The Gendarmenmarkt has been part of Berlin’s urban planning more or less since the 17th century, when Frederick I, King of Prussia, decided to expand the city beyond the river Spree. As can be expected from such a central location, the square has gone through multiple identity changes in the course of the city's history. Its current name is due to the fact that in the mid-18th century the square housed the barracks of the Gens d’Armes, a regiment of cuirassiers, and while the barracks were eventually demolished, the name stuck. A statue of Friedrich Schiller, one of Germany’s most famous poets and philosophers, is also located in the square. For a short time, the part of the square around Schiller’s statue was called Schillerplatz in his honour.