Brandenburger Tor
The Brandenburger Tor, Berlin's only remaining city gate, is the symbol of the city. It used to be next to the Berlin Wall, making it a representative building of the division between East and West Berlin. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate was reopened to the public on December 22, 1989, becoming a symbol of unity.
The colonnaded gate, built of sandstone, was designed by C.G. Langhans between 1788 and 1791 in the style of the Akropolis in Athens. On both sides*** there are six Doric columns supporting five passages 11 meters deep, and in 1794 the Brandenburg Gate was decorated with a four-horse chariot and a statue of the Goddess of Victory portrayed by Schadow, pointing east towards the city center. During World War II, the buildings surrounding the Brandenburg Gate were completely destroyed.
Paris Square
Paris Square connects the Brandenburg Gate with the magnificent Rue de la Ligne. Formerly a military training ground, Wilhelm I built this square at the end of the Rue de la Ligne. The square was then surrounded by town houses, embassies and the luxurious Adlon Hotel.
The entire Paris Square and its surrounding buildings were severely damaged during the war. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was restored to its historic condition. In the course of the restoration, the area was filled with world-famous architects. The Liebermann and Sommer buildings to the left and right of the Brandenburg Gate are now twin buildings. Their architectural style is modeled after that of the historically famous architect Stüler. The construction of the Dresdner Bank building eschewed traditional architectural ornamentation while continuing the traditional architecture of the Paris Plaza.
The Reichstag
The Reichstag (also known as the "Reichstag") is now not only the seat of the Federal Assembly, but its domed roof is also a favorite tourist destination. Its ever-renewing history mirrors aspects of German history from the 19th century onwards.
The Reichstag was built between 1884 and 1894 as a symbolic building for the Reichstag by Paul Vallot after the founding of the German Empire. Due to the opposition of Wilhelm II at the time, the inscription "For the German people" was only inscribed during the First World War.
On November 9, 1918, Congressman Philipp Schaidmann proclaimed the founding of the Reichstag through the window of the Reichstag building, which caught fire on February 27, 1933, destroying part of the building for unknown reasons. The "Reichstag Arson" became a pretext for the Nazi rulers to persecute political opponents.
The Reichstag was severely damaged in World War II and was rebuilt between 1961 and 1971 to a design by Paul Baumgarten. The rebuilt Reichstag simplified the building, omitting the domed part of the building that had been blown up in 1945. The building, which once stood on the border of the Berlin Wall, housed the exhibition "Questions and Answers on German History". Currently, the exhibition is housed in the German Cathedral. After the merger of East and West Germany, the German Federal Parliament decided to relocate to the Reichstag, which was rebuilt by Sir Norman Furst from 1994 to 1999 as a modern parliamentary office building on the original scale, with a new domed dome for tours, and which was one of the most striking in all of Europe before the restoration began in 1994. Artwork: Christo and Jeanne Claude wrap the Capitol. Now the controversial dome is the new symbol of Berlin.
Bundeskanzleramt
The Bundeskanzleramt is one of the most striking buildings in the new government district. The white building is part of the "Federal Link". The "federal link" connects the new buildings to the historic Reichstag.
On June 20, 1991, a reunited Germany once again chose Berlin as its capital. Afterward, a tender was held to design the shape of a government building on the Spree Bay. Berlin architects Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank won the bidding with their "Federal Ties" design. The "Federal Link" spans the river Spree and connects East and West Berlin. The Federal Chancellery, one of the components of the "Federal Belt", consists of a nine-storey main building in the center and two wings that are lower and deeper on both sides. The 18-meter-high semicircle in the upper part of the building is the symbol of the main building.
The glass fa?ade of the Federal Chancellery makes the building transparent and wide, and the 12-meter-high stone columns make the glass fa?ade structurally clear and create a perspective effect that responds to the inside and outside.
