Berlin is the central European city par excellence and due to its history runs parallel to the renewed European unification process, some people consider it as the true capital of the Union.

The people from Berlin is the greatest exponent of German reunification and of the end of the Cold War. Its people have a great reason to be happy and his reborn city welcomes visitors of all kinds with open arms.

The city is situated on the basins of the rivers Spree and Havel. It is the capital of Germany and has approximately 3,4 million of inhabitants wich makes Berlin the most populous city in the country.

Berlin is physically located in the Warsaw-Berlin Urstromtal, an ancient glacial channel located between the highlands of Barnim and Teltows.

The city-state is completely surrounded by the State of Brandenburg and is located east of the Federal Republic of Germany, about 70 km from the present border with Poland.

Its historical center is at the narrowest point of the Spree River, which crosses the city from north to south and its east-west length is about 45 km, while north to south is about 38 km.

It has an urban area of 891.82 km² divided into 12 administrative districts managed by the independent city council.

Berlin's origins dates back to the XIII century, when sailors and traders settled along the river Spree and founded two colonies called Berlin and Cölln, which were conducted in parallel until 1307, when both were united under the unique name of Berlin.

In 1415 Berlin became the capital of Brandenburg and also the city of residence of the Hohenzollern dynasty, wich converted the city into the center of power, art and culture of Brandenburg.

Thanks to the supremacy of Prussia during the process of the German unification in 1871, Berlin also became the capital of the empire.

The economic compensation paid by France to Germany after the conflict over the succession to the throne of Spain, and the mighty industrial development, favored a bullish economic climate in Germany, which benefited especially Berlin.

The city began to get embellished thanks to a new bourgeois middle class that began to be enriched by the creation of numerous new companies and settled in the city, wich Otto von Bismarck was modeling to compete in beauty with Paris, its great French rival.

Since then, the city experienced a considerable population growth and Berlin reached 4 million inhabitants in 1925, when the new nationalist movements began to take shape. That led Berlin, capital of the Nazi regime, to its total destruction during the Second World War.

During the war, the most part of Berlin was destroyed by American and British bombers wich between 1943 and 1945 took part in the Battle of Berlin.

Once Germany was surrendered, Berlin was divided into four areas administered by the four main powers wich took part in its defeat. In 1948 France, Britain and the United States reunited the three western sectors to incorporate it into the Federal Republic of Germany. That did not please the Soviet Union wich responded by blocking that sector and declaring the new German Democratic Republic, whose capital city was the East Berlin.

The Soviets thought that if they blocked the small sector of west Berlin, the Allies would be forced to cede it to the communist block. But thanks to the airlift of about 900 flights a day, the city was properly supplied to the end of the crisis.

The Soviets were unhappy with the failure of his blockade and decided to fence off the areas of Federal Republic of Germany through a wall of 144 kilometers long that become the most representative symbol of the Cold War.

With a length of 160 km and a height of about 3 feet high, the "Berliner Mauer" separated West Berlin from the rest of the German Democratic Republic between August 13th, 1961 and November 9th, 1989.

The Soviet´s goal was to isolate the Western sectors of Berlin from the rest of the DDR, but ironically, they only isolated were the citizens of the eastern part of Berlin from their dreams of living in West Germany.

This fact produced many escape attempts that caused over 270 deaths, according to the Berlin prosecutors office. Other eastern Berliners, however, managed to successfully "jump" the wall with all sorts of amazing tricks.

The wall was the most important point of tension during the Cold War, wich reached one of the most importants crisis peaks on October 27th, 1961, when 33 Soviet tanks went to the Brandenburg Gate in response to a provocation by the U.S. General Clay. 10 of these tanks went to Friedrichstrasse and stopped at 100 meters from Charlie Checkpoint (border point "C") waiting to fire if ordered.

Two U.S. tanks remained stopped at a similar distance to the opposite side of the street and waited for six hours with orders to shoot if the fire were opened from the other side. Finally Khrushchev and Kennedy chilled the tension and ordered to remove the tanks from both sides.
Finally, front to the happy eyes of people around the world, the Berlin wall fell overnight on Thursday, November 9th, 1989.

The DDR ceased to exist on October 3th, 1990 and the state unity of Germany was finally restored by returning the title of capital to Berlin.

Actually, cranes, trenches and scaffolding dominate the landscape of the city, many buildings have been renovated under the supervision of the best architects in the world and historical sites like Reichstag or the Cathedral has been completely rebuilt.

Berlin´s Weather straddles between the maritime temperate climate of Western Europe and the harsh continental climate, which causes so much cold winters that it is easy to see the River Spree frozen and it snows often.
However summers use to be warm and sunny.

The average annual temperature is 11º C and the average rainfall is about 588 mm annually.

If you travel between December and February, it is essential to remember to bring sweater, scarf, warm clothing and shoes that grip the best possible, because it is very likely to walk on icy surfaces.

The people of Berlin are obviously German speakers, language belonging to the Germanic family of Indo-European languages and wich is characterized by the formation of very long words composed of different names in a similar way as in the Netherlands and some Scandinavian languages.

However, the vast majority of Germans speak perfect English so it can be easy to deal anything in the city if this language is mastered.

The tourist information office in Berlin, known as Berlin Tourismus, is responsible for providing practical information wich facilitate the travellers to prepare and enjoy cultural activities and visit the city.

The organization has several locations, the main office is located at the Brandenburg Gate and opens daily between 10:00 and 18:00.

The other ones, known as infostores, are located at Hauptbahnhof (Europa Platz 1), Neues Kranzler Eck (Kurfürstendamm 21) and Shopping Centre - ALEXA (Grunerstrasse 20) and all of them close daily at 20:00.

Official website of tourism of Berlin.

Berlin Welcome Card

This tourist pass, which includes a detailed map of the streets of Berlin and a travel guide, offers unlimited use of public transport and discounts up to 50% for more than 130 activities and cultural attractions in the capital of Germany.

There are two types according to the validity of transport: one that includes areas A and B (urban area of Berlin) and costs € 16,9 for 48 hours, € 22,9 for 72 hours and € 29,9 for 5 days and the one which also includes the C area (includes Potsdam and surrounding area) at a price of € 18,9 for 48 hours, € 25,9 for 72 hours and € 34,9 for 5 days.

This pass can be purchased at the tourist information office, at any of the infostores and at most of the ticket offices in BVG, S-Bahn and DB stations. It can be also purchased via web.

Wellcome Card

CityTourCard

The CityTourCard is basically the same that Berlin Welcome Card, but includes the possibility of adding the CityTourCard Museumsinsel, a variation that allows free access to all the museums of Museum Island during 72 hours for € 31,5.

Prices without the CityTourCard Museumsinsel are the same that Berlin Welcome Card. It is available at Hauptbahnhof, Tegel and Schoenefeld airports and Zoologischer Garten, Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstrasse stations.

CityTourCard

Berlin now has two airports due to the recent close of business on Tempelhof airport, dear to lovers of aviation because it was the second oldest active airport in the world and because its innovative design wich provided the best model for modern airports.

Berlín-Tegel International Airport. TXL

This airport is the most important of the German capital, it supports about 14 million passengers annually and is located in the Tegel district within the city. Its situation causes a great impact on people, so the German government is considering closing its facilities.

Tegel has four terminals attached ones to each others and designated by letters A to D. As the airport was being small compared with another important European airports, terminals began to be considered as "rooms" or "boarding zones" although they are still officially called "terminals."

Official Web site of Tegel Airport

Tegel has no connection with the U-Bahn underground system or S-Bahn commuter systems.

• Bus and taxi.



However, the airport has bus stops for TXL line to Alexanderplatz, X9 line to Zoologischer Garten station, 109 line wich runs through most of the downtown and with stops at Alexanderplatz and Zoologischer Garten station and, the 128 line for Osloer Str.

The bus fare for zone C, where the airport is, costs € 2,8 and the journey is covered between 20 and 30 minutes to downtown Berlin. Buses to and from the airport runs from before 5:00 until midnight.

A taxi journey to the city costs about € 20.

Berlín-Schönefeld International Airport. SXF

Schönefeld is located 18 kilometers southeast of Berlin. The former DDR civil airport is the Berliner airport which concentrates the most part of low cost airlines flights and has now reached at least the same status than Tegel, after the closure of Tempelhof.

Schönefeld airport has four terminals named from A to D, although in practice this only applies for check-in, since there is only one room used together in all areas of operations.

Official Web site of Schönefeld Airport

• Railway.



Schönefeld railway station links the airport to the center of Berlin by S-Bahn system, equivalent to the commuter train system and DB, the German Railways Company.

The quickest way to arrive or depart from Schönefeld Airport is the Airport Express. It is a line RE7 or RB14 regional train, clearly identified as Airport Express, wich leaves every half hour from the line ends.
The entire route is covered in 45 minutes and it stops at Ostbahnhof (17 minutes), Alexanderplatz (21 minutes), Friedrichstrasse (24 minutes), Hauptbahnhof (28 minutes) and Zoologischer Garten (32 minutes). The system operates from 5:00 to 23:00 and the single fare is € 2,8.

The S9 and S45 lines of the S-bahn system takes between 45 to 50 minutes to get to Schönefeld from the heart of the city, its price is € 2,8 and operates between 4:30 and 1:15. S9 works 24 hours a day during the weekends.

• Buses.



The Express Bus SXF1 links Schoenefeld airport with Südkreuz Station in just 20 minutes with a frequency of 20 minutes between 5:00 and 23:00. The ticket price is € 6 and includes public transport to areas ABC.
Südkreuz is located about 5 minutes south of downtown Berlin and serves the S-bahn lines S2, S25, S41, S42, S46 and S47.

The airport is also conveniently served by urban bus lines 162 to Adlershof and 171 to Neukölln. At night, the night bus N71 runs towards Rudow U.

Due to its geographical situation and its historical importance, Berlin has excellent rail links with Central European countries.

During times of division, Berlin had two main train stations: Zoologischer Garten in the West and the Ostbahnhof in the east, but after reunification, the city council of the city-state has restructured the axis that forms the backbone of all rail links and now it runs from the new Hauptbahnhof station to the Ostbahnhof station.

