Berlin is a city marked by its history. You cannot visit Berlin without taking a moment to walk along what remains of the “Wall of Shame”, the Berlin Wall; symbol of a now distant past. Open for more than 20 years, the Iron Curtain is sold in small pieces to tourists! The wall has almost disappeared, but the City established a historical journey with 29 information panels.
For those who are passionate about this part of Berlin’s history, there is a museum wall that lies at Checkpoint Charlie, which was the border post between West Berlin to East Berlin. This museum offers a permanent exhibition on the history of the wall.
Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45, D-10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg
You can also find a documentation center that offers an impressive archive on the history of the Iron Curtain.
Address: Bernauer Strasse 111, 13355 Berlin-Mitte.
Another symbol of the city that you shouldn’t miss is the Brandenburg Gate, which dates from 1791. During the Cold War, this was on the east side of the town. Only pedestrians have access to the Gateway can pass through it freely.
If you’re more attracted to art, you should not miss a ride to the Island of Museums. It is an island on the river Spree that houses several museums including the Old Museum and Old National Gallery. Plans for renovations are planned for the coming years since some of these museums have been destroyed in the course of history. It also houses the Berlin Cathedral.
To complete your art history tour, you may visit the East Side Gallery, located between the bridge Oberbaum and Gare de l’Est. This is a gallery of art set outdoors, which includes hundreds of works by various artists from around the world who were inspired by when the Wall fell. The museum measures 1.3 kilometres long. Unfortunately, pollution and graffiti have badly damaged this national monument gallery, but restoration efforts are underway.
In terms of pleasant neighbourhoods to visit, you must visit Mitte, especially on the side of Unter den Linden (Berlin’s Champs Elysees). There are monuments such as the Reichstag, opened in 1894 to house the German Parliament. This was destroyed by fire in 1933 but reopened in 1999 after being rebuilt with plans from the renowned architect Norman Foster.
The TV Tower (Fernsehturm Berlimner), the tallest tower in Berlin, offers a breathtaking view over the city and its many monuments from two panoramic platforms 203 and 207 meters above ground level. You will find that Berlin is far from being a city of concrete as some may imagine. Actually, there are many green spaces. Just the tower itself has 365 square meters of green spaces. We recommend that you book your tickets online to avoid the long line-ups to visit the tower because it is one of the most important attractions of Berlin.
For football fans, visit the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, which hosted the 2006 World Cup.
Walkers and animal lovers, do not miss the Berlin Zoo. It is in the oldest zoo in Germany that you will see the largest variety of animals: no less than 1400 species can be seen there! There are also several
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