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Travel Destination Guide - Berlin
Berlin (Germany) 
Berlin Information
Slideshow of Photos
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For most of the latter part of the 20th century, Berlin has stood as a symbol of the division between East and West, split by the infamous fortified wall erected to separate the socialist sector from the democratic district. When the Berlin Wall was pulled down in 1990 the city discovered that it suddenly had two of everything, most notably two very distinct societies separated both socially and economically. The past couple of decades has seen Berlin embracing unification and rebuilding itself as a modern European capital.
More than 100 streets have been reconnected, and signs of the Wall's existence have all but disappeared. Yet years of division are still reflected in the new city's architecture, with a modern city of skyscrapers, retail centres and urban developments in the West, while most of the pre-War city still remains in the East.
For nearly 30 years the Wall sealed off the imposing Brandenburg Gate from the West, but now traffic passes through it freely. Similarly Alexanderplatz, which was one of the main centres of 20's Berlin, and later post-war East Germany, has once again become one of the city's focal centres. The site of the infamous Check Point Charlie with its threatening monitoring tower erected to ensure no one crossed over from East to West, is now a museum, and while the tower no longer stands, visitors can see the East Side Gallery, a surviving chunk of the real Wall, now decorated by local artists.
Berlin is situated in the NE of Germany, 50 mls W of the Poland's border. 18 mls E of Potsdam. 170 mls SE of Hamburg. 5 mls SE of Tegel international airport; 7 mls NW of Tempelhof international airport and 12 mls NW of Schonefeld international airport.
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Berlin is once again a vibrant centre for the arts, with many museums, galleries and theatres. At the Kulturforum visitors will find a number of impressive museums and concert venues from the spectacular Berliner Philharmonie concert hall to the complex's Picture Gallery, which houses a vast collection of European paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries.
Berlin still boasts a fantastic nightlife, and while tastes have changed since the height of the cabaret halls of the 1920s and 30s, there is a vast array of venues catering to all tastes. Berlin's calendar is also packed with festivals and parties from the Christopher Street Day gay and lesbian parade in June to the massive Love Parade dance party in July and the Jazz Fest Berlin in November.
The main attractions in Berlin are:
Reichstag: The seat of the German Parliament has played a crucial role in Berlin's recent history.
Brandenburger Tor: This gate symbolizes the reunification of East and West Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Schloss Charlottenburg: The largest palace in Berlin has lavishly decorated interiors.
Nikolaiviertel: This small district with narrow streets is one of the oldest historic areas in Berlin.
Alexanderplatz: This large square in former East Berlin features the 365m tall Fernsehturm (TV Tower).
Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche: This bombed church symbolizes the destruction of war.
Berlin Wall: Parts of the famous wall that once divided this city in two are still standing.
Potsdamer Platz: This square was competely rebuilt with modern buildings after the reunification of Berlin.
Berliner Dom: The cathedral, severely damaged during the war, was reopened in 1993.
Gendarmenmarkt: This square is bordered by three beautiful buildngs: the Konzerthaus, Französischer Dom and Deutscher Dom.
Neue Synagogue: This beautiful synagogue was the symbol of the Jewish community.
Siegessäule: A victory column commemorating Prussian victories.
Potsdam: The capital of Brandenburg, just an S-Bahn ride from Berlin is a popular day trip destination.
Sanssouci Park: This large park contains the beatiful rococo style Schloss Sanssouci and the sumptuous Baroque Neue Palais.
The Pergamon Museum is situated on the Museum Island in Berlin. The site was was constructed over 20 years, from 1910 to 1930. The Pergamon houses original-sized, reconstructed monumental buildings such as the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, all consisting of parts transported from Turkey.
The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art. The museum is visited by approximately 850,000 people every year, making it the most visited art museum in Germany (2006).
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Attraction Type: Castle / Palace |
Sanssouci Palace is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart (Palace of Versailles), it too is notable for the numerous temples and park. The palace was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfil King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court.
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Attraction Type: Famous Building |
The Reichstag building (German Parliament), located in the centre of Berlin, is a historical and impressive building constructed to house the German parliament. It was opened in 1894 and housed the parliament until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire. After World War II, the Reichstag building fell into disuse as the parliament of the German Democratic Republic met in the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin and the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.