All the rail operations in Germany are operated by Deutsche Bahn company, which offers ICE services (high speed) and InterCity and EuroCity connections between Berlin and other German and European cities.

If you arrive to Berlin by train from a domestic (not regional) or international DB train, the ticket gives you right to use the local public transport to the final destination within the city (zone A).

Schedules and destinations of trains to and from Berlin are available on the website of Deutsche Bahn. It also possible to book tickets.

Official website of the German railways DB.

The brand-new Berlin central station is situated next to Tiergarten, in the center of the city. Inside there are a shopping center where a infostore BERLIN serves tourists everyday.

Ostbahnhof station is located in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain, near the East Side Gallery. Almost all long distance trains stop here.

Located in the Gesundbrunnen district, the station serves as a point of interconnection between the northern Ringbahn and the Nord-Süd tunnel. It works as regional and long-distance network station of Deutsche Bahn.

Südkreuz was first opened in 1898 as an interchange station. The S-bahn lines of Ringbahn is at the top level, while intercity routes of Dresdner Bahn and Anhalter are located in the lower levels.

The Spandau district station serves as a stop for InterCityExpress bound for Hamburg and Hannover. The station is located near the historical district of Spandau and is surrounded by an attractive pedestrian area.

Bahnhof Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Bahnhof Charlottenburg
Stuttgarter Platz
Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse
Friedrichstrasse
Bahnhof Lichtenberg
Weitlingstrasse 22
Berlin-Schönefeld
Mittelstrasse 20
Bahnhof Wannsee
Kronprinzessinenweg
Zoologischer Garten
Hardenbergplatz 11

Berlin is well connected by road with most German cities of the eastern part of the country as Leipzig, Hamburg, Hannover and Dresden thanks to an excellent network of highways and roads that start from the city.

The German autobahn system is world famous for having no general speed limit, however about 50% of the total length of the network is subject to local or conditional restrictions, so the official recommendation is to drive 130 kilometers per hour as fastest.

Berlin is well connected by motorway to Prague (360 kilometers) along the A13 towards Dresden and Leipzig, to Hamburg (290 km) taking the A24 north-west and to Hannover (288 km) by A2.

ViaMichelin helps you to trace routes road.

The international long distance buses arrive and depart from Berlin coach station Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof, located in Spandau, at the west, and connected to line U2 of the subway system and lines S41, S42, S46 of the commuter system (station: Messe Nord / ICC).

Gmbhz Deutsche Touring is the German subsidiary of Eurolines and operates bus routes to and from Europe in Berlin. The schedules and destinations are available on the website.

Official website of Deutsche Touring .

The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe is the main public transport company in Berlin. It manage the subway system, U-Bahn, the tram system, Strassenbahn, and the Berlin bus network, as well as several ferry lines.

subway

The U-Bahn system has 173 stations spread over nine lines, with a total track length of 147 kilometers. Trains leave every two to five minutes during peak hours, every five minutes for the rest of the day and every ten minutes at night and on Sundays and public holidays.

Tram

The Strassenbahn network is composed of 22 lines operating at 382 stations distributed over 191,6 kilometers. The network is basically confined to the grounds of the former East Berlin, due to the tram lines in West Berlin were replaced by buses during the division of the city.

Nine of the lines, identified with the letter "M", are defined as Metro-Tram and operate in the most central areas of the city for 24 hours a day.

Bus

The fleet of city buses in Berlin is composed of about 1.300 vehicles wich travell about 300.000 km a day.

Like the Metro-Tram, the Metro-Bus system offers 17 lines that provide service in the center of the city 24 hours a day. Additionally 13 express bus lines, identified with the letter "X" reach airports and link the suburbs with the center in a few stops. 39 night bus lines, identified with the letter "N", give night service to the suburbs where the Metro-Bus services doesn´t go.

Ferry

The ferry service was inaugurated in Berlin in 1896, when its first line was introduced between Wilhelmstrand and Baumschulenstrasse. With the exception of the line F10, which goes from Steglitz-Zehlendorf to Spandau (in the west), the six existing lines operate mainly in the district of Treptow-Köpenick (Berlin east).

Rates

The BVG consortium standardizes fares and schedules for all systems basing on the classification of destinations per area. Zone A includes the center of the city of Berlin to the S-Bahn ring, the Zone B goes to the city boundary, while Zone C covers the Greater Berlin, including the city of Potsdam.

Tickets can be purchased at vending machines, at the tiket offices of the subway stations and on board buses and trams. Before boarding the subway you must validate the ticket in the machine next to the platforms.

Single ticket allow transfers for a maximum of two hours and costs € 2,1 for zone AB, € 2,5 for BC and € 2,8 for zones ABC.

For regular users of the transport system, BVG offers the 4-Trip Ticket, consisting of four AB tickets for € 8.

For short trips of three or less stations away, you can purchase the Short Trip Ticket for € 1,3.

The DAY PASS ticket allows you to use all the systems (s-bahn included) during 24 hours and costs of € 6,1 for zone AB, € 6,3 for zone BC and € 6,5 for ABC areas.

For longer stays in the city, you can also acquire the 7 Day Pass, which allows you to travel during seven consecutive days at the cost of € 26,2 for zone AB, € 27 for zone BC and € 32,3 for zones ABC or the VBB Environment Pass, which allows you to travel during one whole month at the cost of € 72 for zone AB, € 73 for zone BC and € 88,5 for zones ABC.

Official Website of BVG.

The S-Bahn is the most popular urban transport system in Berlin. Operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary company of Deutsche Bahn, the S-Bahn system consists of 15 lines wich, linked to the subway system U-Bahn, form the main backbone of urban transport system of Berlin.

Normal services operate between 4:00 and 1:00 from Monday to Friday, between 5:00 and 1:00 on Saturdays and between 6:30 and 1:00 on Sundays. However, most of the lines cover the full night service between 1:00 and 5:00 on Saturdays and between 1:00 and 6:30 on Sundays, which means that most stations enjoy of continuous service between Friday morning and Sunday night.

The S-bahn rates are unified to BVG, so the tikets have the same costs and are just as valid for one system to another.

Official website of the S-bahn.

Berlin is a city of well aligned avenues and its traffic is light enough so drive through the streets is not a drawback. Its wide streets and empty areas are also plenty of space to park the cars.

A system of movement restrictions has been introduced in Berlin since 2008. The Low Emission Zone, located in the inner area of the S-bahn circular line is properly marked at the entrance with traffic signals.

All vehicles in this environmental area or driving restrictions zone must carry an identification plate called Plakette Umwelt, in different colours depending on the type of gas emissions of your vehicle.

If you're planning to drive through Berlin with your vehicle you should ask for the distinctive about two weeks in advance to the online vehicle registration office of Berlin. The cost is € 6.

Umwelt Plakette request.

The bike is a great mean of transport to move around Berlin because the roads are wide, the traffic is very light and there is not any hardly slope of land. In addition there are lots of cycle paths and green areas surrounding the channel of the river Spree and the magnificent Tiergarten park.

U-Bahn and S-Bahn systems and some trams and buses can carry bicycles with an added cost of € 1 for short journeys, € 1,5 for zone AB, € 1,7 for zone BC and € 2 for zone ABC. The cost of a day ticket for the bicycle is € 4,4 for zone AB, € 4,6 for area BC and € 4,8 for area ABC.

Bicycles can be rented at the base of the television tower in Alexanderplatz (Suburban: S75, S9, S1 and subway: U8, U2, U5) or at the Zoologischer Garten station (Suburban: S75, S9, S1 and subway: U2).

Berlin is a lively town and its inhabitants have a special character influenced by the optimism of a more than promising future. The turbulent recent history of the city make Berlin to became in the focus of the world for decades and their own suffering was a true reflection of the Cold War, which divided the world into two.

Many corners of Berlin still reflect the social, architectural and urban deep marks that the Cold War left on the magnificent Prussian capital. Its radical contrasts leave room for all the trends and ideologies and its diversity is reflected among their districts, ranging from the finest west to the bohemian east.

The Allied bombing on the city during the Second World War began in 1943 and did not end until May 1945, when the city surrendered to the Soviet army. During all this time aerial bombs and artillery did not stop falling over the capital of the Third Reich.

The destruction of buildings was nearly 100% in areas of the downtown business and residential sectors. However, the vigor with which Berlin is recovering from its injuries has made that where there was ashes in the past, now it glimpse a new horizon where some of the most important modern buildings of our time are trimmed.

Walking around Berlin we can contemplate the historical buildings of the city, which thanks to the painstaking restoration work carried out by the DDR, are maintained in good condition, creating that contrast atmosphere wich the historic center of the German capital radiates.

The city features two very different types of architecture; the east, corresponding to East Germany with its hundreds of Socialist-style housing blocks, and the West for West Germany, where the avant-garde trends found its space between the debris left by the war to develop magnificent buildings.

The German capital offers to its visitors an amazing variety of treasures safeguarded in its magnificent museums and art galleries. The Pergamon Altar and the gates of the city of Babylon are preserved in the Pergamon Museum, while the bust of Nefertiti, can be admired in the Egyptian Museum, Neues Museum. The outskirts of the city are decorated with beautiful palaces of Prussian architecture.

In short, Berlin is a city that should be visited not only because of the importance it occupies in history if not for their splendid jewels, for the spirit of its people and for the optimism that Berlin infects in its visitors.

Berlin is a small town and its superb public transportation system makes its distances even smaller. The city can be visited comfortably in a weekend, especially if you rent bicycles, which provide great freedom to move, but to visit the city quietly or in depth, it requires about five days, which should be enought to visit museums and vicinity.

From AllWorldGuides, we propose two basic routes that provide insight into the most important of Berlin in a couple of days.

The description of places and monuments of this guide is distributed according to the division that the town suffered during the Cold War. First, it describes the east area of the city and then the west.

The title of each description is accompanied by its address (if it is a monument), the closer station's public transport and the lines that serve them.

On each title there is some icons that represent activities or attractions that can be found on the surrounding area of the described monument.

Each monument or area is described detailing its most important features and historical reviews as well as current fares and schedules. The description of museums includes address, price, schedules and provides access to the official website of each institution.