The two wings of the Federal Chancellery are office areas, and the entrance hall of the main building is wide and grand for receiving VIPs. Through the transparent glass of the Prime Minister's meeting floor or standing on the balcony, you can look at the beautiful scenery of Tiergarten Park. In the VIP reception courtyard, which is used to receive state guests, there is a huge iron sculpture "Berlin" by Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida.
Gendarmenmarkt
Gendarmenmarkt, also known as Gendarmenmarkt, is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe and a must-see for tourists. Surrounded by the German Cathedral, the French Cathedral and the Concert Hall, the square is beautiful, harmonious and unforgettable.
The square was opened in 1688 by J.A. Nering, and was first known as Lindenplatz, then Friedrichstadtplatz or New Platz, and from 1736 to 1782 it was used by the military, which gave it the name of "Imperial Platz". After 1777, the square was designed and extended by Georg Christian Unger. During the Second World War, the square was severely damaged. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Academy of Sciences, the square was renamed "Place des Académies", and in 1991 it was restored to its original name of "Place du Midi".
French Cathedral
The French Cathedral was designed by Cayart in 1701-1705 for the Huguenots who fled from France to Berlin. The rectangular central building was flanked by two semicircular buildings on its long sides, and in 1780-85, during the enlargement of the Imperial Plaza, the church was enlarged with a striking tower to the design of Gontard and Unger. The church was badly damaged in World War II and was rebuilt in 1977.
German Cathedral
The famous German Cathedral, designed by M. Grünberg and built by Giovanni Simonetti in 1701-1708, was initially called the Neuenkirche, and a dome was added to it in the renovation and extension of the Imperial Square in 1780-1785, to a design by Gontard. The church was similarly destroyed in World War II, and on October 2, 1996, the restored German Cathedral reopened to the public.
Concert Hall (Theater)
The State Theater, built here by Karl Gotthard Langhans from 1800 to 1802, was destroyed in a fire in 1817. The famous Prussian architect Schenkel built a new building on the ruins of the theater's original site, incorporating the remnants of the original building into the new structure. The middle part of the building is tall, wide and protrudes in front, built with Ionic columns. After its destruction during World War II, it was only protected in the initial stages, and systematic restoration was not possible until 1979, when it was reopened in 1984, having been converted from a theater to a concert hall.
Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)
Berlin Cathedral was originally the court cathedral of the royal family of Hohenzollern, and as a Protestant church it corresponds to the Roman Catholic church of Peter's Cathedral.
Built between 1894 and 1905 under Emperor Wilhelm II, it was designed by Julius Carl Raschdorff. Berlin Cathedral was built as a palace and memorial church for the Hohenzollern royal family after the old cathedral was demolished. Despite the opposition of the people at the time, an ornate dome in the Italian Renaissance style was erected over the Berlin Cathedral in accordance with the wishes of Wilhelm II. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War and was restored between 1975 and 1993, but its original decoration was simplified.
The interior of the church is richly decorated and was designed by the same architect, Raschdorff, during the same period. Among the most valuable are the coffins of the Grand Elector and his wife Dorothea, King Friedrich I and Queen Sophie Charlotten. The main altar is the work of F. A. Stüler from 1850.
Museumsinsel
The complex of buildings on Museumsinsel is a unique set of cultural heritage. The five museums on the island have different, yet harmonious forms, and their grandeur is enhanced by the fact that the River Spree flows past them on both sides.
At the southern end of the island, next to the Palace Bridge and Berlin Cathedral, is the Altes Museum, in front of which stretches the Lustgarten. At the far north is the Neues Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie. Facing west is the Pergamon Museum, and outermost is the Bodemuseum. This group of museum buildings, perfected over a century of history, was more than 70% destroyed in World War II, after which East and West Berlin were divided, and the museum's collections were dispersed in various parts of East and West Berlin. It will be a long time before the museums are restored and most of the former collections returned to their original locations, and in 1999 the museum complex was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Five museums
The Old Museum was built in 1830 and designed by Schenkel. The interior rotunda with its tall dome envelops the museum's collection of ancient art sculptures in a fascinating atmosphere.
