Berlin's Top Sights

Charlottenburg Palace The impressive Charlottenburg Palace gave a whole district its name. It all began in 1695, when a palace was build in Lietzow, a village outside Berlin, for the Prussian queen Sophie Charlotte. After Sophie Charlotte`s death in 1705 Lietzow was renamed Charlottenburg. The palace was rebuilt and enlarged several times. Enjoy the beautiful grounds to walk and relax! Charlottenburg Palace Spandauer Damm 10-22 14059 Berlin How to get there: Train: S41,S42 (Westend) Bus: M45, 109, 309                                                                          ...

Museum Island  The Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here five museums invite you to explore great treasures.   The  Altes Museum (Old Museum), completed in 1830, is a work of Schinkel and houses the antiquities collection.   The  Neues Museum (New Museum), built 1841-59 by August Stüler, is the second oldest building on Museum Island. After the destruction in  Second World War, the museum is now completely restored.  Since 2009 the Museum of Prehistory  and Early History and the Egyptian Museum are housed here. In the Egyptian Museum you should definitely visit the bust of Queen Nefertiti.   The   Bode Museum is home to the Museum of Byzantine Art and has also a good coin collection. The Pergamon Museum is the most visited museum in Berlin. Its main sight the Pergamon Altar is unfortunately not   accessible  for several years, but two gates,  the Market Gate of Miletus and the Ischtar ...

The Gendarmenmarkt is the most beautiful place in Berlin! It has a special athmosphere that attracts Berliners and tourists alike. Like twins seem the French and the German Cathedral.   view of Gendarmenmarkt The Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) was built 1701-1708. The imposing dome was added in 1780-85 by Carl von Gontard. The Deutscher Dom houses an exhibition about the development of parliamentary democracy in Germany. The Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) was built in 1701-1705 for the Huguenot community. Like the German Cathedral the dome was added 1780-85 by Carl von Gontard. The Huguenot Museum inside the church shows the history and the life of the French immigrants. The Konzerthaus (concert hall) was built in 1821 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel as a theater. In front of the Konzerthaus you will find an imposing monument depicting the great German writer Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805). Konzerthaus  Tip: Magical and exclusive in Dec...

The area around the popular Kurfürstendamm is called City West. In the late 19th century the Kurfürstendamm was constructed. The street and its environment evolved into an exclusive area, that was preferred by the rich and famous. In the 1920's it reached its popularity. A fter the war and the division of Berlin the area remained popular. But after the reunification of Berlin and Germany developers and visitors focused more on the center of the former East-Berlin. Only recently the City West experienced a new boom. New buildings like the noble Waldorf Astoria hotel were erected, the Bikini House that was build in the 1950's was reconstructed into an expensive shopping mall. The development is not over yet! The KaDeWe is the biggest department store on the European Continent. By the way, KaDeWe is the abbreviation of Kaufhaus des Westens (Department Store of the West). It opened in 1907 and offers six floors of pure shopping pleasure. The highlight is the food depar...

The Reichstag, the Victory Column and the Tiergarten The Reichstag is the seat of the German Parliament. It was built 1884-1894 by Paul Wallot. The inscription "Dem Deutschen Volke" ( to the German people) was added only in 1916. A deliberately laid fire burned down the Reichstag in 1933. During World War II the Reichstag was destroyed again. From the dome (1999 Sir Norman Foster) you have fantastic views of the city, but you must register in advance. Der Reichstag Tip: In the vicinity of the Reichstag are the new government buildings ( Band des Bundes ), which were constructed when Berlin became again the capital of Germany after the reunification. The Siegessäule (Victory Column) recalls Prussian victory in three wars: 1864 against Denmark, 1866 against Austria and 1870/71 against France. It was completed by Heinrich Strack in 1871.The golden angel on the top of the Victory Column is affectionately called Goldelse by us Berliners. It`s wo...

A wall  divided Berlin from 1 3. August 1961 - 9 . November 1989. On this night the wall fell.  Nevertheless,  it  took several months before it was completely demolished. Completely? No, not quite! Individual traces and pieces of the wall can still be found in many places in Berlin. Plaques and plaster stones markes the course of the wall all over Berlin The East Side Gallery is 1.5 kilometers long and is so the longest piece of wall in Berlin that still exists. Shortly after the fall of the wall, artists from all over the world painted this remaining wall. East Side Gallery on 9 November 2014. The 25 th  anniversary of the fall  of the Berlin wall was celebrated with a chain of ballons, that marked the course of the wall. In Friedrichstraße lies Checkpoint Charlie . In divided Berlin it was the border crossing for allies and diplomats. You can learn more about Checkpoint Charlie and the wall in the Mauermuseum . Che...

Alexanderplatz You can see the 368-meter high Fernsehturm (Television Tower) from many places in Berlin. No wonder - because the building is the tallest in Germany! The Fernsehturm opened in 1968. From the top you can enjoy spectacular views over Berlin. Other attractions at the Alex - like we Berliners call Alexanderplatz - are the World Time Clock , the Neptunbrunnen (Neptune -Fountain) and the popular shopping mall Alexa. St. Mary`s Church (Marienkirche) is the second oldest church in Berlin. It dates from the late 13th century. Inside, close to the entrance, look out for the “Dance of Death” , a mural which was created shortly after the Black Death (1484). Berlin`s city hall  is called Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). The building was completed in 1869 and has its name from the red bricks of which it was built. Alexanderplatz with the famous World Time Clock In   the  Berlin Dungeon you can discover Berlin's dark history You w...