This guide includes detailed plans of the areas of interest which identifies the monuments and the stations of public transport listed. The connection points between planes are marked and identified by a number and each map is accompanied by a small diagram where you can see an outline of the whole to facilitate orientation.

 East Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate is today the most representative symbol of the city. This monumental door in neoclassical style and beared on fluted Doric columns is located in the Paris square, between Unter den Linden Avenue and Strasse des 17 Juni.

It was built using sandstone between 1788 and 1791 by Carl Gotthard Langhans who was influenced by the design of the gate of the Acropolis, in Athens.

The interior of the passageways and the friezes are decorated with reliefs of Hercules, Mars and the goddess Minerva, while at the top of the monument, the door is topped by a copper sculpture representing a chariot on which the Goddess of Victory rests.

The chariot was taken to Paris in 1806 by Napoleon to be exhibited as a war trophy, but the Emperor was overthrown just before the Frenchs could carry out this display of power.

General Ernst von Pfuel recovered the piece to Germany from Paris and led it again to Berlin, where it was restored and received the new iron cross designed by Schinkel.

After the Second World War, the heavily damaged door was restored and the chariot lost its eagle and iron cross, considered symbols of the German imperialism.

After the reunification of Germany, the chariot´s eagle and iron cross has been restored back to its original place.

On the opposite side of the avenue stands the Palace of the New Guard or Neue Wache, a neoclassical building designed by German architect Friedrich Schinkel. Its construction was completed in 1818, and today it is a memorial to all the victims of war and dictatorship.

This stately-looking square is the result of the development plan for Berlin initiated by Frederick II in the XVIII century, which included several public buildings, of which the only projected monument wich was finally built was the neoclassical building of the Staatsoper, work of the architect Carl Ferdinand Langhans.

West of the square we can see the buildings of Humboldt University, wich since 1810 is based in this ancient palace that Prince Henry, brother of Frederick, used as a residence. The palace was built in 1753 and currently retains its original plan, with a central courtyard surrounded by two wings.

South of the square stands the striking building of the Cathedral of St. Hedwig, designed by Georg von Knobelsdorff Wenzeslaus with a circular plan wich was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Its neoclassical facade is dominated by a large pediment decorated with beautiful bas-reliefs sculpted by Theodore Wilhelm Achtermann in 1837. The cathedral was rebuilt after having suffered a terrible fire during the Second World War.

Bebelplatz became sadly famous during the night of May 10th, 1933 when more than 20.000 books considered degenerate works were burned there by the Nazis.

In the center of the square there is a monument called Versunkene Bibliothek, wich commemorates that act with a transparent glass plate located on the ground, through which it is posible to see a basement full of empty shelves. Along with the "window", a copper plate contains a verse by the poet Heine Einrich wich reads: Where they burn books, the will burn people.

One block east of Bebelplatz we find Friedrichswerder, considered the first Gothic-style church built in the city. It was designed by the prolific Karl Friedrich Schinkel and built under his direction between 1824 and 1831.

During World War II the building suffered some damage but after being restored and conditioned between 1980-1985 and 1997-2000, is currently part of the National Museums in Berlin and it houses the collection of XIX century German sculpture of the Alte Nationalgalerie. On the top floor there is a large exhibition about the life and work of Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

A few meters to the southeast away from Bebelplatz we find the Gendarmenmarkt, or the market of Gendarmes.

This square, considered one of the most beautiful in Europe, was designed in 1688 by Johann Arnold Nering as Friedrichstadt main square, a neighborhood where many of the French Huguenot immigrants settle thanks to the Edict of Potsdam, wich recognized the citizenship rights and religious freedom for this congregation from 1685.

Gendarmenmarkt was selected by Frederick I as a place where both the Lutheran community and the French Reformed community, could build their respective churches.

The Französischer Dom and the Deutscher Dom, French and German churches are apparently identical and stands one in front of the other. The larger of the two is the Französischer Dom, while the Deutscher Dom is notable for its pentagonal plant. Despite being different, both buildings create a parallel order in the square, thanks to the equal towers and fronts added to both designs in 1785 by Carl von Gontard, who was inspired by the Piazza del Popolo in Rome.

Located on the western edge of the square, the Konzerthaus, or concert hall, is the more recent construction built in Gendarmenmarkt. Like the Schauspielhaus, the Konzerthaus was built in 1821 by the famous German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who during the same period was also in charge of the reconstruction work of the Berlin Cathedral. The Konzerthaus was built on the ruins of the National Theatre which was destroyed during a fire in 1817, and from which Schinkel reused some columns and walls.

Like the other buildings on the Gendarmenmarkt, the Konzerthaus was severely damaged during the Second World War. Its reconstruction was completed in 1984, when the theatre was transformed into a concert hall that now serves as home for the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. In the center of the square stands the statue of Friedrich Schiller, a famous German poet.

Gendarmenmarkt today is a quiet place that houses cafes, bars and upscale restaurants.

Museumsinsel, or the Museum Island, is the name with wich the northern edge of the Spreeinsel, an island in the Spree River located at the end of Unter den Linden, is known.

The monumental complex that covers this area of the island was built by King Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1841 as the residence of art and science in Berlin and today is considered one of the worldwide best examples of neoclassical architecture.

UNESCO declared the complex as Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1999 and it currently houses five national museums.

The Altes Museum , was completed in 1828 and is the oldest of all. Today it houses the Ägyptische Museum.

The Neues Museum, located behind the Old Museum, was completed in 1859. During the Second World War it was destroyed, and only some exterior walls remained. Today it is fully restored.

The Alte Nationalgalerie, completed in 1876, is currently one of the largest collections of paintings of the XIX century in Germany. The building was completly restored in 2001.

The Bode Museum, which opened in 1904 is located on the northern tip of the island. It houses collections of sculpture and art of antiquity and Byzantium.

The Pergamonmuseum, completed in 1930 houses the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Market Gate of Miletus, all of this rests rebuilt stone by stone from archaeological excavations.

Opposite to the cathedral the government of the DDR built the Palast der Republik. It was built to replace the impressive Royal Palace, damaged during World War II and demolished in 1950 by the authorities of the DDR. After German reunification, it was discovered that the Palace was contaminated by asbestos and its demolition started in 2008.

Alexanderplatz, which retains its distinctly socialist nature, is undoubtedly the most famous square in Berlin and also can be considered as the nerve center of the city.

Alexanderplatz was originally known as Ochsenmarkt or cattle market and obviously served as a cattle market. It received its present name after the Berlin visit of Tsar Alexander I of Russia in 1805.

In the late XIX century the square became an important commercial area that was heavily bombed during World War II, leaving room for the present work, wich appearance is due to the urban planners of the DDR in the sixties. The square was enlarged as a requirement for the redesign plan of central Berlin, conducted by the government of the German Democratic Republic and after reunification, it was again subjected to several reforms.

Alexanderplatz is soberly chaired by the TV tower, Fernsehturm, built in 1969 by the government of the DDR, and currently considered the second highest building in Europe (368 m), after the Ostankino tower of Moscow.

The design and construction of the tower was a huge challenge for the architects, mathematicians and engineers from the DDR, wich built that enormous height tower to serve as a demonstration of the strength and performance of the socialist system. After reunification, today, the tower is the main symbol of the city and it must appears in any good picture of the city skyline.

There is a restaurant and a deck over 200 meters high, from where you can see all of Berlin. Access is open to the public from March to October between 9:00 and 24:00 and the rest of the year from 10:00 to 24:00. Admission fee is € 10,50 for adults, with no time limit.

Under the telecommunications tower and now overshadowed by this, we find Marienkirche. Originally built during the XIII century, Marienkirche is considered the second oldest church in Berlin after Nikolai church. The oldest parts of the church are made of granite, while most of the building is completed of brick, which gives it its characteristic bright red color and was deliberately chosen to match in color with the near building of the Rotes Rathaus.

After a fire, the church tower was replaced by a new one designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1790 and after the heavy allies bombing, all the complex had to be completely restored during the 1950s by order of the East German authorities.

Before the latest reforms of Alexanderplatz, the Marienkirche stood as the center of a neighborhood of Mitte district but subsequently, the area was completely cleared of the remains of buildings in ruins and today the church is located in an open space of Alexanderplatz.

On the oposite side of the square stands the city town hall, called Rotes Rathaus due to the red brick that covers its exterior walls.

The Rathaus was built between 1861 and 1869 in neoclassical style under the direction of the German architect Waesemann, who was inspired by the old city hall in the city of Torun in Poland and by the tower of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Laon.

The building, which replaces the small medieval buildings which previously served to the administration, had to be rebuilt during the fifties after being completely destroyed during the Second World War.

Under the long shade of the television tower is the small suburb of Nikolaiviertel, that catches the attention of visitors for its classical architecture in the middle of a city like Berlin, full of potholes, construction, detours and other temporary elements of a city in the midst of reconstruction and development.

This small corner located on the banks of the Spree is formed by a couple of dozen buildings that shaped its medieval layout from before the Second World War and that today are completely reconstructed based on old engravings, old photographs and site plans of those buildings wich were originally built from the Middle Ages until the XVIII century.

To take a walk inside St. Nicholas gives to its visitors, for a moment, the feeling of being in another German city.

Among its most notable buildings, the Nikolaikirche (the church of St. Nicholas), with its sharp twin towers, is considered the oldest religious building in the historical center of the city and now serves as a exhibition room. Beside the church stands a column topped by a bear, the mascot for the city.

Along with Nikolaikirche, the most well known building in the neighborhood is the Efraín Palais, built in 1766 by order of Veitel Heine Ephraim, the financial adviser of Frederick II, King of Prussia . Its rococo facade stands elegantly at the intersection of Mühlendamm and Poststrasse and became famous throughout Berlin as "the best corner of the capital" until 1936, when the house was demolished to accommodate the realignment of enlargement Mühlendamm street.

Parts of the facade were stored in some old warehouses located on the outskirts of Berlin, wich after the war remained in the west. The Western government gave these pieces to the DDR to complete the reconstruction project of Nikolai in 1982.

The palace, which now houses a museum, was rebuilt about 12 meters away from its original site between 1983 and 1987.

On the other side of the Poststrasse we can see the Knoblauchhaus, the Knoblauch family residence, which was originally built in 1760 and shows a beautiful XIX century neoclassical facade. Today the house hosts the Biedermeier style museum.

