Berlin Things to Do Tips by diocletianvs

There is no better place to start at least this virtual tour of Berlin than in Reichstag. Here you can feel as being in heart of Germany with thousands of visitors literally climbing over the heads of members of the German parliament, enjoying the views of united city.

Reichstag was built after the founding of the German Empire in 1872, when a large parliamentary building was needed. This huge classicist building was designed by Paul Wallot and measures 137 by 97 metres. The famous inscription 'Dem Deutschen Volke' (To the German People) was added in 1916. In 1933 it burned as the famous fire broke out probably caused by Hitler's party members in a (successful) attempt to gain power in Germany. The building was even further damaged at the end of the WWII but it also became a symbol of Hitler's defeat with the famous picture of a Red Army Soldier raising the Soviet flag on top of it.

Wrapped by Christo in 1995 Reichstag was once again on front pages of all newspapers in the world this time symbolizing united Germany and re-born spirit of Berlin. Although the building's history is interesting, it is the new present in the shape of the public-accessible cupola on top of it that makes it a real landmark of today's Berlin.

Leave a Comment

Phone: 22 73 21 52
Address: Platz der Republik, Berlin-Tiergarten
Directions: Bus 100
Website: http://www.reichstag.de

To let a foreign architect build a cupola over the national parliament that enables everyone to climb over the heads of the members of the parliament would probably be considered as rather controversial in most places. Yet, this piece of architecture designed by sir Norman Foster in 1999 makes a perfect end to a century that saw many dramatic changes within the walls of this building.

The glass dome is really fascinating in its huge size, dominating the Berlin skyline; in its simplicity and in its symbolics. Everyone can access it for free (there are queues in front of the main entrance to Reichstag) and climb the double ramps untill its (open to rain!) top. On the one side you can enjoy the views of the city (fascinating) and on the other side you can enjoy the broken views of yourself and your fellow co-climbers in a series of mirror-glasses. There is a small presentation of the history of the building at the basement of the cupola.

Although the lines can be long (go there early!) it did not take us more that 45 minutes to go inside and there were even nice girls who were offering free brochures you can study while waiting.

Leave a Comment

Phone: 22 73 21 52
Address: Platz der Republik, Berlin-Tiergarten
Directions: Bus 100
Website: http://www.reichstag.de

Untill 1989 western end of Berlin's main boulevard Unter den Linden was also the end of the road open for East Berliners. Margaret Thatcher's tears in front of the Brandenburg Gate seem as the distant history now when all links between East and West are re-established again under the famous sculpture of Quadriga topping the Gates.

This triumphal arch was built in 1791, modelled after the Propylaea in Athens. It saw many armies marching under its arches - Prussian army, Napoleon army and Nazis all marched under, but later the GDR army misunderstood the meaning of the word Gate and made it part of the notorious Wall, forbidding free passing under the Quadriga.

The Quadriga sculpture that crowns the gate was built in 1793 as a symbol of piece and was stolen by Napoleon in 1806 and taken to Paris, triumphally returned at its original place after the Battle of Waterloo and turned into a symbol of victory.

Today it is interesting to stop for a while in front of this famous landmark of Berlin and think about the history that shaped this city.

Recently the traffic was closed and today the area in front of the Gates is packed with the tourists. There is a very informative Tourist Office on the southern part of the Gates.

Leave a Comment

Address: Pariser Platz, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100

This Berlin's most elegant boulevard flanked by linden trees starts at the Brandenburg Gate and stretches over the Schloss Bridge to the Schloss Platz. It is one of grand urban gestures done by Friedrich Wilhelm and was the main axis of the Prussian metropolis.

In the 1930s Nazis replaced linden trees with flagposts, and the boulevard was replanted again after the war but with the establishment of the wall on its western edge it lost most of its meaning. On the other hand, we can thank East Germans that this wasn't turned into another pedestrian street with Kaufhof and Woolworth department stores like so many others in other (West) German cities that were subject to heavy bombings. Slowly but carefully GDR has put a lot of efforts to reconstruct most of the historic buildings from the war debris and today big works (still going on here) are in fact only make up efforts to make this grand boulevard shine in all its monumental glory.

The eastern part of the Unter den Linden is the most interesting with some of Berlin's best public buildings built around former Forum Fridericianum which stood approximately where the State Opera stands today.

Leave a Comment

Address: Unter den Linden, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100

On the eastern end of Unter den Linden, gathered around the monument to Friedrich the Great we find some of the most important buildings in Berlin. It is amazing to compare what we have today with images showing the 1945 postwar rubble and it must be admit that the former GDR has put a lot of effort, time and money to reconstruct all these historic buildings.

