Did you know that there are more than 140 museums and more than 1,400 bridges in the German capital? There are also more than 100 sights in Berlin . There are different attractions to explore in Berlin for every taste and every age. There are also numerous famous historical buildings that have played an important role in German history.
Although you can no longer see much of the Berlin Wall on the streets, the division of the city is shown in numerous exhibitions. The legendary party and club scene and the beautiful, water-rich surrounding area alone make Berlin one of the most beautiful cities in Germany.
Regardless of which district you are in, there are cultural and historical attractions close together. Often the sights mentioned below can be combined into a personal route or bucket list. With a little planning, you can immerse yourself in the Berlin party life after an enlightening sightseeing tour in the evening or end the day with a cold beer in a beer garden.
Let’s take a look the main attractions in Berlin.
1. The Berlin Reichstag
The Reichstag in Berlin was built by Paul Wallot in 1884-1994 and is the seat of the German Bundestag or the federal government. With its new glass cupola, the Reichstag became one of the biggest crowd pullers in Berlin. Its colorful past reflects the turbulence in German history since the 19th century.
This eliminates the need to wait for hours in front of the Bundestag building.
Reichstag Berlin
Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin
www.bundestag.de/besucher
2. Friedrichstrasse, Berlin
Friedrichstrasse is the most legendary street in the whole city. It combines the architecture of New Berlin with the tradition of the “Roaring Twenties”. In the 1920s there were amusement palaces, cafés, theaters and variety theaters such as the famous “Winter Garden” in the 3.5 km long street.
After the city was divided, the Berlin Wall also broke through this street. The world-famous Checkpoint Charlie was located on the border between the Kreuzberg and Mitte districts and thus on the border between East and West Berlin. Not only visitors, but also the employees of the new, chic offices, agencies and media centers enjoy the urban spirit and the New York flair of the new Friedrichstrasse.
3. Checkpoint Charlie, former border crossing in Berlin
From 1961 to 1990 Checkpoint Charlie was the only border crossing the border on the Berlin Wall for foreigners, diplomats, and officials of the GDR. And it was the place where Soviet and American tanks faced each other and the scene of spectacular escapes from East Berlin to the west. The GDR refugee Peter Fechter lost his life here on August 17, 1962, when he was bleeding to death in front of Western observers.
The most famous border crossing in Berlin was the third allied checkpoint used by the Americans. The names were given according to the spelling alphabet. Accordingly, the checkpoint on Friedrichstrasse was given the name „Charlie“. The border crossing in Helmstedt was named “Alpha” and the checkpoint at the Dreilinden motorway crossing was called “Bravo”.
Today Checkpoint Charlie is one of the most popular tourist attractions and one of the best-visited sights in Berlin.
Checkpoint Charlie
Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10117 Berlin
4. Berlin Cathedral
The impressive building of the Berlin Cathedral was once the court church of the Hohenzollern dynasty. It was also conceived as a Protestant response to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and was built during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II at the end of the 19th century.
After extensive damage to the building in World War II, a simplified reconstruction took place between 1975 and 1993. The baptistery and marriage chapel contains the altarpiece “Whitsun miracle” by K. Begas the Elder. In the royal crypt of the Hohenzollern there are around 100 resting places from five centuries.
Berliner Dom
Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin
www.berlinerdom.de
5. Alexanderplatz
The Berliners lovingly call it “Alex” and it is the most famous square in Berlin. This Place was almost completely destroyed in World War II and expanded into a spacious pedestrian zone in the 1960s. In the square, there is the large television tower, the fountain of international friendship, and the world clock. In the southwest is the park by the television tower with the Neptune fountain, Marienkirche, and the Red City Hall.
With more than 360,000 passers-by every day, Alexanderplatz is one of the liveliest squares in Europe. There are more visitors here every day than in City West around Kurfürstendamm and Tauentzienstrasse. It is a popular starting point for tourists because they can reach many sights such as the TV tower, the Nikolaiviertel, and the Red City Hall from the S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
6. Berlin Television Tower (Fernsehturm)
With a height of 368 meters, the Berlin TV-Tower is the tallest building in Berlin and one of the biggest attractions. With over a million visitors it is one of the most popular sights in Berlin and all of Germany.
In addition to its main function as a radio transmitter for radio and television, the “telecommunications tower 32” also serves as an observation tower. Anyone who drives up to the viewing platform at a height of 203 meters has an unforgettable view of the whole city from the revolving restaurant.