In the southwestern corner, the district meets the Spree river, in wich banks we can see a large statue of St. George slaying the Dragon along with the red sandstone facade of the Kurfürstenhaus, the House of the Prince Elector, where John Sigismund of Brandenburg died on December 23th, 1619, having moved from the Royal Palace where he believed that a white lady ghost haunted its corridors.

This charming neighborhood of Central European style is currently almost entirely devoted to tourism and its streets are plenty of tourist shops and typical restaurants where we can have a surprisingly inexpensive lunch, a dinner or just a stop on the road. Some nice terraces occupy the streets in summer.

To the east of Alexanderplatz and Nikolaiviertel is the Altes Stadthaus, a neo-Renaissance style building wich construction was necessary to expand the municipal offices when Berlin became the capital of the German empire.

The new building was located at Moltenmarkt, behind the Rotes Rathaus. It was built between 1902 and 1911 following a rough outline chaired by a pediment supported by sturdy pillars and crowned by a tower wich remember the ones of the churches of the Gendarmenmarkt.

The tower, 80 meters high, is topped by a dome crowned by a statue of the goddess Fortuna wich is about 3 meters high and wich was made in copper by Ignatius Taschner.

The Stadthaus received the name of Altes Stadthaus when again it was necessary to expand the administrative offices of the city and the reforms undertaken by the Nazi regime included to built the building of the Neues Stadthaus, nowadays located to his left.

After the war the building was used as headquarters of the Council of Ministers of the DDR and its rooms currently serve as location for the offices of the Senate of Berlin.

Spandau, Spandauervorstadt, or better known as Scheunenviertel, it is a neighborhood of the former East Berlin wich is demarcated by the triangle resulting from Oranienburger, August Strasse and Rosenthaler Strasse.

This is the district that more or less all of us are looking for when we travel to Berlin. The artists occupied its destroyed buildings, wich were almost ruined, to install their workshops, exhibitions, bars and cafes. The best example of all of this is undoubtedly the Kunsthaus Tacheles or Tacheles Gallery.

The building was constructed during 15 months between 1907 and 1908 to become the Kaiserliche Baurat (imperial offices), but one year later it was finally opened as Friedrichstrassenpassage, a huge mall wich occupied the block between Friedrichstrasse and Oranienburger Strasse, and that housed several small businesses.

The massive five-storey building was built with a reinforced ribbed vault and independent facade following the principles of modern architecture while maintaining aspects of classical and Gothic styles. Its modernity was such that it even had its own pneumatic tube system for sending mail and materials within the building.

After several uses, the building was moderately damaged during the Second World War and in the 70s it was decided to demolish it during the second stage of the proyect that would be implemented in 1990. However, this second phase would never end since on the February 13th, 1990, two months before the blast, the artist group called Künstlerinitative Tacheles occupied the building.

The group tried to prevent the building demolition by an initiative to assess the structural integrity of the building and surprisingly, the study determined that the building was in perfect state. It was clasified as historic building in 1992 and after being occupied by young artists from the whole Berlin, the building was painted in bright colors.

On the 28th of Oranienburger Strasse, the main artery of Scheunenviertel, we find one of the historic buildings wich has a lot of character in Berlin: the New Synagogue or Neue Synagoge. The construction of this emblematic building in neo-Byzantine style with Mozarabic influences was completed in 1876 under the direction of the German architect Eduard Knoblauch.

Its brick facade presents a simple decorations by using columns, windows and horizontal lines. It is crowned by a beautiful golden dome accompanied by two others, lower in height and smaller in size, each on one side.

In 1938 it escaped from being completely destroyed after a fire that it suffered during the Night of Broken Glass, but during the bombings of World War II the building was severely damaged and only the main facade remained standing on. The engineers of the DDR used this parts of the building to completely rebuild the temple during the 80s.
It currently houses the cultural center of the neighborhood.

The blocks located in the central area of the neighbourhood, between Oranienburger Strasse and Rosenthaler Strasse, are "full of holes" formed by the animated courtyards of Höfe Heckmann, Gips Höfe and Hackesche Höfe. These little disorganized maze between buildings are filled with small craft workshops, nice shops, quiet cafes and restaurants with outdoor terraces, which makes Scheunenviertel to be a wonderful place to take a break and relax.

Hackesche Höfe.

The best of that places are located among the eight courtyards that form the complex Hackesche Höfe, wich were built around 1900, when the buildings were designed and constructed leaving one each other interconnected by courtyards.

Hackesche Höfe is considered one of the best examples of modernist industrial architecture in Germany.

The buildings surrounding the main courtyard called Hof Endellscher, are mostly tiled by Moorish mosaics designed by the architect and modernist artist August Endell and includes a cinema, several bars and restaurants, and the popular Chamäleon Variété, a music hall.

The rest of the courtyards, maintain the aesthetics of the buildings that house them and between its arcades they hide some charming shops and small cafes.

Hackesche Höfe is one of the most popular nightlife areas of the city and always continues moving until the wee hours of the morning.

At the intersection between Oranienburger Strasse and Rosenthaler Strasse we find the Hackescher Markt square, a nice place to come in on the evening for a drink at one of the terraces that open around the train station, which retains its original appearance, or under the S-banh railroad bridges, where the berliners used to install his coffeshops before the war.

Hackescher Markt Square is an important center for Urban Transport in Berlin. It is the main place of the exchange between the S-Bahn and tram systems in the City and represents the first transfer point between the West and Central Berlin, where the tram system run.

Hackescher Markt Station.

The high degree of destruction that Berlin reached at the end of World War II, joined to the unlimited possession of land, and the interest that the new regime of the DDR had to repopulate the city, produced that the city were "seeded" with hundreds of socialist-style residential buildings from the eastern foothills of Alexanderplatz to peripheral neighborhoods of Berlin in the DDR.

The greatest exponent of socialist architectural development introduced on Berlin during its reconstruction is undoubtedly the Karl Marx Allee, a boulevard 90 feet wide that stretches along two miles from the Gate of Frankfurter up to Alexanderplatz.

The street design is the product of the reconstruction plan of the east area held by the government of the German Democratic Republic wich filled Karl Marx Allee with monumental buildings of socialist-style.

The project started in 1959 under the name of Stalinallee and consisted of a broad boulevard surrounded by eight-story buildings, designed in accordance with the neo classical socialist style from 1950s. The streets was called by the name of the great Russian dictator and should include large apartment blocks with shops, restaurants and other businesses in the first story and apartments for workers in the higher plants.

The street starts at the Frankfurter Tor, a large square that serves as a gateway to the Mitte district of Berlin, the historic city center. Two symmetrical high-rise buildings on both sides of the Karl Marx Allee were built between 1953 and 1956 in typical socialist style with both facades covered with white ceramic tile to act as gateways to the rebuilt center.

In 1961, after the death of Josef Stalin, the boulevard was named as the German revolutionary philosopher Karl Marx and for many years, served as headquarters for the annual May parade, as it was large enough to accommodate the huge tanks and Thousands of soldiers wich have paraded along this avenue along the years.

The landscape of East Berlin, at first glance may seems a bit bleak as once one goes away from the main avenues. It begin to appear empty pieces of land, factories, prewar houses, generally poorly preserved, completely empty socialist blocks, railway infrastructure and even hippie and artists camps, wich use to occupy empty pieces of land with their trucks and caravans.

However, all these atmosphere is part of the character of the city and also hosts the most genuine of the counterculture in Berlin such as clubs installed in vaults or old factories, buildings occupied by anti-establishment people and, on the banks of the Spree, the famous East Side Gallery .

The East Side Gallery is a monument dedicated to freedom. This is a 1,3 km length section belonging to the Berlin Wall located in Mühlenstrasse, which was painted in 1990 by artists from 21 countries.

This segment of the old "inner wall" is considered the largest outdoor gallery in the world, and is the longest segment of the inner wall that was saved after the reunification and since 1992 has been declared an artistic heritage. Most of the drawings were traced with inadequate paint and without applying the primer coat over the cement, so they are victims of the weather as well as the graffiti atacks, and need frequent restorations.

Along with the East Side Gallery we find a symbol of the city of Berlin and its reunification: the Oberbaumbrücke. This pretty bridge crosses the river Spree and it is famous for uniting the districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, days before separated by the war.

Oberbaumbrücke was originally constructed using a sturdy wooden structure in early 1700 and its name derives from the word "baum" meaning tree in German and referring to the barriers made from tree trunks that were placed at each end of the bridge every nights in order to prevent smuggling.

The old wooden structure was inadequate to accommodate the heavier traffic of modern times, so it was amended in 1879 becoming the longest bridge in Berlin with a length of 154 meters. As the city grew Oberbaumbrücke became back small so the city decided to extend it again, but this time ready to be used by pedestrians, road vehicles and the new U-Bahn system, which was being planned for the city.

The architect Otto Stahn designed a double-decker and concrete structure bridge covered with red bricks in German neo-Gothic style, adorned with many purely decorative elements such as arches and its two characteristic towers.

The U-Bahn crossed the bridge for the first time in 1902 and during the 1920s the outskirts of Berlin reached the bridge wich, since then, serve to connect the two new districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.

During the Second World War, the central section of the bridge was dismantled to stop the Red Army but after the campaing, the normal traffic was not restored and the bridge was closed for more than 12 years because of it linked opposite wall quarters. Following the reunification of Germany, Oberbaumbrücke is now a symbol of freedom and brotherhood.

Kreuzberg is now a district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district since 2001 when they were merged. Its name comes from the mixture of the German words Kreuz (cross) and Berg (mountain), referring to a hill at the Viktoria park, where is a Latin Cross.

At the end of World War II the district of Kreuzberg was under the command of American and Western administration assigned two different zip codes to the neighborhood, distinguishing two very different parts: the Kreuzberg 61 and the smoller but most konwn SO 36 . During the Cold War SO 36 was almost completely surrounded by the wall which facilitated the emergence of its own alternative culture, completly different than the rest of West Berlin´s.

The clichés that never leave the old SO 36 go through the squatters and punks, street riots, shared flats, Turkish immigrants and, of course, long nights. This haven of multicultural alternative lifestyles has been barely affected by the fall of the wall, though in recent years chick style businesses have emerged there thanks to its location in the heart of Berlin.