The New Museum was built between 1843 and 1859 and was designed by F. A. Stüler. The New Museum was built to take the pressure off the overflowing collections of the Old Museum, which contained exhibitions on the history of mankind, and the entire building corresponds to the phases of history according to the content of the exhibitions. Designed by architect David Chipperfield, the reconstruction of the New Museum, which was left in ruins by World War II bombing, is expected to be completed by 2007.
The National Gallery of Art, now known as the Old National Gallery of Art, was built between 1867 and 1876, also designed by Stüler and completed by Johann Heinrich Strack. Originally intended as a "Hall of Scientists", it became a collection of German 19th-century paintings. The building has a high, wide staircase and a bronze statue of Friedrich Wilhelm IV on horseback. The entire building was rebuilt in the 1950s. It has been restored again since 1997.
Built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the Bode Museum is built in the Baroque style. The building's imposing dome and grand entrance hall resemble a large ship spanning the River Spree. Wilhelm von Bode, the museum minister at the time, designed the interior galleries in the style of each era. The restoration of the museum will be completed in 2005. The collection of paintings in the museum can now be admired in the gallery of famous paintings in the cultural center.
The youngest building on the island is the Pergamon Museum, built in 1930, with the imposing Altar of Zeus, the Babylonian procession Ischtartor and the Romanesque Milet Gate.
The TV Tower (Fernsehturm)
The TV Tower, at 368 meters, is Berlin's tallest building and a favorite among tourists. The tower's observation deck is 203 meters high and offers a panoramic view of the city.
The tower was designed by a collective of creative groups and built between 1965 and 1969, and is a member of the World Federation of Towers. The tower is a steel-framed concrete structure, 250 meters high. The sphere at the top of the tower is a steel frame structure, and there are seven floors inside the sphere***. You can reach the observation deck in 40 seconds by elevator. There is an antenna café on the observation deck, which rotates on its own for 30 minutes, where visitors can see the breathtaking view of the whole city and enjoy the charm of the city of Berlin. On top of the tower is the 118-meter-high TV antenna.
Designed by Walter Herzog and Heinz Aust between 1969 and 1972, the pavilion-style plinth was built at the foot of the TV tower. The plinth consists of three wings with pleated roofs. One of them is a tourist information café arranged for visitors by the Berlin Tourism Marketing GmbH.
Lehrter Bahnhof
Berlin's new central station was one of the best-received construction projects. By the time of the 2006 soccer World Cup, the project will be fully completed, making it Europe's largest rail transportation hub.
The original Wright Station was destroyed in World War II, and the new station was built on the site, with new north-south railroads laid in all directions, in addition to east-west express train tracks. This crossroads-style transportation function is also reflected in the architectural design. The station's east-west direction runs through a steel-framed, glass-structured roof, and two parallel-structured buildings lift the north-south roof into the air, while the north-south railroad passes through underground. The huge roof of Wright Station will thus be the largest glass roof in Germany. This mesh-like transparent hall structure is a magnificent example of modern train station architecture.
Not only because of its enormous size, but also because of its unprecedented railroad connections, Wright Station is a very important project in Berlin's architectural history.
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz is the most glamorous place in the new Berlin. Its striking architecture combines restaurants, shopping centers, theaters and cinemas, making it attractive not only to sightseers, but also to Berliners who visit it regularly. The former Potsdamer Platz has become only a small part of the current square.
In the beginning, Potsdamer Platz had only one intersection. Later, the Potsdamer Bahnhof was built on the site, which developed into one of the busiest areas for transportation and became synonymous with the capital's vibrant urban life. The square was severely damaged in World War II. Its location at the crossroads of American, British, French and Soviet jurisdictions, and the fact that the Berlin Wall cut through the square, reduced the bustling city center to an unpopulated quarantine zone after the war.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz was Europe's largest construction site, and between 1993 and 1998 the DaimlerChrysler district was built here, with offices, stores, hotels, residential housing, restaurants, as well as the Stella Musical Theatre and a Casino Casino. 22-storey Debis-Haus was built by Renzo Piano, who was also the founder of the Potsdamer Platz. The 22-storey debis-Haus, designed by Renzo Piano, has a huge, spacious main hall with a mechanical sculpture "Meta-Maxi" by Jean Tinguely. Connected to it is a panoramic cinema and the shopping center Arkaden, with a wide range of stores and merchandise.
