Berlin Attractions, Germany

Brandenburg Gate
The monumental sandstone structure of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin's Mitte district was modeled on the Acropolis of Athens and was built for King Frederick William II in 1788-91 by Carl Gotthard Langhans the Elder as a suitably magnificent terminal feature at the western end of Unter den Linden. The first Neo-Classical structure in Berlin, it is 26 m/85ft high (including the four-horse chariot), 65.5 m/215ft wide and 11 m/36ft deep. There are six Doric columns on each side, forming five passages. The central passage, which is 5.65 m/18.5ft wide, was reserved for the carriages of the royal court; the four side passages, each 3.8 m/12.5ft wide, were used by ordinary traffic. Doric columns also decorate the two buildings at each side of the Gate, which provided accommodation for toll-collectors and for soldiers and officers on watch. On Aug. 16, 1791, in the absence of the king and without any special ceremony, the Brandenburg Gate was opened to the public. Between 1861-68 Johann Heinrich Strack built new passages between the main gate and the two gatehouses, and provided the latter with open columned halls. The figures of Mars and Minerva also changed places. The forecourt facing west was remodeled in 1903. During the Second World War the Gate suffered very serious damage, and the lengthy restoration work took until 1958 to complete.
Before the Second World War the Pariser Platz was a very busy area reaching right up to the Gate, with a large number of buildings, such as Max Liebermann's house, the French and British embassies and the legendary Hotel Adlon. Between 1961 and 1989 it was sealed off, but is now once again open to the public. The latest plans are to rebuild the square on its original lines.

Gendarmenmarkt
From Friedrichstrasse it is only a few minutes' walk southwards to Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin's most beautiful and harmonious squares. It has as its dominant feature three large buildings forming one group - the Schauspielhaus (Theater), the French Cathedral and the German Cathedral. The square was laid out in the 17th C. and first named the Esplanade, then Lindenmarkt, Mittelstädtischer or Friedrichstädtischer Markt and finally Gendarmenmarkt, because a regiment of Gendarmerie had their guard-house and stables here from 1736-82. When the Academy of Sciences celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1950 it was named Platz der Akademie. Having suffered considerable damage in the Second World War, most of it was rebuilt in its original form during the GDR period. Following the reunification of Berlin it was once again given the name of Gendarmenmarkt.
On the corner of Französische Strasse and Charlottenstrasse near the square stood the Lutter and Wegner tavern, where E. T. A. Hoffman (whose stories inspired Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffmann") was a regular customer. He also lived in the square.

Zoological Gardens
The "Zoo" lies right in the center of Berlin, by the Zoological Gardens Station. Its equivalent in the east of the city is the Tierpark. Following their destruction during the Second World War, the Zoo and the associated Aquarium have been reconstructed on the most modern principles so as to display the animals in their natural environment. The success achieved in breeding animals, including some rare species, demonstrates the efficiency of the new methods. A visit to the Zoo and the Aquarium (at least half a day is required) should therefore be included in every visitor's program. The history of the Zoo began in 1841, when King Frederick William IV presented to the city of Berlin his pheasantry in the Tiergarten and all the animals on the Pfaueninsel, together with their cages and animal houses, as the basis of a municipal zoo. The Zoo - the first in Germany - was opened in August, 1844. A full-time professional Director was not appointed until 1869, in the person of Heinrich Bodinus. Finance was raised by the issue of shares, and a period of active development began. Bodinus died in 1884 and was succeeded as Director by Max Schmidt, who died after only four years' service and was in turn succeeded by Ludwig Heck. Under Heck's direction, the development of the Zoo continued. The Elephant Gate in Budapester Strasse was among the buildings erected during this period. The Aquarium, designed by Oskar Heinroth, was opened in 1913. Heck devoted much effort to increasing the number of species represented, making the Zoo one of the richest in the world. Retiring after 44 years as Director, he was succeeded by his son Lutz Heck (died 1983), who sought to modernize the Zoo, introducing the first large open enclosures with no bars between the animals and spectators. By 1939 the Zoo had more than 4,000 mammals and birds of some 1,400 species. After the war, Katharina Heinroth became Director, and in 1956 she was succeeded by Heinz-Georg Klös. Reconstruction continued, a notable development in 1975 being the house for nocturnal animals in the basement of the new Predator House, followed by the Tropical House in 1977. In 1987 the land on the far side of the Landwehrkanal was opened up to the public. The Aquarium was enlarged and a new extension to the original building was opened at the end of 1980. The Elephant Gate in Budapester Strasse was originally built in 1899. After being destroyed in the last war it has now been restored.

Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum on Berlin's Museum Island is entered by way of the bridge over the Kupfergraben.
One of the oldest museums of its kind in the world, the Pergamon was designed by A. Messel and Ludwig Hoffman and built between 1903-30, with a long interruption during the First World War.
The complex includes the Folk Museum, the Department of Antiquities with the Pergamon Altar, the Near-East Museum, the Islamic Museum, the East Asian Collection and the permanent exhibition labeled "Ancient Coinage" in the Coin Cabinet. At least half a day should be allowed for a visit to the whole of the Pergamon Museum.
Pergamon Museum

Reichstag Building
With the proclamation of the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles on Jan. 18, 1871, Berlin acquired a new role as capital of the Empire. The Reichstag, the Imperial Parliament, needed a larger and more prestigious building after having been temporarily housed in part of the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Leipziger Strasse.
The new Reichstag, a huge and elegantly proportioned Neo-Renaissance palace, was designed by Paul Wallot; the foundation stone was laid by the Emperor himself in 1884 and the building completed in 1894. The cost (30million marks) was met from French war reparations.
In 1916, the inscription "Dem deutschen Volke" ("To the German People") was carved on the pediment and it is still visible today.
On the evening of Feb. 27, 1933, in circumstances which have never been fully explained, the Reichstag was destroyed by fire. The Nazi claim that the fire was started by members of the German Communist party was refuted by the not-guilty verdict of the Supreme Court on the two Communists accused of the crime, Dimitrov and Torgler (Dec. 1933). Nor has the Communist counter-claim that the Nazis themselves were responsible been proved. A Dutchman, Marinus van der Lubbe, was found guilty by the Supreme Court and condemned to death. In 1980, a German court dismissed the idea that he was solely responsible, and in 1981 this judgment was overturned. The most recent view held by historians is that van der Lubbe was indeed the perpetrator. The Reichstag fire was important not so much in itself as in its consequences, for it was the pretext for the emergency decree of Feb. 28, 1933 which suspended the basic rights guaranteed by the Weimar Constitution, and opened the way for Hitler and the National Socialists to persecute their political opponents shortly before the parliamentary elections on Mar. 5, 1933. What was left of the Reichstag after the fire was destroyed in 1945 by bombing and looting. On April 30, 1945, two Red Army soldiers raised the Soviet flag above the ruins of the Reichstag as a symbol of victory.
Rebuilding was not completed until 1970. The dome, blown up in 1957 as being in danger of collapse, has not been rebuilt, nor has the rich sculptural decoration been restored. The building has a Plenary Chamber seating 650, plus 30 committee rooms and almost 200 office rooms, which are used for meetings of committees of the Bundestag and Bundesrat (the two houses of the German Parliament) and of members of the various political parties. On Oct. 4, 1990, the first sitting of the new all-German parliament was held here, followed on Jan. 17, 1991, by the constituted sitting of the all-German Bundestag which had been elected on Dec. 2, 1990. With the decision to move government and parliament to Berlin it seems certain that - after extensive rebuilding work has been carried out - the Reichstag Building will in future be the permanent seat of the German Bundestag.

Emperor William Memorial Church
Adjoining the modern church (by Egon Eiermann, 1959-61) stands the 63m/207ft-high ruined tower of the old Neo-Romanesque Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin's Charlottenburg district, built in 1891-95 (architect Franz Schwechten) in honor of the Emperor William I, which was destroyed in an air attack on Nov. 23, 1943. Years after the war, the question arose of demolishing the stump of the tower and building a completely new church. However, the Berliners wanted to retain their old church, or what remained of it. Accordingly, Egon Eiermann incorporated the ruined tower in the new complex he designed, consisting of a blue-glazed octagon and a hexagonal tower (with a "Third World Shop" at the bottom). The Memorial Church has thus become a major Berlin landmark and a war memorial at the same time. The ruins of the old tower have since been repaired several times, and in early 1987 a memorial hall was installed inside it as a plea against war and destruction and for reconciliation (mosaic remains, architectural remnants, photos). The centerpiece is a figure of Christ from the old church and a Cross of Nails from Coventry Cathedral which was destroyed by German bombs in the Second World War.

europe, map of europe, travel europe, 89 europe, europe tour, eastern europe, flight to europe, great britain europe, europe cruise, europe vacation, history of europe, travel europe france, map of western europe, britain europe general great, cheap flight to europe, europe car rental, europe news, wow europe, rail europe, map of eastern europe, western europe, europe trip, europe travel guide, backpacking europe, europe hotel, central europe, europe germany, europe travel package, nfl europe, eastern europe travel, europe ireland, europe train, cheap travel europe, blank map of europe,  europe river cruise, europe airfare, ski europe, cheap airfare to europe, europe country,  country in europe, holiday, visit europe, europe france, europe atlas, union europe, europe beach, cheap ticket to europe, united kingdom and europe,