The main square of the city was named after Adolf Hitler during the World War II. Since 1844 a bronze statue of the great duke Ludwig I hovers over it on a 39-meter-tall pedestal with an observation deck inside it that is open to tourists once a month (there are 181 stairs leading to the top). Today it is the main transport junction, cultural and business center of Darmstadt. Here you will find the three-storey shopping mall Luisencenter with information center for tourists, main post office, town hall (with a wine cellar), Duke’s Palace and the government building.