Berlin

It’s Berlin’s most famous landmark and became the symbol of overcoming the division of Germany once the Berlin Wall came down. From an architectural perspective, the sandstone structure, built by Carl Gotthard Langhans, is one of the most magnificent examples of German classicism. Nowadays the Gate serves as a backdrop for festivals, big sporting events or New Year’s Eve parties.

Not far from the Brandenburg Gate is located the Memorial for Europe’s Murdered Jews, a site of stelae (concrete slabs) arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field accessible from all sides. It serves as a central place of remembrance and admonition and is supplemented by an underground information centre, containing the names of all known victims and details on the places of horror. There is no charge for admittance.

An East German Trabant car, which appears to be breaking through the concrete. Honecker and Breschnew locked in a kiss of brotherly, socialistic love. With the East Side Gallery, a segment of the Berlin Wall has been turned into the longest open air gallery in the world. The Kunstmeile, or art mile in English, is located along the banks of the river Spree in Friedrichshain is 1316 metre long is also the longest segment of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. Right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery was painted by 118 artists from 21 dif-ferent countries. Using various artistic means, the artists commented on the political events that took place in 1989 and 1990 in over 100 works of art found on the eastern side of the wall.

After Museum Island, the Kulturforum is the second centre of art in Berlin: this is the home not only of the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), the Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery), the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts) and other museums but also the Philarmonie (Philharmonic Hall) and the Staatsbibliothek (National Library). The Kulturforum is - beside the Museum Island - the most important centre for arts in Berlin. Many well-known and unique institutions are located here, including the New National Gallery, designed by architect Mies van der Rohe, and the Philharmonie and Chamber Music Hall as well as the Neue Staatsbibliothek (Berlin State Library) and, last but not least, the Gemäldegalerie, which has one of the most important collections of old masters worldwide.

The Nikolaiviertel is the place to experience the old Berlin, being the oldest residential area in the city. Containing the Nikolai Church from the 13th century, the typically medieval streets and numerous restaurants, this is one of the most popular tourist attractions for visitors to Berlin. The main attractions, in addition to the St. Nicholas church, include the Ephraim Palace, a masterpiece of palace architecture of the 18th century Berlin. Equally beautiful is the Baroque style Knoblauch house built in 1760, which offers insight into world of the upper middle class world through its rooms and valuable furniture.