Fernsehturm Berlin
Panoramastraße 1A, 10178 Berlin
tv-turm.de
7. Brandenburger Tor in Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate is the symbol of the city of Berlin. Since it was in no man’s land just behind the Berlin Wall, it also became a symbol of the division of the city. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the gate was reopened on December 22nd, 1989.
Fortunately, the Brandenburg Gate has been closed to cars, taxis, and buses since October 22, 2002. So now you can better enjoy the renewed beauty of Pariser Platz. It connects the Brandenburg Gate and the magnificent „Unter den Linden“ boulevard.
8. Unter den Linden
The „Unter den Linden“ avenue is known as the splendid boulevard of Berlin. The road was originally surrounded by trees, but this was not always the case. Hitler ordered the linden trees to be felled in order to widen the street and integrate it into the east-west axis. However, by the end of the Second World War, the street was in ruins. Today, there is not much left to tell about this dark part of history. „Unter den Linden“ was beautifully rebuilt and well developed and reconstructed.
9. Museumsinsel, Berlin
When you consider that there are more than 140 museums in Berlin, this area is only a small part of it. The museum found on Museum Island, however, is a unique cultural heritage that combines five important museum buildings into a heterogeneous but harmonious ensemble on the Spree. The oldest museum complex in Berlin was more than 70% destroyed in World War II. The laborious restoration is far from over.
The island contains the following five buildings:
- Altes Museum, opened its doors in 1830. The interior, especially the arched rotunda, creates a wonderful atmosphere for the sculpture on display and the collection of ancient works of art.
- New Museum, was built in 1843-1859 to relieve the old museum. The interior design presents the history of mankind. It is decorated in historical styles that relate directly to the objects on display and the eras they represent.
- Alte National Galerie, was built in 1867-1976 as the “Temple of Science”. The building with its large outside staircase and the bronze statue of Friedrich Wilhelm IV on horseback was rebuilt in the 1950s and has been extensively restored since 1997.
- Bodemuseum, was established at the end of the 19th century. With its imposing dome and magnificent entrance hall, the building appears to cross the Spree like a ship. Inside there are several rooms that are individually designed in a style corresponding to the exhibited era.
- Pergamon Museum, was built in 1930, 100 years after the island was first built. It contains the Roman gate of Miletus, the altar of Zeus of Pergamon and the processional avenue, and the gate of Ishtar of Babylon.
If you want to see more than just these four museums, the cheaper 3-Day Museum Pass is recommended. The ticket costs 12 euros (reduced: 6 euros) and you can use it to visit 70 of Berlin’s 140 museums on three consecutive opening days. But please check again, around 40 museums are also included in the Berlin Welcome Card including some sights in Potsdam. After all, you don’t want to pay twice, pay twice.
10. Gendarmenmarkt
The Gendarmenmarkt is considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe and one of the sights in Berlin that you should definitely visit. The approximately 3.3 hectare area is framed by three impressive historical buildings: the Konzerthaus, the German Cathedral and the French Cathedral.
The square was built from 1688 according to the plans of J.A. Nering built. It was originally known as Linden Markt, then Friedrichstädtischer Markt or Neuer Markt. Since the square was used by a Kurassian regiment “gens d’arms” with guard boxes and stables from 1736–82, the name Gendarmenmarkt was created. From 1777 the square was developed according to uniform plans by Georg Christian Unger. It was badly damaged in World War II. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Academy of Sciences in Prussia, it was renamed “Platz der Akademie”. In 1991 the previous name was restored.
11. Konzerthaus
The Konzerthaus is the new building erected by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, which replaces the National Theater built in 1817 by Karl Gotthard Langhans from 1800-02, which was burned down in 1817. The conception of the concert hall integrates the remains of Langhan’s rectangular building, adding a taller, wider, gable-top in the center, complete with an Ionic portico jutting forward.
After its destruction in World War II, the building was initially only secured and the systematic restoration of the original design did not begin until 1979. Since its reopening in 1984, it has not served as a theater, but as a concert hall.
12. Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral)
The German Cathedral was built between 1701 and 2008. Herr Grünberg planned it and Giovanni Simonetti built it. During the redesign of the Gendarmenmarkt from 1780-85, Carl von Gontard added the dome tower to the cathedral. The cathedral was also destroyed in World War II. However, it was reconstructed and rebuilt. The reopening took place on October 2nd, 1996, five years after reunification.
