Originally the history of the Kurfürstendamm dates back to the 16th century. Back then, Elector Joachim II demanded a connecting path between the city castle and his hunting lodge. Until the 19th century it remained an unpaved road. Yet when Otto von Bismarck (then Prime Minister of Prussia) returned from a trip to Paris, impressed by the Champs-Élysées, he decided to transform the path into a grand boulevard. The day of the grand opening of the steam tram line Zoo-Kurfüstendamm-Grunewald was chosen to be the official birthday of the famous Berlin Boulevard. The following time line outlines its eventful past.
