Der Alex and other Berlin, Germany Things to Do Tips

"The wide-open and empty space of Alexanderplatz is the focal point of East Berlin, and the subject of major remodeling by this part of the city's former Socialist masters. Der Alex was intended to be the showpiece of a utopian socialist republic, but in retrospect looks a little sorry for itself, and barely merits a mention in my 1100 page guide book to Germany. It was also the scene of the million strong demonstration that led to the tearing down of the wall in 1989, hence its iconic use in the opening titles of the wonderful film, "Goodbye, Lenin!" Personally I loved it, and found its sad reminders of former Stalinist glories quite endearing, but then again I'm a sucker for hard luck stories, and der Alex seemed like exactly that." - from my travelogue

Der Alex is all hustle and bustle, and has plenty of great places to eat, drink and shop. If you are on the east side, then you'll want to stop off here at some point, or you'll be missing out on a good part of what Berlin is, and was, all about. It also serves as a great starting point for a walk to the Brandenburg gate, taking you along the wide Under den Linden boulevard, across the elegant river Spree, past the nasty old Palast der Republik, and into Pariser Platz. Personally this was one of my favourite parts of Berlin, although it only gets a passing mention of a couple of sentences in my 1100 page Rough Guide to Germany.

Der Alex also includes an impressive sight of its own, the unmissable, in many senses of the word, Fernsehturm.

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Address: Alexanderplatz, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: U-Bahn: Alexanderplatz

"The Fernsehturm is an impressive and iconic sight, soaring above the skyline of Berlin like a giant glistening golf ball skewered on a concrete spike, topped with a red and white flash. This product of the old DDR towered over their western counterparts, with the only blemish on its prideful socialist status being the golden cross it cast over the city when the sun reflected on it, a slightly embarrassing marker for an officially atheist state. It also offered sensational vistas from its viewing platform, 200 meters up the 365 meter structure." - from my travelogue

In German the words "fern" and "seh" literally mean far and see, but joined together they become "fernsehen", or television. This rather literal naming of the technology, gives Berlin's iconic TV Tower a doubly accurate meaning. It is both a television tower, and a far seeing tower. It is possible to see as far as 40 km on a clear day. It costs a slightly expensive 7 euros to be rocketed up to these dizzying heights, squeezed into lifts that travel at 6 meters per second. Depending on the day, you might have a long wait, though, as the queues can get very long. Nearly as bad as the Eiffel Tower.

From the top the views were excellent, and made all the better by the huge clear windows, which angled down onto the city to give the greatest field of view possible. The top of the tower also includes an extortionately expensive cafe bar, and above the observation deck there is a rotating restaurant, with similarly sky high prices.

The tower is open 9.00 am - 1.00 am, from March until October, and then 10.00 am - midnight the rest of the year. Prices are 7 euros for adults, and half-price for those under 16.

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Phone: +49 (0) 30/242 33 33
Address: Alexanderplatz, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: U-Bahn: Alexanderplatz
Website: http://www.berlinerfernsehturm.de/
Other Contact: info@berlinerfernsehturm.de

"we headed down Karl-Liebknecht Strasse, across the elegant river Spree, and past the stupendously ugly Palast der Republic, the rectangular 70s monstrosity covered from top to bottom in bronze mirrored windows, that reflected a colour of urinary mud. The Palast der Republik was fittingly the former residence of Erich Honecker and the government of East Germany. Also fittingly, we met a large demonstration coming in the opposite direction as we crossed the bridge. Some were even waving the old East German flag with its hammer and compass, in a ring of rye, to symbolise the working class, intelligentsia and farmers." - from my travelogue

The Palast Der Republik (Palace of the Republic) may not be pretty, but it is damn impressive. Like the Fernsehturm, it is huge, apparently the biggest of its kind in the world. It used to hold the parliament of East Germany, but was, a multipurpose building, unlike any other parliament in the world, with a theatre, restaurants and a number of other facilities. Inside the building is just as impressive, with a vast entrance hall filled with thousands of lights.

It might be best to get a look at the Palast Der Republik as soon as you can, because it might not be around for much longer. The building isn't popular with the locals, given its history, and it also stands on the very spot of what was once one of Berlin's most famous landmark, the Stadtschloss. Rather than rebuilding the bomb damaged building, the communist authorities decided to destroy it, in 1951, despite a massive international outcry. A couple of decades later the Honnecker government built the giant bronze slab in its place. It's very possible, if the money can be raised, that the Palast will be removed to make room for a rebuilding of the Stadtschloss.

Currently the Palast is not open to the public.