13. Französischer Dom (French Cathedral)
The French Friedrichstadtkirche was built by Cayart in 1701-05. He designed the church for the Berlin Huguenot community. From 1780 to 1785 the imposing tower became the French Cathedral. This took place as part of the redesign of the Gendarmenmarkt according to the plans of Unger and Gontard. The cathedral was badly damaged during World War II. From 1977, however, it was rebuilt and rebuilt.
14. Topography of Terror
With over 1.38 million visitors a year, the “Topography of Terror” is one of the most popular sights in Berlin. The project shows the terror in the time of National Socialism in Germany between 1933 and 1945 in various exhibitions. The area is located between Potsdamer Platz and the Anhalter Bahnhof S-Bahn station and was the headquarters of the Gestapo.
Topographie des Terrors
Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin
www.topographie.de
15. Holocaust-Mahnmal in Berlin
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, or the Holocaust Memorial for short, is located right next to the Brandenburg Gate in the Mitte district. On around 19,000 square meters, there are 2,711 concrete steles of different heights, a design by the New York architect Peter Eisenman. The memorial is supplemented by underground themed rooms that show historical film and photo material on the victims and the places of persecution and extermination.
16. Oberbaumbrücke in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
The Oberbaum Bridge is truly the most beautiful bridge in Berlin. The former border crossing connects the districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. The name Oberbaum hides the old function of the Oberbaum as a Berlin water gate over the Spree. From the 13th century, piles narrowed the Spree in the course of the city fortifications in order to prevent ships from passing through without paying the customs duty. This pile structure was also known as a tree. In 1893 the conversion to a railway bridge was commissioned.
At the end of the Second World War, German troops blew up large parts of the central arch in the Battle of Berlin. Only after the German reunification was the bridge extensively restored and put back in place immediately. Today the building is one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks. The two striking 34-meter-high towers that span the middle arch of the bridge are popular motifs for photos and postcards.
17. The new Synagogue Centrum Judicaium
The new synagogue in the Mitte district is the eye-catcher in the Oranienburger Straße, one of the most popular streets in Berlin. The New Synagogue from 1866 survived the pogrom night of 1933, but was destroyed in the Second World War. The restored building is now called Centrum Judaicum and is now an information point and houses an exhibition on the history of the synagogue.
Neue Synagoge
Oranienburger Str. 28-30, 10117 Berlin
www.centrumjudaicum.de
18. Schloss Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg Palace gave the district of Charlottenburg its name. From 1695 it was for Sophie Charlotte, wife of Elector Friedrich III. built-in the village of Lützen. In her honor, Lützen was renamed Charlottenburg. The castle can be visited.
The castle park is just as worth seeing as the castle. It was originally laid out in 1695. Queen Luise, who died young, rests in a mausoleum. Other buildings in the park are the Belvedere and the New Pavilion. All of these buildings can be visited.
Schloss Charlottenburg – Altes Schloss
Spandauer Damm 10-22, 14059 Berlin
Tickets: 12.00 – 8.00 pm
Opening Hours:
Daily 10:00 – 16:30 Uhr
Montays closed
19. Jüdisches Museum, Berlin
Even the architecture of the Jewish Museum is extraordinary. A modern building in the shape of a broken Star of David and an old chamber court from 1736 form the ensemble. Inside you can expect 2000 years of German Jewish history. The Holocaust Tower is oppressive and terrifying.
Jüdisches Museum, Berlin
Daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin
www.jmberlin.de
20. Berlin Tiergarten Park
The Tiergarten is the largest park in Berlin and comparable to Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London. It was a former hunting ground for the electors – hence the name. There are five things you should definitely do there. Climb the Victory Column, visit the government district and Bellevue Palace. Then drink a beer either in the Café am Neuen See or in the Schleusenkrug , the beer garden in the Tiergarten.