During the 70's and 80's the Berliners who could afford it, caught by the desire to live as west as possible, moved from the district, which favored the impoverishment of the place and the installation of a large number of Turks wich give its current Mediterranean appearance to the area.

The district lies between the Spree River and the Landwehrkanal canal. The western zone is severed from north to south by the famous Friedrichstrasse , shopping street perpendicular to Unter den Linden. The bombing raids on Berlin destroyed most of the buildings of Friedrichstrasse and in 1961, it was cut in two by the construction of the Berlin Wall and it also was the selected location to install the Charlie Checkpoint, border point for the armed forces of the Allies.

During the Cold War Friedrichstrasse was the scene of intrigues among spies on both sides of the wall and the October 27th, 1961 gained fame when 33 Soviet tanks went to the Brandenburg Gate in response to a provocation by the U.S. General Clay. 10 of these tanks were arranged in Friedrichstrasse where they were stationed 100 meters away from Checkpoint Charlie. Then two American tanks stopped at a similar distance to the opposite side of the street and waited for six hours with orders to shoot if opened fire from the other side. Finally Khrushchev and Kennedy chilled the tension and ordered to remove the tanks.

In the former location of Charlie Checkpoint it has been installed a house border replica, guarded by border guards from both armies and surrounded by original warning signs. In addition, on the other side of the street we find the Charlie Checkpoint museum, which displays objects and photographs from the period related to the Wall.

Around the Charlie Checkpoint, there is many stalls where the visitors can buy military relics and DDR military clothing, and, embedded in the ground, we find a row of bricks on the asphalt wich remembers the wall path.

Despite of the popularity of Friedrichstrasse, the main artery of Kreuzberg is undoubtedly Oranienstrasse. The street is divided into two parts: west of Moritzplatz to Charlie Checkpoint there is an area that was heavily bombed during the war and has been rebuilt with residential buildings of various modern architectural styles.

Ignoring the architectural interest that this area can create on its visitors, the real action on Oranienstrasse is on the eastern side of St. Moritz, on the way to Oranienplatz and Tor Kottbusser.

Trough the heart of SO36, this section of the street has retained its status before the war, enjoys a wide variety of international restaurants and among its dozens of shops you can buy music equipment, t-shirts, and military or hemp clothing in the shops around Heinrichplatz.

The central vertical axis of the neighborhood is dominated by the old channel Luisenstädtischer, now converted into a park with fountains. It crosses Kreuzberg north to south linking the pleasant gardens of Landwehrkanal with the St. Michael Kirche.

The church of St. Michael, was completed in 1851 under the direction of August Soller, and it is considered as a successful synthesis between classical and medieval architecture. The overall design is influenced by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance from the areas of Padua and Venice after the five days study trip that August Soller did to Italy.

The facade, topped with a statue of the Archangel Michael, is inspired by the Venetian church of San Giorgio Maggiore and its Renaissance lines generate a great contrast to the chimneys of the heating central of Heizkraftwerk Berlin-Mitte, located around Köpenicker Strasse, in the most heartbreaking area of SO 36.

About 500 meters east walking by Melchior Strasse we find, located at the north edge of Mariannenplatz, the St.Thomas Kirche, a classicist church from late nineteenth century in whose roof stands a dome of 56 meters high framed between two towers of 48 meters high.

To end with a deserved rest, at the south of the district, we find the Viktoriapark, the urban park wich Kreuzberg is named for.

Located on the northern slope of the Teltow moraine, the park enjoys a splendid view over the glacier valley, where today, thousands of years later, is the center of the city of Berlin.

The most important landmark of the park is the cast iron monument dedicated to commemorating the battles of the release occurred at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Today it provides an excellent point of view over much of central and southern portions of the city.

 West Berlin

Northwest from Kreuzberg we find the Potsdamer Platz, a large public square and intersection wich during the 1920s and 1930s was considered the most active in Europe.

It was an important center for the Berlin public transport and a popular entertainment area thanks to the many bars, cafes and cinemas that emerged between the pedestrian traffic of its busy streets.

The Second World War brought the complete destruction of the square, while the Cold War relegated it to the obscurity by making it to a no man's land between the British and Soviet sectors. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the authorities decided to rebuild the whole area with a project that included the construction of several towers, a shopping mall, an entertainment center and some residential buildings.

The reconstruction lasted almost 10 years and thanks to the historical references of the place that the architects had, it was reconstructed with the original layout of the streets. Today the square is a very interesting place for enthusiasts of modern architecture who will enjoy the bold designs of its new buildings.

Among the buildings we can admire the offices of Sony Tower, the Debis Tower or the Sony Center , a spectacular covered square composed by the Imax cinema and six buildings around an oval-shaped space.

In the center of the square there are several sections of the Berlin Wall permanently displayed next to the replica of the first traffic light of Berlin, wich was installed in the square and wich is considered the first traffic lights in operation across Europe.

Only 200 meters south away from Potsdamer Platz we can visit Niederkirchnerstrasse, formerly known as Prinz Albrecht street and famous for being the headquarters location of the Main Office of the Reich Security, SD, the Gestapo and the SS in Nazi Germany.

In Niederkirchnerstrasse we find two important landmarks of Berlin: The Martin Gropius Bau exhibition hall , built in 1881 by Martin Gropius and Heino Schmieden as the Museum of Decorative Arts of the city and the Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin, the former seat of the second chamber of the Prussian parliament, the Preussischer Landtag and present place of meetings for the parliament of the city-state of Berlin.

During the Cold War, the street was located just in front of the walls of the Wall, which has preserved one of the few sections that are located in the east end.

Back in Potsdamer Platz, about 500 meters north of the square and along the edge of the Tiergarten, we find the controversial Holocaust Memorial, which recalls the Holocaust and consist of a block of 19.000 square meters covered with 2711 slabs or stelae, each one representing each page of the Talmud.

The American architect Peter Eisenman designed the monument based on rows and columns evenly spaced, on a wavy tile surface, in order to make visitors feel the agony and disorientation suffered by the prisoners of Nazi concentration camps.

The Tiergarten is the Berlin's main park, it is located at the center of the city and from 2001 it also enjoys district status. Its origins goes back to the decade of 1830, when it was decided to convert the royal hunting ground located between Mitte and Charlottenburg in a public park.

With its 210 hectares, Tiergarten is rightly regarded as the green lung of Berlin. It has a huge natural area teeming with trees, plants, lakes and grasslands that serve as recreation area to Berliners wich, in its streets, nature walks and sports facilities, practice a great variety of sports.

Its gentle prairies are hidden behind the groves and serves as a perfect space for its visitors to enjoy a leisurely picnic or a soccer match. There are also several artificial lakes and monuments such as the Soviet Memorial of the Second World War or Victory Column.

The Tiergarten is surrounded by symbols of the city, the Reichstag to the northeast, Potsdamer Platz to the southeast, the auditorium of the Berlin Philharmonic and the diplomatic quarter to the south and the zoo to the southwest.

The Berlin Zoo Park was opened in 1844. It is the oldest one in Germany and is one of the world's largest with About 15.000 animals from 1.400 different species.

The fact that the bear is the mascot of the city might influence in the immense popularity that both pandas and polar bears enjoy among Berliners. That popularity reached its peak when the media presented the world to Knut, a cub polar bear rejected by his mother wich was fed by one of the zookeepers and gained mundial fame in 2009.

There is also an excellent aquarium next to the zoo, which displays fish, insects, amphibians and reptiles.

The single tickets for adults costs € 12 for the zoo, € 12 for the aquarium and € 18 for the combined ticket. It is open between 9:00 and 18:00 in the spring and summer, and between 9:00 and 16:00 in autumn and winter.

The symbol that best represents the park is undoubtedly the Berliner Siegessäule, a column monument that commemorates the victory of Prussia and the Austrian Empire against Denmark in the Schleswig War in 1864. At the time of its inauguration, ten years later, it served at the same time to commemorate Prussian victories in the "Seven Weeks" War against the Austrian Empire in 1866, and the Franco-Prussian war against the Empire of Napoleon III.

Nowadays the Siegessäule stands approximately in the center of the Tiergarten, but was not always there because it was initially installed in front of the Reichstag. During Nazi Germany it was moved piece by piece to its new location, where still stands after the end of the Battle of Berlin during the Second World War.

The base is decorated with bas-reliefs about battles while the frieze has a mosaic regarding the foundation of the German Empire. At the top of the column, a golden figure of 8,3 meters high and 35 tonnes weigh, designed by Friedrich Drake, represents the Goddess of Victory.

It is 69 meters high and on the top it has a viewpoint deck which is open to its visitors, wich can enjoy the Tiergarten from above.

In the eastern part of the park we can visit the Sowjetisches Herenmal, one of the several Soviet war memorials scattered around the city of Berlin. It was built to commemorate the death of the 80.000 Soviet soldiers wich lost their lives during the Battle of Berlin.

The monument was erected in 1945 a few months after the capture of the city, and at the begining it offered a high contrast view of its columns surrounded by devastation. During the cold war it was a headache for the allied forces, which had to consent that it stands in the British sector and additionally allow two Soviet soldiers to guard it daily.

The memorial is built with stone from the Reichstag ruins and it is crowned by a huge statue of a Soviet soldier. Is flanked by two Soviet guns ML-20 type and two T-34 tanks.
Behind the complex, there is a free entry small museum, which shows photographs of the construction of the memorial and indicates the location of other Soviet memorials in the city.

The avenue of June 17th cross the park from east to west and commemorates the 1953 workers revolution in East Berlin, when workers who demanded higher wages, more personal freedom and reunification with West Germany were violently crushed by the regime the DDR. At the end of the avenue and close to the Tiergarten S-Bahn station is the Kunstmarkt, a second hand market where you can find very interesting things. Open on weekends in the morning.

In the northern part of the park we can see the Schloss Bellevue, palace built as a summer residence of Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, younger brother of King Friedrich II of Prussia.

Schloss Bellevue has the privilege of being the first neoclassical building built in Germany. It consists of a main building, very elaborate in design, of two stories with a central pediment supported on Corinthian columns and two side buildings: one on the bank of the river called "Spree Wing" and the opposite, called "Ladies Wing". The palace also boasts an area of 20 acres of parkland around it.

