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Berlin pulses with life; it is a city that never sleeps. The capital of Germany is paved with cobbled streets dating back 750 years. At the same time, it is gloriously modern.
For nearly 30 years, Berlin was really two cities: East and West Berlin, with a wall in between that was meant to be impenetrable. In 1989 all that changed. The wall came down, and the two parts of the city were reunited. In the years since 1989, Berlin has been not only reborn, but reinvented.
The speed of change has been astounding, with the city’s entire center of gravity shifting from west to east. The action ( sights, restaurants and nightlife) is now found in eastern Berlin. It’s an exciting scene and, for anyone familiar with the eastern streets of a few years ago, a slightly unbelievable one. Much of the new city is already in place: parliament sits in the renovated Reichstag; Potsdamer Platz, once leveled to a field in the Wall’s death zone, is now a bustling quarter with 110 new shops, 30 restaurants, a theater, a film museum, and a casino; and the city’s world-class collection of European art has been reunited in the Gemäldegalerie.
A fresh vibrancy is everywhere: on the boulevards, in the art and flea markets, in the 300 trendy night-spots and the 7,000 pubs and restaurants. Visitors can enjoy three opera houses, two great concert halls and 35 theatres, plus cabarets, musicals and revues. Art-lovers can tour 170 excellent museums. this revitalized Berlin has been called the “New York City” of Europe.
See our City Guide for more information about Berlin, Germany
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Attractions And Things To Do in Germany
Neighborhoods
Grunewald
Visitors are often surprised
by the extent of Grunewald’s 19 square miles of secluded verdant forest, lovely parks, and lakes. The area
serves as a green oasis for the urban dwellers of Berlin.
Museumsinsel (Museum
Island)
This island in the Spree
River hosts a complex of museums housed in neoclassical buildings. Its most famous
museum, the Pergamon, contains magnificent reconstructions of ancient temples.
Potsdamer Platz
Before World War II, this
was the thriving heart of Berlin. Blasted into rubble by wartime bombings, it was
bulldozed almost out of existence when the Wall went up on its western edge. After
reunification, it was transformed into a glittering, ultra-modern square dominated
by such corporate giants as Daimler-Chrysler. It stands as a symbol of the corporate
culture of a reunited Germany.
Charlottenburg
This is the wealthiest
and most densely commercialized district of western Berlin. Its Centerpiece is Charlottenburg
Palace.
Mitte (Center)
Closed to western investors
for nearly 50 years, this district is at the heart of Berlin. It was originally
conceived as the architectural Centerpiece of the Prussian Kaisers. Its fortunes
declined dramatically as the Communist regime filled it with starkly angular monuments
and buildings. Although some of Mitte’s grand structures were destroyed by wartime
bombings, unification has resulted in restoration of its remaining artistic and
architectural treasures. The district’s most famous boulevard is Unter den Linden
(Under the Lime Trees). Famous squares within the district include Pariser Platz
(adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate), Potsdamer Platz, and Alexanderplatz.
Tiergarten
Tiergarten ( Animal Garden)
refers both to a massive urban park and, to the park’s north boundary: a residential
district of the same name. The park was originally intended as a backdrop to the
grand avenues laid out for the German Kaisers by a
leading landscape architect of
the day, Peter Josef Lenné. The neighborhood contains the Brandenburg Gate, the
German Reichstag (Parliament), the Berlin Zoo, and some of the city’s grandest museums.
Attractions
Eastern Berlin
The broad, stately boulevard
of Unter den Linden starts at the Brandenburg Gate.
Deutsche Guggenheim
Berlin
Unter den Linden 13–15
daily 11am–8pm
Free admission on Mondays
take U-Bahn Französische St.
located just to the east
of Friedrichstrasse, the Guggenheim contains an extensive collection
of contemporary art and hosts three to four major exhibitions per year. Lining the
wide promenade beyond are a host of historic buildings restored from the rubble
of the war
Neoclassical
Humboldt University
Alte Bibliothek,
Deutsche Staatsoper
St Hedwig’s Cathedral,
built for the city’s Catholics in 1747.
Bebelplatz
U-Bahn Französische St.
Faces the Cathedral and
is the site of the infamous Nazi bookburning of May 10, 1933; an underground room
visible through a glass panel set in the center of the square.
Neue Wache, a former royal guardhouse
resembling a Roman temple and now a memorial to victims of war and tyranny. Next
door, is one of Berlin’s finest Baroque buildings, the old Prussian Arsenal, which
is home to the Museum of German History.
Museum of German History
10am–6pm; closed Wed
free
U-Bahn Friedrichstr.
currently closed for renovations
until the end of 2001; until then, temporary exhibitions on historical themes are
being held in the Kronprinzenpalais across the road.
