Berlin is the capital city of Germany and the largest city. Berlin is best known for its historical associations as the German capital, for its lively nightlife, for its many cafes, clubs, and bars, and for its numerous museums, palaces, and other sites of historic interest.
Berlin's architecture is quite varied: though badly damaged in the final years of World War II (in which Berlin formed the backdrop to Nazi Germany's downfall), Berlin has reconstructed itself greatly, and it is now possible to see representatives of many different historic periods in a short time within the compact city center, from a few surviving medieval buildings near Alexanderplatz, to the ultramodern glass and steel structures in Potsdamer Platz.
UNDERSTAND BERLIN
The foundation of Berlin was very multicultural. The surrounding area was populated by Germanic Swabian and Burgundian tribes, as well as Slavic Wends in prechristian times, and the Wends have stuck around. Their modern descendants are the Sorbian Slavic-language minority who live in villages near the Havel and Spree rivers.
In the beginning of the 13th century two towns (Berlin and Colln) developed on each side of the river Spree. As the population grew, the towns merged and Berlin became a center for commerce and the region's agriculture.
Since the 1600s, when large numbers of French Huguenots fled religious persecution, Berlin has welcomed asylum seekers, religious, economic or otherwise. In the second half of the 20th century, large numbers of immigrants from Turkey and communist countries, including the former Yugoslavia and Vietnam, not to mention Soviet soldiers who refused to return home, have helped to make Berlin more multicultural than ever.
Berlin is also a youth-oriented city. Before German unification, West Berliners were exempt from the West German civil/military service requirement. Social activists, pacifists and anarchists of all stripes moved to Berlin for that reason alone. Musicians and artists were given state subsidies. It was easy to stay out all night thanks to liberal bar licensing laws, and staying at university for years without ever getting a degree was a great way to kill time. In constrast with most of Germany, Prenzlauer Berg is said to have the highest per-capita birth rate in Europe.
Berlin is a relatively young city by European standards, dating only to the thirteenth century, and it has always had a reputation as a place filled with people from elsewhere. Someone who has lived in Berlin for ten years will see themselves as a "true Berliner," looking down on the person who has only been there for five. It's sometimes tough to find someone born and raised here! This is part of Berlin's charm: it never gets stuck in a rut.
But it's not all beer bashes and cafe-sitting. One of the most important "products" produced in Berlin by both academic and company-sponsored institutes is research. That research is exported around the world just like tangible goods. German labor is highly efficient but comes at high cost. Strong trade unions, the end of West Berlin's pre-reunification subsidies and Germany's dense regulatory environment forced industry to cencentrate on high quality and expensive products. Students went on strike in Berlin to oppose tuition fees in recent years. The universities have grown to their limits and most schools do not get sufficient funding. Students, housewives and self-employed people are not included in Berlin's official unemployment rate, currently standing at a whopping 18 percent.
Some famous artists of the region and their best-known works include Lucas Cranach the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Younger, Johann Gottfried Schadow, Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel), Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will), Bertold Brecht (Threepenny Opera), Käthe Kollwitz, Kurt Tucholsky, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, FW Murnau (Nosferatu), Fritz Lang (Metropolis), Volker Schlondorff, Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire (German: Der Himmel über Berlin)), Blixa Bargeld/Einstürzende Neubauten, Christopher Isherwood, Gunter Grass (The Tin Drum), members of the Bauhaus architectural movement.
A certain uneasy detente still exists between some former residents of East and West Berlin (and Germany). Wessi evolved as a derogatory nickname for a West German; its corollary is Ossi. The implication here is that after reunification, the West Germans automatically assumed the way they do things is the right way, and the way the Easterners should start doing it, too. Westerners got a reputation for being arrogant. They saw the Easterners as stubborn Communist holdouts only interested in a handout from the "rich West". Consider a shirt for sale in a shop inside the Alexanderplatz Deutsche Bahn station: Gott, schütze mich vor Sturm und Wind/und Wessies die im Osten sind ("God, protect me from the storm and wind, and Wessies who are in the East").