In 1999, the parliament moved permanently back to the Reichstag building in Berlin which had undergone considerable renovation. It now features a new glass dome symbolising the transparency of the democratic process. Visitors can walk along the different levels of the dome to watch the government in session below them.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin explores jewish history tracing back from Roman times through to the present day with particular emphasis on the holocaust. It consists of two buildings, one is the old Kollegienhaus (a former courthouse, built in the 18th century), the second building was specifically built for the museum. This was one of the first buildings in Berlin designed after German reunification. The museum opened to the public in 2001.
One of the most moving and emotional areas of the museum is the Holocaust Tower in which visitors enter a cold, concrete void where the only source of light, sound and air comes from small shafts at the top representing the environment, isolation and fear of the Nazi extermination camps.
Checkpoint Charlie was the name given to the famous crossing point of the Berlin Wall. Since the demolition of the wall, the checkpoint has been converted to a museum. On display are the photos and related documents of successful escape attempts from East Germany, and also the escape apparatus: hot-air balloons, getaway cars, chairlifts, and a mini-U-Boat. The museum also details the history of the Berlin Wall to which a piece still stands a short distance from the museum, complete with graffiti on the western side. Alongside the museum props is a cinema showing films of the Third Reich and the Cold War era.
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Attraction Type: Monument |
The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located W of the city centre and is modelled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Gate is crowned by a statue of a horse-drawn chariot, symbolising Victory.
It is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791.
Today, it is considered one of Europe's most famous landmarks and was re-opened to the public in 1989 following the destruction of the Berlin Wall.
Berlin Suitability ProfileSun Snow Beaches History/Culture Romance Peace & Quiet Hustle & Bustle | Activity & Adventure Famous Landmarks Water Sports Natural Beauty Art & Architecture Family Entertainment Good Nightlife | Safari Plenty of Restaurants All Inclusive Hotels Luxury Accommodation Plenty of Shops |
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Population: 82.431.400
Languages: German
Currency: euro Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Germany - Berlin - Berlin
Germany - Hesse - Frankfurt
Country Dialling Code: +49
Voltage: 230V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
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Situated in the heart of Europe and bordering nine other countries, Germany provides an ideal gateway to any tour of the subcontinent. From Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire to Otto von Bismarck's German Reich, Nazism and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, no other nation has moulded Europe the way Germany has - for better or worse. Its land is wide and varied with turreted castles nestled below snow-capped mountains, lush river valleys, dark and mysterious forests and bustling medieval villages. This is the land of fairy tales, where farmland minstrels headed to Bremen to become musicians, where Sleeping Beauty was woken and Little Red Riding Hood ventured into the woods.
Germany wears its riches well: elegant big-city charm, small picture-postcard towns, pagan-inspired harvest festivals, a wealth of art and culture and the perennial pleasures of huge tracts of forest, delightful castles and fine wine and beer are all there for the savouring.
Germany is made up of the North German Plain, the Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge), and the Southern German Highlands. The Bavarian plateau in the southwest averages 1,600 ft (488 m) above sea level, but it reaches 9,721 ft (2,962 m) in the Zugspitze Mountains, the highest point in the country. Germany's major rivers are the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder, the Weser, and the Rhine.
As Germany moves forward into the 21st century, leaving behind a history of division and tyranny, it is a nation embracing its newfound liberalism and redefining a modern cultural identity. Yet even today, visitors to the country can't escape feeling profoundly moved by this country's past and the effects it still has on its people.
Germany's cities each have something unique to offer the visitor. Each year millions of litres of beer is consumed in Munich during the city's Oktoberfest, where locals and visitors discover true German revelry and 'gemutlichkeit' (a word the locals use to describe a comfortable, sociable environment). Berlin, while still recovering from some of the scars of division, contains many sights from the iconic Brandenburg Gate, to the path of the old Berlin Wall. The city's vibrant nightlife is still evocative of its height in the 1920s and 30s, as characterised by the songs of Marlene Dietrich, the theatre of Brecht and the Film Cabaret .
Discover the country that gave us Beethoven and Bauhaus, Goethe and Glühwein, Lager and Lederhosen - you won't be disappointed. |
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Local Area Weather
Tegel Arpt/Berlin, GERMANY |
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