Französische Kirche on the northern side of the
square. Built as a church for Berlin’s influential Huguenot community at the beginning
of the eighteenth century, it also now houses the Hugenottenmuseum.
Hugenottenmuseum
Tues–Sat noon–5pm, Sun
11am–5pm
Contains exhibits documenting
the way of life of the Huggenotts.
Deutsche Kirche
Tues–Sun 10am–6pm
free admission
The church was built in
the 18th century for the city’s Reformed community. It houses an historical
exhibition, “Questions of German History”
Friedrichstrasse
an upscale shopping district with an
eclectic mix of modernist architecture, lies a block west of the Deutsche Kirche.
Schlossplatz
U-Bahn Alexanderplatz
At the eastern end of Unter den Linden
lies the former site of the imperial
palace and the current home of the abandoned Palast der Republik, the former GDR
parliament building. It stands at the midpoint of a city-centre island whose northwestern
part, Museumsinsel, is the location of some of the best of Berlin’s museums. Reopening
following an extensive reconstruction program:
The Alte Nationalgalerie
(U-Bahn Friedrichstr.), houses the city’s collection of nineteenth-century European
art has been extensively renovated and restored.
Altes Museum
Tues–Sun 10am–6pm
free first Sun on month
U-Bahn Friedrichstr.)
Perhaps Schinkel’s most
impressive surviving work is displayed in the Alte Nationalgalerie’s collection.
In addition, it devotes a floor to the city’s excellent collection of Greek and
Roman antiquities.
Alexanderplatz,
The commercial hub of
eastern Berlin.
Marienkirche,
The church is open Mon.
to Thurs. 10am to noon and 1 to 4pm, Fri. to Sun. noon to 4pm. Free tours are offered
Mon. to Thurs. at 1pm and Sun. at 11:45am.
This is Berlin’s second
opldest parish church, dating from the 15th century. Inside is the 1475
wall painting Der Totentanz (The Dance of Death), discovered in 1860
beneath a layer of whitewash in the church’s entrance hall. Also worth seeing is
the marble baroque pulpit carved by Andreas Schlüter (1703). The cross on the top
of the church annoyed the Communist rulers of the former East Germany--its golden
form was always reflected in the windows of the Fernsehturm.
Fernsehturm or TV tower
March–Oct daily 9am–1am;Nov-–Feb
10am–midnight;
U-Bahn Alexanderplatz
The observation platform offers unbeatable views of the whole city on rare clear days.
Nikolaiviertel
Take U-Bahn Klosterstr.
A modern development that
attempts to recreate the winding streets and small houses of this part of old prewar
Berlin, which was razed overnight on June 16, 1944.
Nikolaikirche
Tues–Sun 10am–6pm;
Free
Take U-Bahn Klosterstr.,
a rebuilt thirteenth-century
structure that is Berlin’s oldest parish church. Not far away on Mühlendamm is the
rebuilt Rococo
Ephraim-Palais
Tues-Sun. 10-6.
U-Bahn Klosterstr.
housing a collection of
Berlin art from the reign of Frederick the Great to 1945.
Western Berlin
Altes Museum
Bodestrasse 1-3, Museumsinsel
030/20-99-55-55
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm U-Bahn/S-Bahn:
Friedrichstrasse. Bus 100 to Lustgarten Admission charged.
Karl Friedrich Schinkel,
the city’s greatest architect, designed this structure, which resembles a Greek
Corinthian temple, in 1822. On its main floor is the
This is a large collection
of world-famous antique decorative art. Some of the finest Greek vases of the black-and-red-figures
style, from the 6th to the 4th century B.C., are here. The
best-known vase is a large Athenian amphora (wine jar) found in Vulci, Etruria.
Pergamon Museum
Kupfergraben, Museumsinsel
030/20-90-5555
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse.
Tram: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 15, or 53 Admission charged.
The Pergamon Museum houses several departments, but if you
have time for only one exhibit, go to the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities,
housed in the north and east wings of the museum, and enter the central hall to
see the Pergamon Altar, (180-160 B.C.), so large that it has a huge room all to
itself. The Near
East Museum, in the south wing, contains one of the largest collections anywhere
of antiquities from ancient Babylonia, Persia, and Assyria.
Ägyptisches Museum
Schloss-strasse 70
030/32-09-11
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun
11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz
or Richard-Wagner-Platz.
Admission charged except:
free admission 1st Sun of each month
The western Berlin branch of the Egyptian Museum is housed
in the palace’s east guardhouse. It’s worth the trip just to see the famous colored
bust of Queen Nefertiti, which dates from about 1360 B.C. and was discovered in
1912Other displays feature jewelry, papyrus, tools, and weapons, as well as objects
relating to the Egyptian belief in the afterlife.