Berlin, especially the former East, has evolved into a cultural mecca since the reunification. Artists and other creative souls flocked to the city in swarms after the wall fell, primarily due to the extremely low cost of living in the East. Despite the increased prices and gentrification as a result, Berlin has become a center for art, multimedia, electronic music, and fashion among other things. The particularly high number of students and young people in the city has only helped this cause. Just stroll down a street in Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, or Mitte to get a glimpse of the new East Berlin.
Berlin is a beautiful city so allow enough time to get to see the sights. A good map, such as the Rough Guide Berlin map, is highly recommended. While the public transport system is superb, it can be confusing, due to a lack of signs in some of the larger stations, so a good rail map is also essential. Roads into Berlin can also be confusing, so plan your route and drive carefully. Signs point to city districts rather than indicating compass directions, so it's a good idea to get to know where the various districts lie in relation to each other. This also applies to cyclists.
Click here for Germany Tours, Travel and Activities with Viator
HISTORY IN BERLIN
Berlin does not attempt to hide the less savoury parts of its history: a visit to the Topography of Terror (Mitte), for example, provides interesting but sobering insights into the activities of the Gestapo in Berlin during the Nazi years (1933-1945). Many of the walking tours also discuss scenes both of Nazi activity and Cold War tension and terror.
Berlin Wall A large stretch of intact Wall can be found to the east of the city centre along the River Spree in Mühlenstraße near the Oberbaumbrücke. Known as the East Side Gallery, it is a section of the wall that is preserved as a gallery. This can be easily reached from Ostbanhof or Warschauer Strasse. It has many beautiful murals, politically motivated and otherwise. Another place to try is near the Martin Gropius Bau museum, currently under reconstruction. Two small pices are also in Potsamer Plaz and in its neighbourhood at the corner between Eberrtstraße and Bellevuestraße).
Berlin Wall Memorial (Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer). (U-Bahn Bernauerstrasse U8 or S-Bahn Nordbahnhof S1, 2, or 25, follow the signs in the stations - wall is Mauer in German). Often missed by tourists but an absolute must for anyone interested in this part of the city's history. It's a memorial to those who died crossing so you won't, fortunately, get the tackiness of the Checkpoint Charlie area; instead you will be left with a haunting feeling of what life with the wall may have been really like. The monument itself is a gigantic wasted opportunity, blank and featureless. The inscription on the outside, declaring it a monument to the victims of the "communist reign of violence", has sparked emotional debates and angered many local residents. The documentation center across the street on Bernauer Str. is excellent although most of the documentation is in German. The viewing platform gives you a tiny hint of the true scale of the Wall and how terrifying the "no man's land" between the two sections of walls must have been.
The Memorial is on Bernauer Strasse which itself is a street with a great deal of Wall history: the first recorded Wall related death of the notorious Peter Fechter was here, as was one of the famous tunnels and that famous photograph of the GDR border guard leaping over the barbed wire. Various monuments can be found along the entire length of the street, documenting nearby escape attempts and tunnels; captions are in German, English, French, and Russian. The Memorial itself is a complete section of 4th generation wall - both inside and outside sections, and you can peer through from the east side to see the remains of the electric fence and anti-tank devices in the death strip. It really helps you understand what an incredible feat it was to get from one side to the other -- and why so many died doing it.
Checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point between East and West Germany during the Cold War, is no more. Formerly, it was the only border crossing between East and West Germany that permitted foreigners passage. Residents of East and West Berlin were not allowed to use it. This contributed to Checkpoint Charlie's mythological status as a meeting place for spies and other shady individuals. Now the remains of the Berlin Wall have been moved to permit building, including construction of the American Business Center and other institutions not given to flights of John Le Carre-inspired fancy.
At the intersection of Zimmerstrasse and Friedrichstrasse is the famous "You Are Leaving the American Sector" sign. The actual guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie is now housed at the Allied Museum on Clayallee. For a more interesting exhibit go to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. This is a private museum with kitschy memorabilia from the Wall as well as the devices GDR residents used to escape the East (including a tiny submarine!).