21. East Side Gallery
Every year almost 1 million people visit the East Side Gallery between Ostbahnhof and Oberbaumbrücke. This makes the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall one of the most popular sights in Berlin. 118 artists from 21 countries designed the 1.3 km long section of the wall and made it the longest open-air gallery in the world. Today the East Side Gallery is a symbol of the joy of overcoming the division of Germany and at the same time a historical testimony to the inhumane GDR border regime.
www.eastsidegalleryberlin.de
22. Pergamon Museum
One of the most fascinating places on Berlin’s Museum Insel is the Pergamon Museum. The main attraction of the exhibition is the Pergamon Altar, after which the museum is named. With 750,000 visitors a year, it is the most visited art museum in Germany and has an incredible collection of historical treasures. Other notable attractions in Pergamon include the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, the Mshatta facade of a desert castle in Jordan, and the 2nd century Roman market gate of Miletus.
23. The Victory Column at Tiergarten Park
The Berlin Victory Column is located on the Großer Stern in the Großer Tiergarten. The Goldelse, as it is affectionately known by Berliners, is one of the most important sights in Berlin. Originally, the 60.5-meter monument was erected to commemorate the Wars of Unification. The column carries the gilded figure of Victoria, which can be seen far above Berlin when the weather is nice.
Inside the building, a spiral staircase with 285 steps leads to a viewing platform. From there you have a magnificent view of the Great Zoo, Potsdamer Platz, and the Brandenburg Gate.
24. Kurfürstendamm, Berlin’s promenade
The Ku’damm is Berlin’s shopping promenade in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. Here you can go shopping or visit the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Breitscheidplatz. Numerous hotels and cafes are located on Kurfürstendamm as tourist focal points in City West. If you head north from Breitscheidplatz, you can get to the Berlin Zoo and Tiergarten in just a few minutes. You can also walk to the Victory Column, Brandenburg Gate, and Fan Mile from here.
25. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Berlin
Another attraction in Berlin is the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. It was built in the 1890s in neo-Romanesque style on today’s Breitscheidplatz. The church was part of the emperor’s nationwide construction project to ward off the growing labor movement and was named after his grandfather.
The church was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. After the war, there was a big debate about whether it should be demolished or rebuilt. As a compromise, the architect Egon Eiermann designed an impressive modern church next to the old main tower. The 71-meter high ruin was structurally secured and preserved as a memorial against the war.
The new building has walls covered with more than 20,000 blue stained glass that were consecrated in 1961. The preserved, damaged tower of the old church serves as a memorial and shows an anti-war exhibition with a crucifix made of nails from the cathedral in Coventry, which was destroyed in 1940 by German air raids.
Opening hours:
- Church: daily 9 am – 19 pm
- Memorial hall: 10 am – 18 pm, sundays 12 am – 17:30 pm
- Church service: sutterdays 18 pm, sundays 10 am and 18 pm
www.gedaechtniskirche-berlin.de
26. Bebelplatz
The Bebelplatz is a square on Berlin’s magnificent boulevard Unter den Linden . The historical place is framed by the opera house, the Prinzessinnenpalais, the St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, the old library, and the old palace. In addition, a memorial commemorates the book burning of the National Socialists in 1933.
27. Potsdamer Platz
The Potsdamer Platz connects the old inner city in the east and the new west of Berlin. This is where the districts of Mitte and Tiergarten meet. Before the Second World War, Potsdamer Platz was one of the liveliest squares in Europe. After the Allied air raids, however, almost nothing remained but rubble. A wasteland was created where the Soviet, British, and American sectors came together. The so-called Dreiländereck was, so to speak, no man’s land and border area.
After the wall came down, plans were drawn up for the development of the huge area. During the 1990s, Potsdamer Platz became the largest inner-city construction site in Europe. The most modern futuristic buildings such as the Sony Center, the Deutsche Bahn Tower, and the Atrium Tower were built. The Berlinale takes place every year in the Theater am Potsdamer Platz, next to it is the casino.
And in the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden, you can shop endlessly. The fastest elevator in Europe takes you up to the 100-meter-high panorama point in just 20 seconds and has a magnificent view of the city. Many city tours stop here. Together around 100,000 tourists visit Potsdamer Platz every day.
28. The Berlin Government District
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, a huge border strip became free around the Reichstag building. Three modern buildings were erected on the 12,000 m² sites. This is how the “Paul-Löbe-Haus”, the “Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus” and the Jakob-Kaiser-Haus were built in the so-called Spreebogen. Together with the Reichstag and the Federal Chancellery, the ensemble forms the largest government district in the world and one of the most beautiful sights in Berlin.
