Berlin

  Berlin, Germany
Thursday, August 23, 2007

The Reichstag  
Its burning down on 27th February 1933, was a major excuse for the Nazi's to suspend many human rights. A Dutch communist was executed for it, but it is now widely held that it was in fact the Nazi's who burnt it down.
 
It was reconstructed in 1961-4, having suffered extensive further damage during WWII bombing raids. It was not, however, until June 1991 that the Bundestag returned from Bonn to Berlin, once more employing the Reichstag.
 
In 1992, Sir Norman Foster redesigned certain aspect, including putting a cupola back in, which it had lacked since 1933, and it is this dome which is the main tourist draw. It is free to enter, and it and the roof terrace offers excellent views. However, the queues do get pretty horrible accordingly. If you're not there at 8am when it opens, don't be surprised if you have to wait for an hour or longer to get in.

 
Unter Den Linden and the Brandenburg Gate  
Unter Den Linden is a long, tree-lined avenue, with café's, restaurants and bars, starting at the Brandenburg Gate.
 
 
Berliner Dom (EUR5 entry)
Built on the site of an 18th Century cathedral, this protestant cathedral began in 1905. It was originally intended to match the new Palace of Freidrich II, but it took two centuries to complete, and one botched 'make-do' before Berlin finally got the opulent Cathedral to match the opulent palace.
 
Further aerial views can be had from the walkway at the base of the dome (50m above street level). Below is the crypt of Germany's royalty (the Hohenzollerns), including photos of the damage the cathedral suffered during WWII.
 
Incidentally, you can save EUR3.25 by picking up a handy little flyer past the ticket booth, rather than buying the guide book. Finally, the organ with its 7,269 pipes is also noteworthy.
 
 
Victory Monument
In the Tiergarten, just down from the Brandenburg Gate, is the 69m high tower, topped with an angel. Needless to say, there are good views from the top of the 285 step tower. After the three victories over Austria, France and ??, it was erected in 1873. A main theme running through the monument is that of women in war, with various female figures, plus of course, the angel on top.
 
Between the monument and Brandenburg Gate are the first two Soviet tanks to enter Berlin after it fell in WWII.
 
 
Tiergarten
This sprawling 413 acre garden in the heart of Berlin was the royal hunting ground, linked to the royal castle by Unter Den Linden. Now it is a peaceful retreat from the urban sprawl.
 
 
Kaiser Wilhelm Church  
Having suffered extensive damage in WWII, this church has remained in its damaged state as a monument. Unfortunately, two extremely ugly, square buildings have been built on other side as a modern day church, but it's well worth a look, especially if you are by the zoo or


Alexanderplatz  
Not quite the concrete behemoth the guide book had us believe it was, it is nonetheless still developing, with its eastern bloc legacy clear. We were there regularly to get the U-Bahn into town, but it is also a great place to get a bratwurst off a street vendor, with their portable cookers, for EUR1.


Potsdam
South-west of the city, Potsdam is a quaint little town, making for a very pleasant day out. The main attraction is the 18th Century Sanssouci Park, but the town itself, with its delightful Dutch quarter, 18th Century New Town, and elegant pedestrianised Brandenburg Strasse shouldn't be missed.
 
Sanssouci Park - A sprawling park, which is itself very pleasant, includes the Scholss Sanssouci (the original palace intended for Frederick the Great), the New Palace, the Orangerie (for visiting royalty) and the Chinese Teahouse.

The New Palace - We visited on a Monday, when only the New Palace was open. Built in 1763 - 1769 after the 7 years war delayed construction, the New Palace was built to demonstrate to the world Prussia's unbroken power - and it really is an incredible display of opulence. Gaudy in places (especially the Grotto Hall), tasteful in others (the Marble Hall - the main banqueting hall), there can be little doubting its extravagance. EUR5 (EUR6 with guide).
 
The Chinese Teahouse -  From the outside, this falls firmly on the kitschy side of opulence. A round, regal coloured summerhouse is adorned with life-size gilded figures and flowery gold columns. A gilded Mandarin literally tops it. Kind of strange to see Chinese-style characters with western faces!


Pergamon Museum   (EUR10; EUR14 for Museum Island day pass)
Museum Island contains a number of museums, but Pergamon, with its excellent collection of Greek, Roman and Assyrian works dating back to the 7th Century BC seemed the best choice; and the Babylonian Ishtar gate was stunning. The collection is extensive due to the extent of German involvement in excavations in the respective areas.
 
Note that the museum is free for the last four hours of opening on a Thursday.




TV Tower (EUR8.50)
The tower itself is 365m tall, with the viewing platform at 205m. The best view is undoubtedly as you immediately enter the viewing platform, looking west over Museum Island, the Nikolaikirche, Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, toward the Tiergarten. Some might say the views are so good because it's one plae from which you can't see the eyesore that is the TV Tower. Personally, I don't agree, but either way, it is the highest point to admire the view over Berlin from, but you do pay for that, and you queue for it as well. As with the Reichstag, get there early if you don't like queuing.


Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (Entry Free)
The first concentration camp in Prussia, formed from an old brewery in Orianienburg in 1933, gave way to Sachsenhausen in 1936. Today, not much of the original camp remains, especially after in the 1950's, when the Soviets took dynamite to Section Z, the execution and cremation building. The remains were saved after much protest from ex-inmates, and despite how little remains, it is an extremely poignant place. Reading the plaque which explains the marked out rooms, showing the small gas chambers, the concealed murder hole, where the fake doctor would stand the victim, while a bullet was fired through a hole in the wall, really brought home the inhumanity with which the victims were treated. The cremation ovens remain; through the chimneys of which, the camp commandant told the inmates their only means of exit laid. The ashes were used for fertilizer and building material.
 
On a practical note, getting there is by S-Bahn to Orianienburg, then bus 804, or about a twenty minute walk, following the clear signs.



Franziskaner Klosterkirche
Dating back to the 13th Century, the red brick remains of a Franciscan Abbey are just east of the Berliner Rathaus. Housing a handful of small, bizarre, modern art statues, it is worth a quick look (not that there's much you could spend that long over), given how close it is to the TV Tower and Nikolaikirche.
 

More to be detailed:
Ku'dam
 
Charlottenburg Palace.
 

French & German Museums
 
House of Checkpoint Charlie
 
Boat Trip