Checkpoint Charlie gained its name from the phonetic alphabet; checkpoints "Alpha" and "Bravo" were at the autobahn checkpoints Helmstedt and Dreilinden respectively. Checkpoint Charlie's atmosphere was not improved at all on 27 October 1961 when the two Cold War superpowers chose to face each other down for a day. Soviet and American tanks stood approximately 200 meters apart, making an already tense situation worse.
Hugenottenmuseum, in Franzosischer Dom, Platz der Akademie. The Hugenottenmuseum represents the ongoing influence on Berlin by the Huguenots who emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Crown Prince Friedrich William encouraged them to settle here because most of them were skilled workers or otherwise useful to the kingdom. One memorable artwork, in room nine of the museum, pictures Crown Princess Dorothea exclaiming "But he's a refugee!" upon being presented a very valuable set of jewels by Pierre Fromery. The generally agreed-upon view of refugees as poor, without resources let alone diamonds, was blown apart by the talented French Protestants forced to leave their country due to religion.
One of the most notable effects of having such a large French population was their influence on the infamous Berlin dialect. Berlinerisch words such as Kinkerlitzchen (from French "quincaillerie" - kitchen equipment) and Muckefuck (from French "mocca faux" - artificial coffee) are unique to the area.
The Franzosischen Dom (cathedral) itself was built to resemble the main church of the Huguenots in Charenton, France, destroyed in 1688. It has housed the museum since 1929.
Käthe Kollwitz Museum. Käthe Kollwitz's reputation as a social activist who used art as a means to express her support of pacifism was hard-won. Her son was killed in the first World War, after which her art took a turn for the morose. When her grandson was killed in World War II, her art became even darker and more brooding as she contemplated the huge loss of life Germany had suffered. Both her own personal losses and those of the nation affected her art. After the war ever-present artistic themes for Kollwitz - death, violence, war, misery, guilt and suffering - took shape as the drawings, prints, sculptures, original posters and woodcuts housed in this museum.
Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium). Built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympic Games, the Olympic Stadium is already crumbling! (So much for 1000-Year-Reich architecture lasting that long). It is one of the better examples of Nazi-era neoclassical architecture and is still used for sporting events. It is the home of the most successful soccer/football team of Berlin, Hertha BSC, and between 2000 and 2004 was renovated for the FIFA World Cup in 2006. A visit to a Bundesliga football match can be safely recommended, as football is a main ingredient of German public life (matches start Saturday 3:30PM or Sunday 5:00PM; be there at least half an hour earlier). The Olympic Stadium is where African-American athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals and disproving Hitler's Aryan superiority theory.
The neoclassical architecture is supposed to remind the viewer of the splendors of Greece or Rome and of the universally-acclaimed great civilizations; it was thus intended as another part of Nazi propaganda. By reusing time-tested architectural components, such as columns, instead of pushing forward with a genuinely modern twentieth-century, entirely new architectural concept, did they think their designs would garner more positive attention? To the west of the Stadium itself is the Maifeld with the Langemarck hall and the Olympic Stadium Bell Tower, Glockenturm [43], (with observation deck), both of which can be visited.
For a glimpse at the Olympiastadion in its original state, rent Leni Riefenstahl's movie Olympia. Riefenstahl has been accused of purposefully producing propaganda for the Nazis, though in her autobiography she denies it. There is no argument, however, that she is an excellent filmmaker. Though the Nazis may have helped fund some of her productions, Riefenstahl's artistic vision is undeniable.
Tempelhof airport was used in the Berlin Airlift (Berliner Luftbrücke) in 1948 and 1949, and featured in movies like Billy Wilders "One Two Three" with James Cagney, Horst Buchholz and Lilo Pulver. The terminal building is still fascinating: the halls and neighbouring buildings, intended to become the gateway to Europe, are still known as the largest built entities worldwide, and have been described by British architect Sir Norman Foster as "the mother of all airports".
Karl-Marx-Allee The main street of past Eastern Berlin. It is a Unesco site exhibiting DDR buildings, fountains and lanes.