In the mid 80s, Bellevuese Palace received some needed renovations and after the reunification of West Germany, the palace has become the principal residence of the President of Germany.

On the other side of the Pariser Platz and along the Spree, near Tiergarten is the Reichstag building, present seat of the German parliament.

The Reichstag was completed in 1894 under the direction of Paul Wallot, who followed a typical Italian Renaissance style combined with elements of the German Renaissance and neo-baroque.

In 1933 a fire broke out inside the building and destroyed much of the Reichstag. Despite the guilty was not clear, the Communists were blamed, which gave an important boost to the flammable Hitler's speech.

The structure was further damaged during the latter stages of the war, when the Soviets introduced their guns among the streets of Berlin.

After the war, the Reichstag become the symbol of the fall of Berlin thanks to the famous image of a Red Army soldier raising the Soviet flag on the roof of the ruined building. The ruined walls of the Reichstag remained in the western sector, whose leaders decided to restore the building.

The restauration works was carried out between 1958 and 1972, but the central dome and most of the ornaments were excluded since the Reichstag had lost its status as governmental chamber. During the Cold War, the West German Parliament met in the Reichstag once a year to indicate that Bonn was only the provisional capital of the country and after the unification, the decision to return the Bundestag to Berlin was taken by the unificated goverment. This decision led to the building´s renewal that began in 1995 and was completed in 1999.

The project was directed by British architect Norman Foster, whose design retained many original architectural features and historical vestiges. To restore the dome, Norman Foster designed a huge glass and steel dome of 3.000 square meters inside which, two spiral ramps move up to a viewpoint that stands 40 meters above the ground. Access is free.

North of the Reichstag, we can see the postmodernists Bundeskanzleramt building, the German Chancellery, wich reflects its gleaming white facade on the calm waters of the Spree River. It was designed by Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank and is a modern 12.000 square meters complex wich houses the executive office of the chancellor, head of the German federal government.

North of the Bundeskanzleramt and on the other bank of the Spree rises, surrounded by its impressive glass enclosure, the Hauptbahnhof Station. The station was built after Germany was reunited, because of the need of a more efficient transport system.

Hauptbahnhof station was designed by German architect, Meinhard von Gerkan. The works started in 1995 and when it was completed in 2006, the station promised to become the Europe's largest one, but a succession of budget cuts decaffeinated the colossal proportions to the not so prodigious length of 321 meters.

Its area of 70.000 square meters, contain a five plants complex that´s plenty of restaurants and shops at the three central decks and wich hosts the train and subway platforms at the first and last floor.

On the opposite side of the Tiergarten, at the westernmost part of central Berlin is the Kurfürstendamm avenue. It is the best known shopping street of West Berlin and it is better known by Berliners simply as Ku'damm.

This road, which runs through an old area of lakes and forests, was urbanized in 1870 by Bismarck requirements, who ordered to built the street slightly wider than the Champs Elysees of Paris. During the golden '20s, the area around Kurfürstendamm was known as the best leisure and nightlife center of the capital, however everything ended when the Great Depression destroyed the German economy and pushed the rise of the Nazi party to the power, wich since 1933 promoted the Machtergreifung, boycott of all Jewish shops.

During the World War II air raids, the Boulevard suffered serious damage but after the end of the war and the lifting of the wall, Kurfürstendamm became the main street in the isolated West Berlin and regained some of its lost splendor.

Despite rehabilitation works, Kurfürstendamm doesn´t seems to be a glamorous avenue as before due to the large fortunes emigration to other parts of West Germany after the division of the city.

The surroundings of Ku'damm, currently hosts dozens of avant-garde modern buildings, but the most visible symbols of the rehabilitation of the avenue is the Europa Center, a shopping mall built in the 60s and remarkable for its tower, which top is crowned by the Mercedes symbol wich looks to proclaim the capitalism winds into the DDR.

The area soon became the symbol of the West Germany and the ruins of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, were transformed into a memorial that remember the destruction that war brought about the whole Berlin.

The old church was kept in its dilapidated state while around its belfry it was built a new church formed by a new modern bell tower located on one side of the memorial and a chapel on the other side. The new chapel is manufactured by more than 20.000 stained glasses that filter the light into quiet blue.

Charlottenburg Palace, located in the western district of Charlottenburg, is the largest palace in Berlin. Its initial units were built between 1695 and 1699 as a summer palace for Sophie Charlotte, wife of Prince Frederick III, under the direction of the architect Johann Arnold Nering.

After the coronation of Frederick, the Baroque building of the palace was extended by the Swedish master Johann Friedrich von Eosander Göthe, who oversaw the expansion, which included the addition of a dome 48 meters high and the greenhouse construction on the west wing.

In 1705, after the death of his wife, Frederick I decided to rename the building, which until then was known as Lietzenburger, to the actual Charlottenburg. In 1740 King Frederick III finally conducted the last expansion on the east wing to complete the set.

During the Second World War much of the palace was badly damaged but as soon as the war ended, the restoration works began and today the palace is open as a museum which displays the rooms of kings and princes, porcelain and lots of pictures, highlighting the most important collection of XVIII century French painting outside of France.

Behind the palace lies the garden, where we find some interesting buildings like the Mausoleum, a Doric temple built in 1810 as a burial place for members of the royal family or the Belvedere Building, commissioned by Frederick Wilhelm II as a tea house. Near the palace is the Schinkel Pavilion, built by the famous German architect for King Frederick William III, and the palace´s old theater wich now hosts the Museum of Prehistory.

The palace and its gardens are open to the public from 10:00 to 18:00 from April to October and from 10:00 to 17:00 the rest of the year while the price of access to the whole palace and its surroundings for an adult is € 16.

After the choice of Berlin as the city for the Olympic Games in 1916, city administrators decided the construction of Deutschlandstadion, a huge complex with capacity for 32.000 spectators. The new stadium was opened in July 1913 but the Olympic Games were never held in its instalations because of the First World War.

In 1931, the International Olympic Committee selected Berlin again as the host city for the Summer Olympic Games of 1936. In principle, the German Government proposed to restore the old Olympiastadion, but when the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933 they decided to use the Olympic Games for propaganda purposes.

With these plans in mind, Hitler ordered the construction of a new large sports complex with a brand new Olympic stadium that would serve to the chancellor to speak to the crowds and celebrate his incendiary rallies.

Hitler wanted to win the Olympic gold for his Nazi Germany in the most part of the possible competitions to demonstrate the superiority of the Aryan race before the world. However, ironically, the star of the Olympics was Jesse Owens, black american runner, who won four gold medals in the 100 meter, 200 meter, long jump, and as a participant of the winning team in the 4x100 meters relay races.

During the war, the Olympiastadion was one of the few buildings that survived not only on a recognizable way, but in addition, almost intact, as it only lost its Bell Tower.

The tower just felt the impact of machine-gun fire so it was not necessary to restore it in depth to make the stadium capable to host sporting activities during subsequent periods.

The Olympic Stadium hosted the 1974 World Cup and has been completely renovated for World Cup 2006 giving it a new capacity of 74.500 people. Its new roof rises 68 meters above the seats and is composed of translucent panels that allow sunlight to throught it during the day. The western walls are opened in the Marathon Arch to reveal to viewers the reconstructed Bell Tower.

The Olympic Stadium is today associated with the football team Hertha BSC Berlin.

You can get a magnificent view of Berlin from the Bell Tower, which is open to the public from 1st April to 2nd November daily from 9:00 to 18:00. The price for adults is € 3,5 and the visit includes an exhibition of the stadium.

Without detracting in any way the traditional cuisine of Berlin, and in view of its simplicity, the "king" of the local cuisine for visitors to Berlin is the famous Currywurst.

This dish, rather an aperitif, was invented in Berlin and is prepared with a grilled sausage cut into slices and seasoned with a sauce consisting of tomato, curry and some spices, usually accompanied by a biscuit and some fries.

The Currywurst was invented by Herta Heuwer in 1949 when, in his stall in Kaiser Friedrich Strasse, she cooked everything she had at the moment by frying some sausages with tomato sauce, curry, Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings. In 1959, Herta Heuwer registered her sauce under the name of Chillup and opened an establishment in Rotlichtviertel, which in its best times it worked 24 hours a day with up to 20 employees.

Currywurst is currently very popular for visitors and locals and there is a lot of establishments where we can buy it, generally located in crowded places like railway stations and main avenues. Berliners say that the proper currywurst restaurant is any one where at any time of day you have to wait to order.

Desserts are not something very popular for Berlin, but in any case, the berliner restaurants use to serve the Black Forest cakes cooked with cheese and nuts or the fruit tarts, called Obsttorte. But what Berliners are really fans is the beer, drunk before, during and after any meal.

The main beer brands served in Berlin are Schultheiss, Engelhardt, Berliner Kindl, Hochschulbrauerei and the Berliner Weisse, a light beer mixed with sour wheat currant syrup or woodruff in order to remove a bit of acidity and give color.

Depending on the day time, the beers are usually accompanied by snacks like the Rollmops, made with a herring fillet marinated in vinegar and rolled around a pickle, the buletten, small meatballs, or the Soleier, boiled eggs in vinegar.

Another German classic drink is the popular Glühwein, mulled wine, very popular during the cold winters in Berlin.

Besides of being able to enjoy the best dishes from the international "Haute Cuisine" on foreign restaurants, wich gradually impose themselves on the Germans in the most central areas of the city, the touristic Berlin is still able to offer traditional food in the fantastic family restaurants around Nikolaiviertel.

It is also important to emphasize that Berlin is a city still very cheap, which pushes amicably all budgets to try at least a tasty and very, very recommendable, Eisbein.

Finally we have to refer to the typical Imbiss, omnipresent street stalls where you can take something fast as a Currywurst, a Berliner Bulette or the popular Turkish Döner.

Guten Appetit!

Berlin is worldwide recognized for its numerous cultural institutions. The diversity and vivacity of the German capital make the time to run by leaps and bounds, and lead the city to a constant change of image that sets trends among major European cities. Thus, Berlin has become in the deserved capital of European contemporary art.