A stroll through the government district of Berlin is particularly worthwhile in the evening. The futuristic buildings are illuminated by light installations. The Reichstag and its glass dome are also illuminated. In between, you can find segments of the Berlin Wall that are supposed to remind of the time of the division of Berlin.
29. Olympiastadion Berlin
The Olympiastadion Berlin is located in the Westend district and is the home stadium of the Bundesliga soccer team Hertha BSC. The stadium and the surrounding Olympic Park are an architectural masterpiece and were the National Socialists’ first major construction project. For the Olympic Games in 1936, the large stadium was supposed to present the splendor of the Third Reich. Today, in addition to the sporting events and football matches, there are also major concert events.
Since the renovation and reopening in 2004, the Berlin Olympic Stadium has been a tourist attraction. Around 300,000 tourists from all over the world make the five-star stadium one of the most visited sights in Berlin. Interesting tours through the history of sports are offered on various tours through the area of the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Park. In addition to the Hertha tour, there are also guided tours that explain the history and architecture of the building. Another good idea is the birthday tour, where 6 to 12-year-olds can show what they can do in terms of sport.
30. Nikolaiviertel
Only a stone’s throw from Alexanderplatz is Berlin’s oldest residential area around the Nikolaikirche . Almost completely destroyed in World War II, the district was rebuilt in the 1980s. A number of historic houses from the 16th to 18th centuries have been reconstructed according to old plans. The most important is the Ephraim-Palais, the Gasthof Zum Nussbaum, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s house, and the Knoblauchhaus. The Nikolaikirche is the oldest preserved building in Berlin and today houses a museum for sacred sculptures.
At the shores of the Spree you will find a number of great cafes and restaurants with a view of the water and the Berliner Stadtschloss (City Palace) opposite. In addition, some wonderful Spree Tours start from the steamer landing stage at Nikolaiviertel, which are very popular with tourists, especially in summer.
31. Zoologischer Garten (Berlin Zoo)
The Berlin Zoo is the most species-rich zoo in the world and the oldest in Germany. It has been there since 1844. Besides monkeys, lions, elephants and the like, you can also watch exotic animals in the nocturnal animal house, which is located in the basement of the predator house. In the dark you can observe different animals, in the evening, when all visitors have left the zoo, the lights are switched on and the animals sleep. It’s a little different in the nocturnal animal house than it is in humans.
32. German Spy Museum
The German Spy Museum, which opened in 2015, is located directly at the Potsdamer Platz underground station. With 342,000 visitors in 2018, it is now one of the top 10 most popular Berlin museums.
The history of espionage and secret services around the world is shown in an interactive and multimedia exhibition. In particular, the history of espionage in Berlin during the Cold War and current developments are the focus of the museum.
www.deutsches-spionagemuseum.de
33. Berlin Wall Memorial
Just a short walk north of Alexanderplatz is the Berlin Wall Memorial between the Scheunenviertel and the Brunnenviertel. Some of the most memorable images from the early days of the Berlin Wall were taken here on Bernauer Strasse, which is now a memorial to this famous border.
The wall here is 70 meters long, including the death strip in between and a watchtower next to the road. This entire section is a permanent memorial to the victims of the Berlin Wall who lost their lives between 1961 and 1989. On the other side of Bernauer Strasse is the visitor center, which shows the wall from its first enforcement to its ultimate destruction.
Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The memorial site can be visited daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de
34. Glienicker Brücke (Bridge of Spies)
The Glienicke Bridge connects Königstrasse in Wannsee with Potsdam. The state border between Brandenburg and Berlin and the city border with Potsdam run across the middle of the bridge.
The bridge to Potsdam on the southwestern tip of Berlin was not only a checkpoint between West Berlin and the GDR, it was also a symbol of the confrontation between East and West, a place for the exchange of international spies and a gloomy backdrop for numerous spy novels and films.
During the division of Germany, three agent exchanges with a total of 40 people took place at Glienicke Bridge. That is why the agent bridge is also called the “bridge of spies”. In 2015 the film “Bridge of Spies” was shot here, in which Tom Hanks played the leading role.
Today it is the center of a serene lake landscape, surrounded by picturesque castles and parks.
35. DDR Museum
The GDR Museum, which opened in 2006 directly opposite the Berlin Cathedral, is a comprehensive archive for the German Democratic Republic and documents the good, the bad, and the downright kitsch of the East German regime.
Among other things, you can visit the furnishings and fittings of a typical apartment in an East German prefabricated building and see what it was like to drive a Trabant.
