Berlin Sites

The Siegessäule is a triumphal column envisioned as a monument to Prussian military exploits. The gilded lady on top represents the goddess of victory, but locals irreverently call her ‚Gold-Else‘.

Grosser Stern

· Checkpoint Charlie – I

Checkpoint Charlie was the principal gateway for Allies, other non-Germans and diplomats between the two Berlins from 1961 to 1990. Unfortunately, this potent symbol of the Cold War has become a tacky tourist trap where uniformed actors pose for tips in front of a replica guardhouse. The one redeeming aspect is the free temporary open-air exhibit chronicling Cold War history along Friedrichstrasse, Zimmerstrasse and Schützenstrasse.

cnr Friedrichstrasse & Zimmerstrasse

· Holocaust Denkmal – J

This poignant memorial to the Jewish victims of the Nazi-planned genocide was designed by Peter Eisenmann and consists of 2711 sarcophagi-like columns rising up in sombre silence from undulating ground. For context, visit the subterranean Ort der Information (Information Centre), whose exhibits will leave no one untouched.

Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1

· Brandenburg Gate (Berlin Gate) – K

A symbol of division during the Cold War, this landmark now epitomises German reunification. The 1791 structure by Carl Gotthard Langhans is the only surviving one of 18 city gates and is crowned by the Quadriga sculpture, a horse-drawn chariot piloted by the winged goddess of victory.

Pariser Platz Brandenburger Tor

· Reichstag – L

The quarter’s historical anchor is the 1894 Reichstag, where the German parliament, the Bundestag, has been hammering out its policies since 1999. This followed a total makeover by Lord Norman Foster who preserved only the building’s historical shell while adding the striking glass dome. It’s well worth queuing for the lift ride to the top to take in the knock-out panorama and close-ups of the dome and the mirror-clad funnel at its centre. Queues are shortest early morning and at night. You can skip ‚em altogether if you’re disabled, happen to have a kid in a stroller, are on an organised tour or have reservations for the pricey restaurant on top. In these cases, proceed straight to the left entrance.

Platz der Republik 1

· Kunsthaus Tacheles – M

The ‘Sistine Chapel of Graffiti’, the Tacheles may look scary-ass but it is actually a beloved-as-a-puppy-dog collective art and culture space born during the heady post-reunification days. Inside you’ll find a warren of studios, galleries, a cinema and a cafe-bar. In summer quaff a cold one among the surreal installations in the backyard beer garden. Alas, its future is uncertain and it may soon fall victim to development. Stay tuned.

Oranienburger Strasse 54-56

· Neue Synagoge – N

Built in Moorish-Byzantine style, the 1866 original seated 3200 and was Germany’s largest synagogue. During the 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms, a local police chief prevented Nazi thugs from setting it on fire, an act of courage commemorated by a plaque. It was eventually desecrated anyway but not destroyed until hit by bombs in 1943.

Oranienburger Strasse 28-30

· Hackesche Hofe – O

Thanks to its congenial mix of cafes, galleries, boutiques and entertainment venues, this attractively restored complex of eight interlinked courtyards is a major tourist magnet. Court 1, festooned with patterned art nouveau tiles, is the liveliest, while Court VII leads off to the whimsical Rosenhöfe with a sunken rose garden and tendril-like balustrades.

Enter from Rosenthaler Strasse or Sophienstrasse

· Weltzeituhr (Alexanderplatz) – P

A popular meeting spot since 1969, this huge clock is a good vantage point for surveying the socialist buildings that frame Alexanderplatz. Look for the frieze-decorated House of the Teacher, the House of the Electrical Industry decorated with a quote from Alfred Döblin’s novel Berlin Alexanderplatz and the Park Inn hotel,
nicknamed ‚Bed Tower.‘

Alexanderplatz Area

· Rotes Rathaus – Q

The hulking red building back south across the street is the 1860 Rotes Rathaus, the office of Berlin’s mayor. The moniker ‚red‘, by the way, was inspired by the colour of its bricks and not (necessarily) the political leanings of its occupants.