MUSEUMS OF BERLIN
Berlin has a vast array of museums. Most museums and galleries charge admission - usually around €6 for an adult, discounts available (students are required to have a card with photo from their university). However, some of the state run museums, including some of the ones below, are free on the first Sunday of each month, but ask before as this is not a general rule. Some museums also grant free entrance four hours before closing every Thursday.
Lange Nacht der Museen - a large cultural event in August with museums open until 2 a.m. and extra events around the city.
Museuminsel. Literally "Museum Island", this district is best known for the vast Pergamonmuseum, which houses an extensive collection of ancient Greek, ancient Middle-Eastern and Islamic art and architecture. As of August 2006, the monumental market door of Milet is under restoration, but it is still possible to see large parts of it Others museums which belong to the Museum Island are the Egyptian Museum, The Antique Museum, The Byzantic Museum and the sculptures collection. All of these (and others) need to wander about according to current state of the massive renovations underway, so do consult the website before your visit. There are also passes available (for a single day or three days.
Alte Nationalgalerie. Art up to the 19th century with some masterpieces by Adolph von Menzel, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne. Although part of the Museum Island, no renovation works are planned.
Deutsches Historisches Museum. German historical museum.
Jüdisches Museum. Jewish Museum. Learn about the history of jews in Berlin. Exhibitions of art and impressive modern architecture by Liebeskind.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. A recently opened abstract artwork covering an entire block near the Brandenburg Gate, including an underground museum with extensive details on the Holocaust and the Jews who died during it. 3.5 million visitors in the first year make it one of the most visited memorials in Berlin.
Brücke-Museum. Works from the Dresden art collaborative called "Die Brücke".
Gemäldegalerie. About 2700 European paintings from the 13th to the 18th century. Works from Dürer, Raffael, Tizian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Rubens.
Neue Nationalgalerie. Art from the 20th Century; hosts very interesting temporary exibitions. As of August 2006 the permanent collection is temporarily elsewhere
Hamburger Bahnhof. Modern Art in a very nice building. Currently also included is the Christian Flick collection.
Museum für Verkehr und Technik. Interesting museum for science and technology with many interesting objects. The Museum für Verkehr und Technik also has an outdoor area with a windmill.
Museum für Naturkunde. Interesting museum with a big collection of fossils and minerals.
Museum für Post und Kommunikation. Museum for telecommunication and post with many interesting historical objects.
Berlinische Galerie. Collection of modern artists nicely organized and well selected, you cannot miss it if you like or are courious about modern art. Note the "Happy Monday" fare: on the first Monday of the month there's a discounted daily ticket.
Museum Berggruen]. Near Charlottenburg Palace. Also known as "Picasso und sein Zeit", this not so large but precious museum hosts a very good collection of paintings and sculptures signed by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Giacometti, and others from the first decades of the XX century. The ticket is also valid on the same day at the "Museum fuer Fotografie" (aka Helmuth Newton Stiftung), Aegyptische Museum, Museum fuer Vor- und Fruehgeschicte (Pre- and Protohistory museum).
Museum für Fotografie. This museum is dedicated to Helmut Newton ans usually hosts his works in a temporary exibition.
Deutsche Guggenheim. Compared to New York, Bilbao and Venezia it is a relatively small exhibition place. It usually hosts a temporary exibition and is free on ;onday, with a free guided tour starting at 18:00. Since the place is small and the name "Guggenheim" a very famous one, the place is often very crowded.
Museum Scharf-Gerstenberg A museum dedicated to surrealist art. Will be reopened near Charlottenburg Palace in 2008.
Museum Brohan. Dedicated to art nouvau. Near Charlottenburg Palace.
Museum of Prehistoty and Early History at the Charlottenburg Palace. Most known for its Trojan collection excavated by the famous discoveror of Troy, Schliemann.
Museum of European Cultures The biggest of its sort in Europe. At the museum district of Dahlem.
Ethnological Museum Again one of the world's most comprehensive ones. At the museum district of Dahlem.
Museum of Asian Art At the Dahlem museum district. Includes East Asian as well as Indian sections.