Bröhan Museum
Schlossstrasse 1A
32-69-06-00
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (until
8pm on Wed)
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz
or Richard-Wagner-Platz
Admission charged; 11
and under Free
Berlin’s finest collection
of Jugendstil (German art nouveau) is found here. When Professor Bröhan started
the collection, Jugendstil was viewed as having little merit. It’s a different story
today. The objects include glass, furnishings, silver and gold, paintings, and vases.
Museum für Vor und
Frühgeschichte
Langhansbau
030/32-09-11
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun
11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz
or Richard-Wagner-Platz
Admission charged.
This museum of prehistory
and early history is in the western extension of the palace, facing Klausener Platz.
Schloss Charlottenburg
Luisenplatz
030/32-09-11
Guided tours of the Historical
Rooms (in German)
Tues-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun
10am-5pm (last tour at 4pm)
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz
or Richard-Wagner-Platz
Combination ticket for
all buildings and historical rooms
English translation of
guide’s lecture on sale at the ticket counter
Schloss Charlottenburg,
one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in Germany, was built by Sophie
Charlotte, a patron of philosophy and the arts, and the wife of Friedrich I, crowned
as the first king in Prussia in 1701.
The residence was begun
as a summer palace, but grew into the massive structure seen today.
At the far end of Schlossgarten
Charlottenburg is the Belvedere, close to the River Spree. This former royal teahouse
contains exquisite Berlin porcelain, much of it from the 1700s.
Gemäldegalerie (Picture
Gallery)
Mattäiskirchplatz 4
030/20-90-55-55
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun
11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Kurfürstenstrasse,
then bus 148. Bus 129 from Ku’damm (plus a 4-min. walk) Admission charged.
This is one of Germany’s
greatest art museums. Several rooms are devoted to early German masters, with panels
from altarpieces dating from the 13th to 15th centuries.
Most of the great European
masters are represented.
Kunstgewerbemuseum
Matthäikirchplatz, Tiergartenstrasse
6
Opposite the Philharmonie
030/2-66-29-02
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun
11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Kurfürstenstrasse;
S-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz
Admission charged.
This museum displays applied
arts and crafts from the Middle Ages through the 20th century. Its outstanding exhibition is the Guelph Treasure, a collection of medieval church articles in gold
and silver.
Neue Nationalgalerie
(Staatliche Museum zu Berlin)
Potsdamerstrasse 50 Just
south of the Tiergarten
030/2-66-26-62
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun
11am-6pm
Closed Jan 1, Dec 24-25
and 31, and the Tues after Easter and Whitsunday
U-Bahn: Kurfürstenstrasse;
S-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz
This modern glass-and-steel
structure designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) contains a continually
growing collection of modern European and American art. Included are works of 19th-century
artists, with a concentration on French impressionists.
Deutsche Guggenheim
Berlin
Unter den Linden 13-15
At the intersection with Charlottenstrasse
030/2020930
Daily 11am-8pm
U-Bahn: Französische Strasse
Admission charged
This state-of-the-art
museum is devoted to modern and contemporary art. The exhibition space is on the
ground floor of the newly restored Berlin branch of Deutsche Bank. The Guggenheim
Foundation presents several exhibitions at this site annually, and also displays
newly commissioned works created specifically for this space by world-renowned artists.
Die Sammlung Berggruen:
Picasso und Seine Zeit (The Berggruen Collection: Picasso and His Era)
Schlosstrasse 1
Entrance across from the
Egyptian Museum, in Charlottenburg
030/830-1466
Tues-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun
10am-5pm Closed Mon
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz,
followed by a 10-min. walk
Admission charged.
This unusual private museum
displays the extensive collection of respected art and antiques dealer Heinz Berggruen.
A native of Berlin who fled the Nazis in 1936, Berggruen later established a miniempire
of antique dealerships in Paris and California before returning, with his collection,
to his native home in 1996.
Friedrichswerdersche
Kirche-Schinkelmuseum
Werderstrasse At the corner of Niederlagstrasse
030/2-08-13-23
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
U-Bahn: Hausvogteiplatz
Admission charged.
This annex of the Nationalgalerie
is located in the deconsecrated Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, which was designed
in 1828 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841). It lies close to Unter den Linden,
not far from the State Opera House. The twin Gothic portals of the old church shelter
a bronze of St. Michael slaying a dragon. Inside, the museum is devoted to the memory
of Schinkel, who designed many of Berlin’s great palaces, churches, and monuments.
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