Berlin's Top Ten Sights - The City West

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. After 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 department on the sixth floor.
The KaDeWe
                                                                                    


The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church) by Franz Schwechten on Breitscheidplatz is Berlin's most famous church. It was inaugurated in 1895 in memory of Kaiser Wilhelm I. During World War II it was destroyed. Only the tower of the old church remains. In 1961 a new church and a new bell tower were inaugurated.
The new bell tower and the old, that was restored at the moment the picture was taken.
Also on Breitscheidplatz lies the striking Europa-Center. It is one of the finest shopping centers in Berlin. You can't miss it. It has a huge Mercedes star on the top of its roof.
Many (most luxurious) shops and restaurants are located on the Kurfürstendamm, which we Berliners call Ku'damm. But a stroll on Berlins most famous street is always fun. Even if you have got a small budget! The Kurfürstendamm got its name from the electors, that rode - long time ago - on this way to their hunting lodge in Grunewald. Famous and exclusive is the Café Kranzler.



The Kurfürstendamm is an exclusive shopping area, with many posh shops.
 




How to get there:
Underground: U1, U2, U3 (Wittenbergplatz), U1 (Kurfürstendamm)
Bus: M29, M19, M46, 100, 200

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