The city has a very diverse art scene, is home for about 420 art galleries where young German and international artists can express their art and thanks to that, they continue to settle in the city, which has established itself as a center of youth and popular culture in Germany and Europe.

This situation has facilitated the recovery of the spaces needed for their development, like the reorganization of the Hamburger Bahnhof museum, a large factory that was transformed into a temple of contemporary art and wich is the most evident in his arguments. There are also several galleries of underground culture that, after the fall of the wall, have emerged especially in the east Berlin. The best example of this trend is undoubtedly the Tacheles arts center, a building occupied by a group of young artists and nowadays considered as an architectural historical monument in Berlin.

Tacheles offers 30 studios devoted to painting, sculpture, photography, video, graphic design, engraving, etc, as well as facilities dedicated to leisure such as bars and markets.

With more than 170 museums and art galleries, Berlin welcomes millions of visitors that each year dive among the vast collections of art displayed in many permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The Museum Island, declared a World Heritage Site, is home to priceless archaeological remains such as the Pergamon Altar, or the bust of Queen Nefertiti, while contemporary art and modernism find its space in buildings like the Bauhaus or Hamburger Bahnhof.

The recent history of the city and its prominent role in the world have forced Berlin, not only to remember, if not to instruct the world. Several museums are dedicated to the mistakes of the past as the Charlie Checkpoint or the Topographie des terror. Others display objectively the past like the DDR Museum or the Jewish Museum and finally the Deutsches Historisches Museum, wich provides an overview of German history.

Apart from the Museum Island, Berlin has an important number of classical art spaces scattered throughout the city as the Gemäldegalerie, whose collections focus on the paintings of old masters of the thirteenth to the eighteenth century, or the Neue Nationalgalerie, specialized in twentieth century European painting.

To complete its range of exhibitions, Berlin is home to another less conventional museums, but very interesting as the museum of architecture, Bauhaus Archive, or the Deutsches Technikmuseum dedicated to science and transport.

Check out the museum section of this guide, which describes the most important museums of the city and also provides its basic data.

• Theatre.



Berliner scenarios offer a rich international program wich best plays are performed over the four most important theaters in the city.

The Volksbühne, located on Rosa Luxemburg Platz, was built between 1913 and 1914 as the "theater of the people" to play the works of the "company of the people", previously founded in 1890.
Address: Rosa Luxemburg Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Platz U-bahn U2)
Web: Teatre Volksbühne

The Deutsches Theater is situated in the district of Mitte. It was built between 1849 and 1950 and has operated continuously since then except for a pause that lasted a year between 44 and 45 because of the Second World War.
Address: Bertolt Brecht Platz (Friedrichstrasse U-bahn U6, S-bahn S1, S2, S5, S7, S9, S25, S75)
Web: Deutsches Theater

The Berliner Ensemble, founded by Bertolt Brecht, was built next to the Deutsches Theater in 1949 to play the works written by the famous German author's company.
Address: Bertolt Brecht Platz (Friedrichstrasse U-bahn U6, S-bahn S1, S2, S5, S7, S9, S25, S75)
Web: Berliner Ensemble

The Schaubühne was stablished in 1962 on a building in Kreuzberg, but the theatre was moved in 1981 to a famous former cinema in the Wilmersdorf district, situated almost in the center of the famous Kurfürstendamm. The building, is considered the first modern cinema built in the world.
Address: Kurfürstendamm 153 (Adenauerplatz U-bahn U7)
Web: Schaubühne

• Opera.



Berlin has three main theaters where opera works are played.

The Deutsche Oper Berlin, was opened in 1912 in the Charlottenburg district to accommodate the plays performed by the company of the same name. Unfortunately the old building of the opera house was completely destroyed on 23th November 1943 and it was not until 1961 when a new building was built under the direction of Fritz Bornemann.

The building of the Deutsche Oper Berlin now also serves as the headquarters of Staatsballett Berlin, the State ballet company in Berlin.
Address: Bismarck strasse 35 (Deutsche Oper U-bahn U2)
Web: Deutsche Oper

The Berliner Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin State Opera, is the oldest and the largest opera house in the city, and one of the largest in Germany.
Dirección: Bismarck strasse 35 (Deutsche Oper U-bahn U2)
Web: Berliner Staatsoper

The Komische Oper, located in Behren strasse, and its company, is traditionally associated to opera, operetta and musicals, usually in German language.
Address: Behren strasse 55-57 (Französische Strasse U-bahn U6)
Web: Komische Oper

• Music.



The threat to freedom that Berlin has symbolized in the second half of the twentieth century has been an inspiration for hundreds of bands. The most noteworthy are, of course, Pink Floyd and The Scorpions, wich have written songs about the famous Berlin Wall and since the '80s, have promoted the current Berlin´s tradition for holding huge concerts.

The young spirit of the city favours a heavy agenda of modern music events but classical music also enjoy a grat tradition in Germany and Berlin serves as the basis of seven classical orchestras, two of which are considered the most importants of the country.

The Berliner Arena is located on the south bank of the Spree, where it has a wide recreation area outdoor. It is a complex of bars and a lounge with capacity for around 7.000 people and it organize big concerts, fairs and exhibitions.
Address: Eichen strasse 4 (Treptower Park S-bahn S8, S9, S41, S42, S85)
Web: Arena

Postbahnhof is a concert hall located in the popular nightclub area near the Ostbahnhof station. The venue is an old post office and offers a great program of concerts, often by internationally renowned DJs.
Address: Strasse der Pariser Kommune 8 (Ostbahnhof S-bahn S3, S5, S7, S9, S75)
Web: Postbahnhof

Columbiahalle is located in a former military gymnasium in front of the Tempelhof airport terminal. After the appropriate remodeling it has a capacity of around 3.500 people and serves as a concert hall.
Address: Columbiadamm 13 (Platz der Luftbrücke U-bahn U6)
Web: Columbiahalle

The Waldbühne is a classical amphitheater built using the banks of the ancient glacier course wich passed over Berlin. It is a reproduction of the old theater of Epidaurus and currently has a capacity of up to 23.000 viewers over a descending plane wich downs to a depth up to 30 meters.
Dirección: Columbiadamm (Pichelsberg S-bahn S9, S75)

For the classical music, due to the former division of the city, Berlin enjoys the chords of two main philharmonic orchestras.

The Berliner Philharmonie or BPO, as it is universally known, is one of the world's leading orchestras since 1882, when it was created. Its headquarters is located in a particular asymmetric architecture building, designed by Hans Scharoun. It is situated near Potsdamer Platz, on a street named Herbert von Karajan, senior director in the orchestra.
Address: Herbert von Karajan strasse 1 (Potsdamer Platz U-bahn U2, S-bahn S1, S2, S25)
Web: Berliner Philharmonie

The Konzerthausorchester was founded in 1952 as the orchestra for East Berlin. Their initial role was to provide a rival group for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, based in West Berlin, but after the German reunification its survival was threatened and finally it received its present name, wich asure its continuity, in 2006. Its official seat is the Konzerthaus, classical building designed by German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, wich was rebuilt between 1979 and 1984 after suffering hevy damage during World War II.
Address: Gendarmenmarkt (Französische Strasse U-bahn U6)
Web: Konzerthausorchester

Normally, tickets for the most part of the concerts include the cost of public transport in its price, which means that you can go and back at any time of day for free. It is valid in all networks in Berlin during the day of the concert for areas A, B and C. This service is shown printed in small letters on the ticket as Gultig Tarifbereich Berlin ABC.

Berlin is very important to cinema world as it hosts the prestigious Internationale Filmfestspiele or Berlinale, as is known internationally.

The international jury presiding over the famous festival, wich is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations as category A, awards ther best director with the Golden Bear, the best male and female performance with the Silver Bears and the artistic career with the Honorary Golden Bear.

The origin of the Berlinale, dates back to 1951 when Alfred Hitchcock opened the first edition with his film Rebecca, and since then it have been held every February among the towers and glass palaces of the Berliner Potsdamer Platz.

Berlinale Official Website

The city of Berlin and its surroundings are considered one of the most important centers of global high-performance sports. The city is a leader in the development of elite sports schools in Germany and has three of the largest schools in the country, where about 700 athletes train daily in 35 different Olympic disciplines.

It is estimated that more than half a million Berliners practise amateur sports in the 2.000 different clubs that make up the Sports Association in Berlin. The city has more than 3.000 halls, stadiums, playing fields and facilities in general, including places like the Olympic Stadium, the multy-purpouse stadium Max Schmeling Halle, the velodrome, famous work of Dominique Perrault, or the new O2 World arena.

Aside from athletics and team sports, in Berlin you can enjoy less conventional sports such as golf, with two fields within the city limits, riding, with plenty of tradition in the city and due to of its special geography dotted with numerous lakes and canals, water sports, in which Berlin is dedicated to the world.

Berlin has a good reputation as the host city for international sporting events. The city hosted the 1936 Olympic Games, was the host city for the final of the World Cup in 2006 and hosted the World Athletics Championship in September 2009.

The streets of Berlin are also the scene of the famous annual Berlin Marathon, in which thousands of runners from all nationalities take part since 1974 and that is, along with New York, Chicago, Boston and London, one of the five race that make up the World Marathon Majors.

Other important annual events held in the city are the annual meeting of the athletics AF Golden League, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, one of the oldest women's tennis tournaments in the world's Grand Slam or the beach volleyball tournement wich FIVB organizes every year near Alexanderplatz.

The main mass sports clubs are the Hertha BSC football club, whose headquarters are located at the Olympiastadion, the handball team Reinickendorfer Füchse, the basketball team Alba Berlín, and the ice hockey team Eisbären Berliner.

In addition to the temporary exhibitions organized by museums and town hall and the theater, opera, dance and music schedules, which vary each season, Berlin helds a variety of interesting activities and events throughout the year for all ages and to suit all tastes.

