for Berliners since the 19th century. The area also has dark historical significance as the site of the 1942 Wannsee Conference where Nazi officials coordinated the Holocaust.
Wannsee remains a popular destination for swimming, boating, and relaxation. The Wannsee Conference memorial and educational site ensures that the area's historical significance is preserved alongside its recreational use.
Visit: Wannsee (park)
More by Jenny Erpenbeck: Visitation locations map · All Jenny Erpenbeck books
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