In 2000, the Sony Center opened on Kemperplatz, where Sony's European headquarters are located. The seven buildings are surrounded by a bright and spacious center area with a folded canopy. The ultra-contemporary complex also includes a new film museum, two movie theaters, a panoramic film theater, restaurants and an exhibit called the "Music Box" where viewers can interact with the "exhibits.
The Kollhoff-Geb?ude, with its red-brick fa?ade, houses Europe's fastest elevator, which takes visitors up to the cityscape.
Eastside Gallery
The Berlin Wall enclosed what was then West Berlin between 1961 and 1989, separating it from the eastern part of the city and East Germany. After the fall of the Wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany in 1990, the Wall was dismantled in sections. Today only a few remnants of the Berlin Wall can be seen in a few places.
During the secession, colorful decorative painters and artists used the wall as a substitute for paper, and the western side of the Berlin Wall was a popular place to paint. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, a number of famous airbrush artists painted on the eastern side of the long-preserved section of the wall, giving birth to today's galleries.
On September 28, 1990, the largest open-air gallery in the world was officially opened between the East Train Station and the Oberbaum Bridge. 180 artists from 21 countries created paintings on different themes on the 1,316-meter-long section of the Berlin Wall, which was listed as a protected building in 1991. Some of the most famous works include "Brother's Kiss" by Dimitri Vrubel, "Fatherland" by Gunther Schaefer and "Berlin-New York" by Gerhard Lahr. Berlin-New York" by Gerhard Lahr. These paintings have been severely damaged in the last few years and are currently being restored.
Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion)
The Olympic Stadium was built in 1935-36, designed by architect Werner March for the main venue of the 1936 Olympic Games, the "Reichstag". Originally designed for 100,000 spectators, the stadium now holds 75,000 people. The stadium is currently undergoing a complete renovation and expansion, which is due to be completed in 2004, and will be the venue for the 2006 soccer World Cup final.
The stadium consists of two levels of corridors with columns, marathon gates and huge open-air staircases leading up to the upper stands. The design of the entire building was heavily influenced by the principles of the Nazi rulers' megastructures and is a prime example of a megastructure.
Today the Olympic Stadium is still the final venue for many events such as the International Track and Field Championships (ISTAF). Bundesliga soccer team Hertha Berlin also plays here, as well as many major events. One of the components of the Reichsstadion, the May National Assembly, was originally used as a venue for political campaigns, but is now the main venue for international pop concerts. The other part, the adjacent forest stage modeled after an ancient Greek amphitheater, was used as a gymnasium for the 1936 Olympic Games. Today, open-air concerts are held and open-air movies are shown on the forest stage, which is surrounded by greenery.
The stadium also has a clock tower. From the top of the building you can see the city of Berlin in the distance. The spectacular Olympic Stadium, the May National Assembly and the Forest Stage, which can only be visited for events, can also be seen. Inside the bell tower hangs the newly cast Olympic bell, which reads: "I call on the youth of the world - Olympic Games 1936".
Golden Isaac Tower
The Isaac is the German goddess of victory. The Brandenburg Gate above and the Golden Isaac Tower are on the same street, about a kilometer apart.
Monument to the Merger of East and West Germany
The Monument to the Merger of East and West Germany is situated on KURFUERSTENDAMM, the most famous and busiest street in the center of Berlin. The symbolism is that the division of East and West Germany is like the severing of the bloodline in a human being. To this day, the merger of East and West Germany is only an economic, geographic merger, not a German nation