Spring

In late May, the famous Carnival of Cultures takes place during four days in the Kreuzberg district. It reflects the cultural diversity of Berlin, bringing together artists and fans, young and old and members of the ethnic communities of Berlin to make their cultures visible to locals and tourists alike.
Karneval der Kulturen

Located in Europaplatz, the Sandsation, a space reserved for the best sand sculptors from around the world, is the only urban art sand festival from across Europe and remains on until early August.
Sandstation

Also in early June, aviation enthusiasts can enjoy the ILA, biannually festival that runs since 1909 and shows the progress of the fascinating field of aviation through lectures and demonstrations at the airport of Schönefeld.
ILA

The DMY International Design Festival makes room for new designs, the work of young creatives, who for five days present their latest developments in contemporary design that will set future trends in interdisciplinary areas. The DMY is held in mid-June and in 2010 takes place in the Tresor venue, located in Köpenicker strasse.
DMY International Design Festival

Just before the end of the spring, Tiergarten dresses in colours to host the Christopher Street Day, in which hundreds of gays, lesbians, transsexuals and bisexuals fill the streets to proudly show their homosexuality.
Christopher Street Day

Summer

The Fuckparade is an annual techno festival in Berlin which is usually held on the same day as the Love Parade. The Fuckparade, that started in 1997 under the initial name of the Hate Parade, was born as a result of the strong marketing that the famous Love Parade experimented (nevermore held in Berlin), and was looking for the true soul of Berlin for the Love Parade, the event which someday was described as the biggest tourist attraction in Berlin.
Fuckparade

About mid-August, from 1992, Gendarmenmarkt becomes during four days in the magnificent scenery of great concert of classical music, Italian opera, operetta, musicals and classic pop, soul, swing or jazz.
Classic open air

The long night of museums or Lange Nacht der Museen, is a cultural event organized together by multiple museums and cultural institutions such as laboratories, auditoriums and research centers, and all these institutions are open until late night. It is celebrated throughout the length and breadth of Berlin. In 2010 it will be held on late August but each year the dates vary.
Lange Nacht der Museen

Berlin says bye to the summer in September with the Pyronale, held at the begining of this month at the Olympiastadion, where hundreds of fireworks are involved in a stunning choreography of great dimensions that year after year has become one of the most popular attractions in the city.
Pyronale

Autumn

Berlin welcomes autumn with its popular Marathon, held in late September among the streets and parks of Berlin, where thousands of runners of all nationalities seek its limits.
Berlin Marathon

The International Fair of Contemporary Art, the Art Forum Berlin, takes part in Messehalle,n during the early October when it exhibits works of art from more than 120 galleries from over 25 countries, that span traditional disciplines like painting or sculpture and art collections captured on video, photography, paper or multimedia drawn.
Art Forum Berlin

The City Stiftung fest of Berlin starts with a spectacular opening ceremony in mid-October and for about ten days, it illuminate by colorful lights on more than 50 monuments and attractions, including the Brandenburg Gate, the Cathedral and the tv tower.
City Stiftung Berlin

Winter

The Jazz Fest Berlin, Berlin Jazz Festival, started its journey in a distant 1964, when the legendary Ernst Berendt Joachim sponsored the participation of jazz musicians brought from all over the world and put them together on stage. The festival is organized by the Berliner Festspiele and is celebrated annually at its headquarters around the month of November.
Jazz Fest Berlin

If we travel on Christmas, other suggestions to consider are the classic Christmas markets. Most of them are located in the Mitte and Charlottenburg districts, near the most important tourist attractions. It is great to enjoy the festive atmosphere and to have a typical Glühwein (hot spiced wine) in any stalls to get some hot.

The popular Opernpalais market is located in the streets and squares around the Opera House on Unter den Linden and is considered the most important of all the markets. The Toten Rathaus market is located in Alexanderplatz in front of City Hall while the Gedachtniskirche market can be visited next to the church of the same name and the Christmas market of Charlottenburg Palace faces the imposing Prussian royal palace.

At those mentioned dates we can also enjoy the great New Year celebration, wich is celebrated at the Berlin Brandenburg Gate with an impressive fireworks display. After that ... well ... you already know how the Berlin nights are ... The first day of the year, if you still have strength enought, it is traditional among Berliners to spend the January 1st practissing ice skating on the Winterweltin Postdamer Platz.

The Transmediale, held in early February, it is a forum for promoting communication between artists, media workers and the general public, focusing on digital art and culture through exhibitions, lectures and presentations.
Transmediale

In late February, Potsdamer Platz dresses in red to host the Berlinale, one of the most famous film festivals throughout the world. With around 500.000 visitors, it is considered the second most important event of this kind over the globe.
Berlinale

Friedrich I, Kurfürst von Brandenburg.

After the death of King Rupert in 1415 and thanks to a serial of political interests, Friedrich of Hohenzollern, Elector prince of the Holy Roman Empire, was declared Margraviate Elector of Brandenburg, territory, wich he ruled until 1440.

Berlin was the Brandenburg's main city at this time and it became in the oficial residence of the Hohenzollern. For this it had to renounce its status as a free city in the Hanseatic League, so its main trading activity changes to the production of luxury goods for the court.

The following members of the Hohenzollern family lived in Berlin until 1918, which favored the enrichment of the city and the construction of the most important buildings and playgrounds in Berlin and nearby.

Friedrich Schinkel.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel was born on March 13th, 1781 in Neuruppin and died on October 9th, 1841 in Berlin. He was the foremost architect of neo-classicism of the nineteenth century and developed most of its activity in and around Berlin.

the city owes him the design of the Neue Wache, the Konzerthaus, the Altes Museum, the Friedrichswerder church and the ultra modern Bauakademie, innovative building wich housed the Academy of Architecture in Berlin and that was damaged during World War II and demolished by the government of the DDR.

He is also the author of the impressive Church of St. Nicholas in Potsdam and the famous Iron Cross, which serves as an emblem for the German state.

Otto von Bismarck.

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born on April 1st, 1815 and died on July 30th, 1898. He was a tough statesman who served as Prime Minister of Prussia between 1862 and 1890. Germany was unified under his supervision and he become the first Chancellor of the country, who dominate his matters with an iron fist until his retirement in 1890.

Berlin was appointed by Otto von Bismarck as the capital of Germany in 1871 and under his orders were carried out great renovations including the creation of vast beauty avenues to compete with Paris, his great French rival.

Among the statues of the Tiergarten we can find the Bismarck Memorial, designed by Reinhold Begas and consisting of a commemorative statue surrounded by the figures of Atlas, Siegfried and Germany.

Peter Fechter.

This guide is not complete without to pay tribute to someone who symbolizes the stark reality that the Wall represented for Berlin society and despite the happy end was due to the situation and the work and sacrifice of many people and is neither posible to attribute the fall to anyone, Peter Fechter deserves being remembered as the first and most obvious victim of this terrible barrier.

A year later of the erection of the wall, Peter Fechter and his friend Helmut Kulbeik tried to escape from the DDR by scaling the wall but were detected and the guards fired on them, reaching Fechter on his hip.

The man was wounded and stand between both sides of the wall in the light of Western citizens, among whom were several journalists. Despite his cries, he received no help until he bled to death an hour later.

One, two, three (1961). Billy Wilder.
Mr. MacNamara, director of Coca-Cola in Berlin, is exploring the possibility of extending the company's business activities across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

Wings of Desire (1987). Wim Wenders.
Two angels from the sky watch Berlin and although they can´t change the lives of men or disclose themselves, the desire to be part of the humanity of one of the two is so great that he is able to sacrifice her immortality to provide the necessary living desire on Berliners.

Run Lola Run (1998). Tom Tykwer.
Lola gets the call from her boyfriend Manni who has lost 100.000 marks wich must to be delivered at noon. In just 20 minutes Lola needs to get the money to save Manni's life.

Good Bye Lenin! (2003). Wolfgang Becker.
Alexander Kerner's mother, a woman of deep socialist ideas and leader of the Unified Socialist Party, falls into a coma in October 1989 and months later when she woke up, she can not hear anything about the fall of the Wall and the triumph of capitalism as the doctor recommends to avoid to give her any shock.

The falling (2004). Olivier Hirschbiegel.
April 1945. Berlin and the whole Nazi Germany are going to capitulate. A fierce battle is being waged in the streets of the capital while Hitler and his closest circle, among which is his personal secretary, are entrenched in the Führer bunker. Outside, the situation worsens and although the situation is unsustainable and that Berlin can no longer resist, the Fuhrer refuses to leave the city.

The Life of Others (2006). Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.
Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler's, who watches every day life of the Germans from the DDR, is ordered to spy on playwright Georg Dreyman. This activity opens the world of culture to him but later he discovered that the playwright´s girlfriend has an affair with the minister of culture in order not to endanger her career.

Berlin has changed considerably. Almost the entire social structure has been challenged by recent history and the result is a different city in all areas.

Since the reunification, its society has a responsibility to serve to the understanding, harmony, justice, peace and freedom in the world. Too much responsibility for some million citizens wich, after the fall of the wall, have been able to build an open, welcoming and creative society, but now, after a well done job, needs a break.

Berlin society is increasingly alive, there are many young people and it breathes a sense of well-being by almost every corner of town, but the economic reality of the German capital is not as good as his spirit. After euphoria of the early years of reunification, it began to experienced a shooting down of social guarantees in a region considered the most de-industrialized and impoverished in Germany.

Without resorting to scaremongering, over the past years the number of homeless has tremendously grown and one in three children, twice the national average, lives under the "Hartz IV", social aid from City Hall.

Berlin´s mentality is modern and open, the most part of the population has a good education and adequate standard of living to maintain margins of individual autonomy. The family is the center of life, but its modalities are increasingly diverse having undergone a profound transformation from the traditional German family to the new structures in line with the actual times.

There has been an increase in unmarried couples, separations and births out of wedlock, and the number of children per family has declined dramatically implying a considerable reduction in the number of large families. This lifestyles evolution is accompanied by an acceptance of the new family models in a society that before considered it as marginal or scandalous. Social rights have been adapted to the needs of blended families and religious practices, especially Catholicism, has suffered a major breakdown. 60% of Berliners have not registered any religious affiliation.

Berlin is a polyglot society. It is a very international and tolerant city, there is about 500.000 immigrants from up to 195 countries living perfectly integrated into the urban geography of the city.

In short we can say that Berlin's social reality is the most realistic reflection of the legacy with which the division of Germany scored its citizens, coupled with the characteristic changes of the XXI century and all viewed through the lens of the optimism and the openness of a people eager to live.