Gropius House (Bauhaus Museum)
Kolbe Museum. A museum dedicated to the Berliner sculpturor.
Zille Museum. A museum dedicated to the Berliner artist.
Kollwitz Museum. A museum dedicated to the Berliner artist.
Museum of Applied Arts divided between two sites - the Culture Forum (together with the Picture Gallery) and Koepenick Castle.
Allied Museum. A museum showing the Western side of the Cold War.
Anti-War Museum
House of the Wannsee Conference. A museum documenting the end of WW II.
The Story of Berlin. A museum documenting Berlin's history. You can also visit an underground bunker with place for more than 3000 people.
German-Russian Museum. This museum describes the history of the DDR-Russian relationship during the Cold War.
Museum at Checkpoint Charlie. This museum is situated at the most famous historical checkpoint between the two Germanies.
Topography of Terror. This museum documents the terror applied by the Nazi regime.
DDR Museum. A museum dedicated to every day life at the DDR time.
Museum of Forbidden Art. A special museum situated on a guard tower on the historical Berlin Wall.
Documentation Centre of the Berlin Wall
Stasi (Secret Police) Museum. This museum describes the procidures applied by the DDR secret police.
LANDMARKS WITH OBSERVATION DECKS
While Berlin has relatively few high-rise buildings, there are several monuments with observation decks. Of special interest is the Fernsehturm, the tallest tower in Germany and second largest in Europe, which has a rotating cafe at the top spinning 360 degrees in just 30 minutes! 40 seconds is all it takes to reach the top by lift.
Another, the Funkturm, is an old lattice steel tower which is the only observation tower standing on insulators. Another famous landmark with observation deck is the victory column (Siegessäule). The Siegessäule is a historic momument and therefore it has no elevator but the beautiful view on the Tiergarten and the historic center is worth climbing up.
Reichstag - the German parliament near the Brandenburg gate building has a large glass construction on top with a great view of Berlin. Be prepared for long lines and an extensive security check. Free entrance.
Berliner Funkturm - 150 meter high lattice tower, with open-air observation deck 124 meter above ground. Only observation tower on insulators! Located in the Western fair district, out of city center.
Berliner Fernsehturm on the Alexanderplatz - Germany's tallest construction, 368 meters high. Observation deck 204 metres above ground.
Park Inn Alexanderplatz - the tallest multistory building in Berlin at 132 meters. There is a panorama restaurant in the upmost floor.
Siegessäule (Victory Column) - An old (1865-1873), 60 meters high monument with panoramic view in the very center of the city. Unfortunately no elevator so be prepared for 285 steps. The statue of Victoria on the top is the place where the angels congregate in the famous film "Der Himmel über Berlin" by Wim Wenders. It has also become something of a symbol for the annual Love Parade techno music festival.
Grunewaldturm - historic observation tower
Glockenturm Olympic stadium
Bierpinsel - a small tower restaurant in Berlin-Steglitz
Müggelturm - an observation tower without elevator in Southeast Berlin, from which you can see that there is a great deal of forest around Berlin
TRIPS OUT OF BERLIN
Sachsenhausen is a quiet suburb housing the remains of one of the Nazi concentration camps on German soil.
Escape to Kopenick and other wooded areas scattered around the city on the weekend.
Potsdam is the capital of the surrounding federal state of Brandenburg and not far away west of Berlin and makes a perfect day trip. You can get there with the S-Bahn S1 (C zone) or Regional-Bahn RE1 to the end station Potsdam Hauptbahnhof. Especially the park of Sanssouci with its famous castles is worth a visit.
The Raststaette Grunewald at the S-bahn station Nikolassee is a good spot for hitching if you're heading south or west.
The Müritz lake region to the north is a national park.
Frankfurt (Oder) on the Polish border is within easy reach.
The beautiful Baltic seashore (e.g., Usedom or Wolin) is near enough for a day trip by train.
Szczecin in Poland is about two and a half hours by train.
To the south, Dresden is about two hours by train.
For more information on Berlin, visit the source at
Destination: BERLIN, GERMANY
UNDERSTAND BERLIN