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Address: Schlossplatz, Unter Den Linden
Directions: Walk from Alexanderplatz in the direction of the Brandenburg Gate.
Website: http://www.pdr.kultur-netz.de/palace_e.htm

"From the eastern side the Brandenburger Tor was a magnificent sight, framing the expansive Tiergarten behind it and the long straight boulevard that separated it. The Tor had been seared into my mind the night of October 3rd, 1989, when the once divided Germans met up on that very spot to join in enormous celebrations that were televised around the world. These were possibly the most powerful symbolic images of the whole Glasnost era, especially for me, and we were standing there, on the eve of Germany's 16th anniversary of this event. However, despite the fireworks and the Brazilian band playing in Alexanderplatz, it was a strangely subdued feeling for a national holiday of this significance. It seemed that the celebration of the Fernsehturm’s birthday was garnering more excitement." - from my travelogue

The Brandenburger Tor is probably the most symbolic landmark in Berlin, and likely to be the number one destination for any tourist visiting the city. It is also conveniently central, and a good starting point for wandering to see any of the city, east or west. The gate was right on the border between East and West Berlin, but didn't form part of the wall. Instead the gate was cut off from the world, both eastern and western parts, by the communist authorities of the DDR. It was inaccessible to the public for 28 years, before finally the German people of east and west met each other on this spot in an emotional and historic event, on October 3rd, 1989.

The Tor has an even longer history than that. It was built between 1788 and 1791, as a city gate and triumphal arch, modelled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The celebration of the first real unification of Germany, called the Second Reich, with the first being the Holy Roman Empire, was held her in 1871. It was also the site of Nazi celebrations in 1933, when torch lit marches saw Hitler taking the reigns of the German republic.

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

"My most intimate experience of the building previous to this, was in Call of Duty's excellent recreation of the Soviet's Storming of the Reichstag, and seeing it in all its restored glory gave me a momentary flashback. Sitting in the enormous Tiergarten, taking a well earned rest from Hanno's concrete jungle safari, my eyes glazed over as I remembered charging bravely through the building's doors, courageously fending off a spirited German defence, before climbing to the roof to heroically plant the Soviet flag for all the world to see. This imagery contrasted markedly from the tranquil scene we experienced, lazing in the unusually warm October sun, almost completely alone in the entire grounds in front of the building. I thought this was quite amazing for such an important national treasure." - from my travelogue

Just on the western side of the Brandenburg Gate is the Reichstag, or Bundestag as it is now officially know. Built in 1894 as the parliament for the German republic, the Reichstag is once again the seat of government for a unified Germany, after the government of the country was split between Bonn and East Berlin for four decades. The building is set in the enormous and peaceful grounds of the Tiergarten (animal garden), wedged right up against what used to be the Berlin wall.

The Reichstag has had a colorful and eventful, if relatively short, history. Most people will have heard of the Burning of the Reichstag, the event of 1933 that Hitler used as a pretext for seizing power. The building was again the stage of huge drama, when 12 years later the Soviets beat the British and Americans to the prize, and finished off the German resistance in the Storming of the Reichstag. After re-unification, the building was subject to a $11 billion refurbishment, by British architech Sir Norman Foster, who included the controversial glass dome on the roof, which has since proved extremely popular.

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

Keeping its English connection, along with the architect behind the restoration of the Reichstag that sits in it, the Tiergarten (Animal Garden) is a vast English style park on the western side of the old wall. The Tiergarten was originally created by Landscape artist Peter Joseph Lenne in 1830, but was rebuilt after allied bombing destroyed it during the war. The park is absolutely massive, and contains many different sections, including a zoo. Just wandering about myself, I walked through fields of lush trimmed green grass, paths cut through tightly planted trees, and patches of uneven lumpy muddy grass that made me feel like I could have been out in the country, rather than in the middle of a capital city. The part of the Tiergarten outside of the Reichstag was particularly peaceful, and, perhaps due to its great size, surprisingly free of people. There was plenty of room to lounge about in peace, or throw a frisby between friends, without fear of stepping on anyone.

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"Once the busiest traffic centres in all of Europe, the square was divided in two by the Berlin Wall, and subsequently became a ghost of its former self. In front of the main U-Bahn station we saw one of the few remnants of the wall, a tiny upright graffiti daubed slab, which groups of tourists huddled around for photographs." - from my travelogue

Like much of what was great in Berlin, the once lively Potsdamer Platz was left in ruins by allied bombing in 1943. After the war it was split by the Berlin wall, and never quite regained its prominence until German re-unification in 1989. The area then became the scene of the biggest construction work in Europe, and during the 90s many of the great buildings that can be seen there today, like the awesome Sony Center, we built. The area now is again thriving, under a skyline of glass and neon that sets it apart from much of the rest of Berlin.

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Address: Potsdamer Platz, Berlin-Tiergarten
Directions: U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz
Website: http://www.potsdamer-platz.net/