In 27 subject areas, you will find memorabilia from the Free German Youth (FDJ), recordings of East German music, and a reproduction of a classroom. There is also information about the notorious Stasi secret service and its efforts to spy on the lives of thousands of citizens.
DDR-Museum Berlin
Daily from 10 am – 20 pm
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin
www.ddr-museum.de
36. Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears)
Another attraction in Berlin is the Tränenpalast. This is what Berliners call the former exit hall of the only border crossing point to West Berlin at Friedrichstrasse station. West Berliners who were visiting in the east were tearfully bid farewell here.
Today the old terminal is an exhibition, with reports from contemporary witnesses describing the strict security measures and customs controls between 1962 and 1990. You can also see the control and check-in counters with original signs and signs.
Tränenpalast, Berlin
Thursday – Friday: 9 am –19 pm
Sutterday and Sunday: 10 am –18 pm
Bhf. Friedrichstraße, Reichstagufer 17, 10117 Berlin
Tel. (030) 46 77 77 9-11
Tränenpalast
37. Berliner Unterwelten (Berlin Underworlds)
The Berlin Underworlds is currently one of the most spectacular sights in Berlin . Various sightseeing tours lead visitors through Berlin’s history and underground structures. A guided tour of the bunker shows underground dormitories, which were supposed to offer protection from air raids during World War II, and old subway shafts with wall breakthroughs, which were created during attempts to escape from the GDR to the West.
berliner-unterwelten.de
38. Trabrennbahn Mariendorf und Karlshorst
The trotting track in Mariendorf was built in 1913 and is located in Berlin’s Tempelhof-Schöneberg district. Since the 1920s, the facility has been one of the largest and most popular trotting tracks in Germany. Another very well-known equestrian facility is the harness racing track in Karlshorst. In addition to the regular weekly racing days, various major events such as the German-Russian Festival take place here.
39. Tempelhof Airport
The monumental structure was built by the Nazis between 1936-1941. Berlin Airport became famous when the cherry bombers landed here during the Berlin blockade and saved the lives of many Berliners. Not only is the neoclassical one impressive, there are also guided tours, trade fairs, and sporting events that take place on the premises. In addition, the airport is also the venue for the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA.
40. Tempelhofer Feld
One of the most popular excursion destinations in Berlin for young people is the Tempelhofer Feld. On the site of the former Tempelhof Airport, a large recreational area with a wide range of leisure activities has been created.
41. Die Rooftop-Bar des Weekend Clubs
The number one destination for young people is the roof terrace of the Weekend Club. From the roof garden of the night club you have a fantastic panoramic view over the whole of Berlin.
weekendclub.berlin
42. asisi Panorama Berlin
The 360-degree panorama painting by Yadegar Asisis on the divided Berlin is located at the former border crossing Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse. The giant panorama with a height of 15 meters and a circumference of 60 meters takes its visitors to Kreuzberg in the 1980s when the capital was still divided. It shows a view over the Berlin Wall to East Berlin to a sea of houses made of gray facades.
asisi Panorama Berlin
Friedrichstraße 205, 10117 Berlin
Tickets 4 – 10 Euro
Daily 10 am – 18 pm
www.asisi.de
43. Treptower Park
Treptower Park is located in the southeast of Berlin directly on the Spree. The English-style park, laid out in 1884, extends over 84 hectares and consists of lush lawns, tree groves, and a rose garden. It was Berlin’s first public park and freely accessible to all citizens.
Immediately after the Second World War, a huge memorial and cemetery for the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who perished in the Battle of Berlin were erected in the complex. The 12-meter high statue of the Soviet soldier holding a German child and standing on a smashed swastika was the largest war memorial in the GDR.
As in the city’s three other large parks from the 19th century, wide, curving paths meander through large, sunny lawns. The park is most beautiful in summer, because you can stroll along the Spree or rent a boat for a paddle tour.
44. German Technology Museum, Berlin
If you don’t know what to do with the children in Berlin, just go to the German Museum of Technology . The exhibitions on printing, news, production and film technology are visited by around 600,000 people annually. In addition, the museum invites you on a journey through traffic and industry in the past decades.
Steam and diesel locomotives and historical aircraft in a huge aviation hall are shown on around 6000 square meters. There are daily live demonstrations of papermaking and typing for newspapers. Children can take part in experiments on electricity, light and magnetism in the Science Center.