Rathausstrasse 15

· Nikolaiviertel – R

Bounded by Rathausstrasse, Spandauer Strasse, Mühlendamm and the Spree River, the twee Nicholas Quarter is a Disney-esque attempt at re-creating Berlin’s medieval birthplace around the 1230 Nikolaikirche, the city’s oldest building. The maze of cobbled lanes is worth a quick stroll, but you won’t find too many Berliners patronising the pricey cafes, restaurants and cutesy shops.

· East Side Gallery (Wall of Berlin) – S

The East Side Gallery is the longest, best-preserved and most interesting stretch of the Berlin Wall and the one to see if you have little time. Running parallel with the Spree between Ostbahnhof and Oberbaumbrücke, the 1300m-section was turned into the world’s largest open-air gallery after the fall of the Wall. Dozens of international artists translated the era’s global euphoria and optimism into a mix of political statements, drug-induced musings and truly artistic visions.

Time, weather, taggers and tourists insisting on signing the thing have not been kind to the murals, which were touched up in 2009. Although a protected monument, a 40m section of the Wall was moved so that the shiny new O2 World Arena would have direct access to the Spree River. These sections are now a bit further west along the riverside of the Wall. Also along here are numerous beach bars whose survival may be threatened by encroaching development.

Muhlenstrasse Friedrichshain

· Oberbaumbrucke – T

The Oberbaumbrücke (1896), which links Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain across the Spree, gets our nod for being Berlin’s prettiest bridge. With its jaunty towers and turrets, crenellated walls and arched walkways, it has a fairytale quality and played a key scene in the movie Run Lola Run. There are great views of the Mitte skyline from here, although they used to be better before the electronic billboard of the O2 World Arena started competing with the Fernsehturm. Looking south you’ll spot the Universal Music HQ, MTV Europe, the Badeschiff and, in the distance, a giant aluminium sculpture called Molecule Man by American artist Jonathan Borofsky. Right in the river, it shows three bodies embracing and is meant as a symbol of the joining together of the three districts of Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Treptow across the former border.

Warschauer Strasse

· Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Treptow – U

At the heart of Treptower Park, the gargantuan Soviet War Memorial (1949) looms above the graves of 5000 Soviet soldiers killed in the Battle of Berlin, a bombastic but sobering testament to the immensity of the country’s wartime losses. For the full effect, approach from the north and walk past the statue of Mother Russia grieving for her dead children. Two mighty walls fronted by soldiers kneeling in sorrow flank the gateway; the red marble used here was supposedly scavenged from Hitler’s ruined chancellery. Beyond lies a massive sunken lawn lined by sarcophagi representing the then 16 Soviet republics, each decorated with war scenes and Stalin quotes. This all culminates in a mausoleum, topped by a 13m statue of a Russian soldier clutching a child, his sword resting melodramatically on a shattered swastika. The socialist-realism mosaic inside the plinth shows grateful Soviets honouring the fallen. To reach the memorial from the S-Bahn station, head southeast for 750m on Puschkinallee, then enter the park through the stone gate.

Treptower Park

· Luftwaffenmuseum

About 9km south of Altstadt Spandau, the Luftwaffenmuseum (German Air Force Museum) occupies the grounds of the former military air field Berlin-Gatow. Built in 1934–35 as a Nazi air combat and technical training academy, it came under British control after the war and provided an important lifeline during the 1948 Berlin Airlift. Since the Union Jack was taken down in 1994, the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) has moved exhibits about the history of the Luftwaffe and the airport itself into the old hangars. An old control tower now houses uniforms and military ephemera, while the runways are littered with over 100 historical craft, including WWI biplanes, a Russian MiG-21, a Messer-schmidt ME-163 Komet and a GDR-era Antonov An-14.

Flugplatz Gatow, Gross Glienicker Weg