SAS7 Berlin Information Berlin…
15 years since the Wall fell Berlin can still feel like 2 cities- not just East and West but also Winter and Summer. Plus, if your mental imagine of the German capital derives from war films or spy stories prepare to be pleasantly surprised by one of the greenest cities in Europe. This thoroughly modern metropolis boasts more new buildings designed by top international architects than perhaps any other European city. At the turn of the last century, it was, after all, presented with the unique opportunity to rebuild a modern cosmopolitan capital almost from the ground up.
The ART SCENE-The new movement is gaining an international reputation, partly driven by a flourishing Berlin gallery scene. Some art publications have even suggested that the now infamous "Young British Artists" (YBAs) are being pushed aside by "Young German Artists" (YGAs). Art world hype? Judge for yourself by touring some of the Mitte district's top galleries, many located on Linienstrasse, Auguststrasse, and farther south toward Kreuzberg on Zimmerstrasse. CHARLOTTENBURG-When the Wall went up, Charlottenburg became the commercial heart of West Berlin, as it remains today. The Lehrter Bahnhof is the point of entry for many first-time visitors to Berlin. Behind it is the Helmut Newton Stiftung, a museum exhibiting the body of work donated to the city by native son and photographer Helmut Newton-especially along the main shopping drag, the Kurfürstendamm —was heavily damaged during WWII and rather unimaginatively rebuilt in the 1950s, and is now unabashedly commercial. The KaDeWe department store (the largest department store in continental Europe) remains a monument to consumer capitalism. Further west toward Savignyplatz, where there's a sophisticated enclave of cafés and bars, the situation improves, giving a glimpse of prewar Berlin. Just southeast of the Zoo on Breitscheidplatz, the burnt-out remains of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, which was bombed during the war and left unreconstructed as a monument, is a reminder of the ill fate of a totalitarian state. EASTERN BERLIN-Remnants of the Berlin Wall are few and far between these days, and most locals are happy about that. A nostalgia for the former German Democratic Republic, dubbed "Ostalgie.” The prime remnant of the Communist state, the Palast der Republik (Schlossplatz), will have been erased from Berlin's landscape by 2007. This parliamentary chamber of the East German government was built in the mid 1970s on the grounds of the former Hohenzollern Castle—deemed a "symbol of Prussian militarism," the Communists detonated the war-damaged remains to build their own palace. In addition to serving a government function, the building housed a theater, restaurant, and even a bowling alley—a true "palace of the people." Following a long closure for asbestos removal, the building served as a cultural venue. The German government is now following through with its vote to tear down the building. FRIEDRICHSHAIN-As the true bohemians were squeezed out by the bobos taking up residence in the increasingly pricey Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg neighborhoods in the late 1990s, they migrated further east to Friedrichshain. Stretching east from Alexanderplatz, Karl-Marx-Allee—lined on both sides by socialist housing estates—was the Communist answer to the Champs-Élysées. Along the banks of the Spree River, the East Side Gallery on Mühlenstrasse, which hugs the north bank, is the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. With a young hipster population replacing the workers who once lived here, a social scene has developed around Boxhagener Platz, particularly along Simon-Dach-Strasse, where many spend their days (and nights) at the bars, cafés, and restaurants. GOVERNMENT QUARTER/TIERGARTEN-Tiergarten, Berlin's version of Central Park, is also the name of the neighborhood that includes the "Regierungsquartier" (Government Quarter). Per square mile, Tiergarten has more powerhouse architecture than anywhere else in Berlin, and that's really saying something. The highlight is Sir Norman Foster's revamped Reichstag, reunified Germany's parliament building, which was completed in 1999. With its distinctive glass dome (open to visitors), it's become one of Berlin's most iconic structures. On the southern border of the park, a game of international architectural one-upmanship has prompted many foreign governments to invest lavish sums in the construction of new embassies. KREUZBERG-Boxed in on two sides on the West German side of the Wall, Kreuzberg was somewhat isolated from the rest of West Berlin and became a world unto itself. Bergmannstrasse and Oranienstrasse, both lined with cafés, bars, and restaurants, are popular with students and hipsters. Meanwhile, the neighborhood has remained multicultural. The open-air Türkischer Markt (Turkish Market) stretches along the Maybachufer every Tuesday and Friday. Closer to Mitte, Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum is one of Berlin's most architecturally significant new buildings. MITTE-At the height of Cold War tensions, the name of this neighborhood, "Mitte" (Middle), seemed anachronistic. Once the heart of prewar Berlin, Mitte, then in East Germany, was pressed up against the Wall and marred by concrete and barbed wire. Today, Mitte is once again Berlin's cultural and commercial heart, and it's the best place to take in the city's mix of old and new. The buildings along Unter den Linden have been fully restored, galleries and independent boutiques have moved into the Scheunenviertel, the turn-of-the-century Jewish quarter that's now a creative enclave, and international labels (Gucci, Escada) have moved in next door to Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse, now one of Berlin's most stylish shopping destinations. The Museumsinsel, or "Museum Island," is a massive complex of five world-class museums in Mitte, including the Pergamonmuseum, the Altes Museum,Alte Nationalgalerie, and the Bode Museum. | | 
Share and Communicate:
|