45. Botanical Garden & Botanical Museum
Berlin’s 100-acre botanical garden is a paradise for horticulturists and gardeners with over 22,000 plant species. At the same time, these landscape park is also a popular place for recreation and relaxation.
The garden is located in the Dahlem district in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district. The former royal hop garden was subordinated to the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin at the beginning of the 19th century and moved from the city center to the southwest of Berlin between 1897 and 1910. At that time, the Great Tropical House, the largest of the park’s 15 greenhouses, was built in the graceful Art Nouveau style and the park was expanded to include an arboretum.
Those who are thirsty for knowledge can visit the Botanical Museum and collect a lot of additional background knowledge about the flora.
Botanischer Garten
Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195 Berlin
Täglich von 9-20 Uhr
Botanischer Garten: 6,00 €/erm. 3,00 €
Botanisches Museum: 2,50 €/erm. 1,50 €
www.bgbm.org
46. Grunewald
The Havel on the Schildhorn in Berlin's Grunewald
The city forest of Berlin is only a few minutes’ walks from the Olympic Stadium in the west. The Grunewald extends over 3,000 hectares and is one of the largest green spaces in Berlin.
To the west, the Grunewald forest is bounded by the Havel and is crossed by a chain of smaller lakes. The largest of these are the Grunewaldsee, the Schlachtensee, and the Krumme Lanke. So in summer, you have to pack your swimming trunks and cycle out into the Grunewald, because swimming is allowed on the lakes.
On the banks of the Grunewaldsee lies the Grunewald hunting lodge, the oldest palace in Berlin. It is one of many historic houses that are either in the forest or on the edge of the forest. The Grunewald Tower on the Havelchaussee is also worth seeing. In the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Tower, there is a good excursion restaurant with a magnificent view of the Havel.
Fährt man noch ein Stück weiter, kommt man auf dem Weg zum Strandbad Wannsee am Kronprinzessinnenweg vorbei. Die Straße ist für den Autoverkehr gesperrt und eine wichtige Teilstrecke für Radfahrer zum Wannsee. Viele Skater nutzen den asphaltierten Weg als Trainingsstrecke.
47. Teufelsberg – „Lost Places“ in Berlin
The Teufelsberg is a mountain of rubble at the northernmost end of the Grunewald and the second highest elevation in the urban area. In the 1940s, the shell of the defense technology faculty stood on the artificial hill, which was blown up after the war and filled with 26 million cubic meters of rubble from 1950. In the 1950s the US Army built a bugging system on the mountain.
After the occupation forces withdrew, the surveillance station buildings were empty and the ruins became one of the best photo hotspots in Berlin. Because from the hill you have a magnificent view over the nature reserve Grunewald and the Havel.
48. Kurfürstendamm (Kudam)
To the west of the Memorial Church in Berlin’s dazzling promenade, which was laid out on behalf of Otto von Bismarck in the 1880s. The tallest building on Kurfürstendamm is the Europa-Center, which also houses Berlin’s oldest shopping center.
In the Roaring Twenties, Kurfürstendamm was the hippest entertainment district in Berlin. A few “Theaters and Comedy on Kurfürstendamm” still bear witness to this time. The most famous café on Kudam is the Kranzler, which was also known as the Café des Westens. The coffee house opened in 1825 by a Viennese confectioner journeyman has been a meeting place for Berlin intellectuals and writers for many years.
49. Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe)
The Kaufhaus des Westens KaDeWe is the most famous shopping center in Germany and the second largest in Europe. The eight-story building was opened in 1907 and offers luxury goods on around 60,000 square meters of retail space. The huge delicatessen department has been a special attraction since the late 1920s. The huge delicatessen hall on the 6th floor is also known as the “Feinschmeckeretage” and is the second-largest food department in a department store in the world.
Another attraction at KaDeWe is the winter garden on the 7th floor. The self-service restaurant with the glass dome has space for 1000 guests.
50. Berlin Radio Tower
The 150-meter radio tower is a steel frame construction that was built in 1926 according to plans by the architect Heinrich Straumer. The tower is one of the most striking sights in Berlin and is affectionately known by the locals as the “Lange Lulatsch”. The publicly accessible building has a tower restaurant at a height of 50 meters. From the viewing platform at the top of the tower, you have a magnificent view over the whole of Berlin.