Humboldt University today occupies the building that was originally palace of Friedrich the Great's brother. After Wilhelm Humboldt established the University here in 1809 this was the house of some of Berlin's best brains including Karl Marx, Karl Liebknecht and Albert Einstein.

When I was here a small market of used books was held in front of the main entrance and it made a nice contrast with the Neoclassical facade of the University building.

Leave a Comment

Address: Unter den Linden 6, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100
Website: http://www.hu-berlin.de

Next to the Humboldt University there is another grandiose building dating from late 19th century. It houses state library in Berlin, once the main Prussian and later main GDR library today it is one of two main libraries in Berlin (yes, that's possible in a city that is still recovering from recent division).

If you peek inside you'll find "Ivy League" courtyard with a fountain in the middle. Many students from the nearby University come here to study and there is also a small cafe here where you can enjoy your coffee in this calm oasis away from the Unter den Linden.

Leave a Comment

Address: Unter den Linden 8, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100
Website: http://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de

The New Guard House or the Neue Wache is one of the most famous buildings by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, an architect who literally transformed nineteen-century Berlin with his Neoclassical buildings scaterred all over the center of town.

The Neue Wache stands at the eastern end of Unter den Linden and when it was built in 1818 it was to serve as the guardhouse for the royal guards. In 1930 it saw its first transformation into the memorial center dedicated to the soldiers who died in World War I. Then in 1957 it was converted by the GDR government into a Memorial to the victims of Fascism and Militarism. A grotesque change of guards happenned here every day.

After 1989 the Neue Wache serves as the National Memorial to the Victims of War and Tyranny. Schinkel's Neoclassical facade resembles to the Greek temple but it is inside chamber that is the most interesting with ray of sun playing on bare walls surrounding Pieta statue by Kathe Kollwitz.

Leave a Comment

Address: Unter den Linden, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100

The area around eastern end of Unter den Linden is filled not only with nice Neoclassical buildings and statues but also with historic stories that took place here. It takes a while to grasp all the information you can read in your guidebooks and it takes a while to stop at least in front of the most important places and think in silence about the things that took place here.

Directly opposite the University buildings is Bebelplatz which was the scene of the notorious Buchverbrennung - the burning of books by Nazis that happenned in 1933. Thousands of books that conflicted with the Nazi ideology went up in smoke in May 10th. Erich Maria Remarque, Thomas Mann and Ernest Hemingway were among the authors whose books were destroyed.

Berlin knows how to make memorials and the one on Bebelplatz is among the strongest ones. It features a simple glass plate on the square floor where you can take a look into an underground chamber called "The Empty Library" - a room with walls made of empty bookshelves. Luckily, shelves of the University Library accross the street aren't as empty.

Leave a Comment

Address: Unter den Linden, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100

Gendarmenmarkt square is another example of careful reconstruction of historic buildings that took place in former GDR. Destroyed almost to the rubble the reconstruction lasted untill 1980s and as the Wall fell down it reemerged as one of the nicest squares in Berlin.

Originally the square was built for the Gendarme regiment, but when Friedrich the Great came with an idea to add some monumental squares and buildings in Berlin the Gendarmenmarkt was transformed into a monumental square. Flanked by two almost identical churches the idea was to create something after Piazza del Popolo in Rome. The French church on the northern part of the square was originally built for Berlin's Hugenot community at the beginning of 18th century. There is a small Hugenot museum in the base of the tower. The tower itself can be visited to see some higher views of the square. The German Church on the southern end of the square now houses the exhibition about the German parliament.

Leave a Comment

Address: Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: U-Bahn: Stadtmitte

When walking around Berlin Mitte it is hard to escape the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel - an architect who at first was working as the decorator for the theatre later to be given a position in Public Works Department which enabled him to become the main decorator of nineteen-century Berlin.

The Schauspielhaus was built by Schinkel in 1817 in the middle of Gendarmenmarkt in a Neoclassical style with broad steps leading to the main entrance and defining the square. The building was reopened in 1984 after a careful reconstruction from the severe damages done by the Russian army at the end of the WWII when they were trying to root out SS troops who had dug in here.

On Christmas 1989 the Schauspielhaus (now called the Berlin Concert House) was the place where Leonard Bernstein conducted a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to celebrate the unification of Germany. A monument to Friedrich Schiller, the author of words for the final Ode of Joy in the Ninth Symphony stands in front of the Schauspielhaus in the central position on Gendarmenmarkt.

Leave a Comment

Address: Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: U-Bahn: Stadtmitte
Website: http://www.konzerthaus.de