Originally a marsh north of the city fortifications on the road to
Spandau, the
Prussian king
Frederick the Great about 1750 had a market square laid out under the surveillance of Townmajor
Hans Christoph Friedrich Graf von Hacke in the course of a northern town expansion. It was officially named after Hacke on 23 July 1840. In 1882 the area received access to the railway line at
Berlin Hackescher Markt station, then called after the nearby
stock exchange. The station was renamed during the
GDR era. The railway tracks of the S-Bahn along the eastern and northern sections of between the stations and are built where the
ramparts, walls, moats and
glacis of the
Berlin Fortress, a 17th century
bastion fort around the historic city limits, had been. Formerly a rather neglected area, with its old buildings has developed into a cultural and commercial centre after
German reunification, famous for its nightlife centered on the courtyard ensemble. The square is also served by several
tramway and
night bus lines. A weekly market is still held every Thursday and Saturday. ==References==