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Berlin, Germany

Sightseeing in the capital of Germany

By Rasma RaistersPublished about a year ago 11 min read
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Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. It is also the most populous city in the European Union. 

Nikolai Quarter/Nikolaiviertel is located in the heart of the Old City. This is a pedestrian-friendly quarter known for its small buildings and narrow streets. There are many interesting craft shops here. You can relax and dine at any of the cafes and restaurants. 

Among the highlights are historic buildings like Ephraim Palace, which was built in the 1760s. It features exhibits that are dedicated to the artistic and cultural history of Berlin.

You can enjoy the Knoblauch House built in 1760. This house is a fine example of the former homes that were built by wealthy Jewish merchants and tradesmen in the city. 

Unter den Linden is the most famous street in Berlin. It is a broad avenue that connects the Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate and stretches to the Lustgarten. It has a wide, central pedestrian area separating two car lanes.

The Armory is the oldest surviving building on Unter den Linden. It is the most important large Baroque structure in the city, originally built as an armory, and has been home to the Museum of German History. It was built in 1706 and has four wings, each at a length of around 90 meters. It was converted into a “ Hall of Fame for the Prussian Army” in 1875. The building was severely damaged during the war and its interior was restored between 1949 and 1965. Since 2006 it hosts the Museum of German History’s permanent exhibition “Germany History in Images and Documents”. The extension building, designed by Chinese-American architect IM Pei opened in May 2003 and hosts temporary exhibitions. 

The signature attraction in the city is the Brandenburg Gate, which was built in 1791. The Pariser Platz is right at the foot of the gate. This historic landmark was once a symbol of a divided nation. Today it stands for unity and peace. This very large neo-Classical gate was commissioned by King Frederick Wilhelm II in 1788. Its design was inspired by the Propylaea in the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. 

A block away from the Brandenburg Gate the Reichstag Building is located on the Mauerstreifen, the military zone once between the two sides of the Berlin Wall. Today it is the seat of the Federal Government. The building was completed in 1894 when this neo-Renaissance palace was home to the German Empire's Imperial Diet. In 1933 it was burned and not used again until the reunification of Germany undergoing a ten-year reconstruction. Visitors get awesome views of the city from its glass dome. You can also get great views at night from the Rooftop Restaurant. Free English language audio guides are available.

Friedrichstrasse, the most legendary street in Berlin, combines the tradition of the “Golden Twenties” with modern architecture. Here you'll find upscale boutiques and department stores.



Spree Island is sandwiched between the River Spree and the Kupfergraben. It is popularly known as Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's home to the most important exhibition centers like the Old Museum, the New Museum, the Bode Museum, the Pergamon Museum, and the Old National Gallery.

The Old Museum was built in 1830 and is home to the Crown Jewels and other royal treasures.

The New Museum was rebuilt in 2009 after being destroyed during WW II. It is home to collections from the Egyptian Museum, the Papyrus Collection, and the Classical Antiquities Collection.

The Old National Gallery opened in 1876. It has exhibits of neo-Classical sculpture and paintings from 1815-1848 along with Impressionist and early Modernist pieces.

The Bode Museum has a collection of Byzantine arts and a large sculpture collection that includes pieces from the Medieval times to the late 1700s.

Pergamon is the most popular museum that features a Museum of Islamic Art, the Ishtar Gate, and reconstructed historic buildings from the Middle East. The Humbolt Forum is the newest attraction opening in 2019. It houses the Ethnological Museum of Berlin and the Museum of Asian Art. 

The Berliner Dom or German Cathedral has an impressive 75-meter-tall dome. It is a fine example of late 19th-century architecture. The cathedral was built in the New Baroque style and is the largest church in Berlin. It is divided into three main sections – the Memorial Church, the Baptismal and Nuptial Church, and the Parish Church. Among the highlights is the Imperial Staircase, with bronze cornices and thirteen tempera paintings by Berlin landscape artist Albert Hertel in 1905. Climb the 270 steps to the Dome for fantastic views.

Charlottenburg Palace is located just outside of the city center. You can see collections of china and paintings. 

The palace garden lies along the Spree River. In the gardens you can see the mausoleum of Queen Louise, the Belvedere with its world-renowned collection of KPM porcelain and the new pavilion. Directly opposite are the Charlottenburg museums. The palace was built as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, the first Queen of Prussia.

Located between the Wedding and Mitte districts on Bernauer Strasse is the Berlin Wall Memorial. It consists of the Memorial to the Victims of the Wall, a Documentation Center, and the Chapel of Reconciliation. Visitors can get an idea of the reality of the wall, seeing the surviving section of the wall and the watchtower.

Checkpoint Charlie has been the scene of several spy thrillers and espionage novels, ranging from James Bond’s “Octopussy” to “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” by John le Carre. Starting on September 22, 1961, at the most famous East German – West German border crossing, allied soldiers registered members of the American, British and French armed forces before their trip to East Berlin. The Friedrichstrasse border checkpoint was the scene of the so-called tank stand-off in October 1961. Nearby is the Berlin Wall Museum. 

Also of interest is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie). Marking the best-known crossing point between East and West Berlin, this fascinating tourist attraction features numerous displays and artifacts tracing the history of human rights, along with exhibits dealing specifically with the history of the Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie. 

Also of interest is the nearby open-air BlackBox Cold War exhibit, which features sections of the Berlin Wall and related information stations.

Highlights of a visit include the Marienfelde Refugee Center Museum, with its exhibits relating to the one-and-a-half million people who passed through Berlin as refugees; the Günter Litfin Memorial, a former watchtower now set up as a memorial, which pays tribute to the first civilian killed trying to cross from east to west; and the Monument in Memory of the Divided City and the Victims of Communist Tyranny.

Potsdamer Platz has changed entirely since the fall of the wall in 1989. It is home to the Sony Center, skyscrapers, and many shops. It is also the place where you are most likely to see stars and celebrities, and not just during film festivals. 

Friedrichshain Park is the place to go for relaxation and recreation and is the oldest municipal park in Berlin. The 78 and 48-meter-high green “bunker” mountains are popularly known as “Mount Klamott” and provide spectacular views of the city. In the summer this is the place for sunbathing, picnicking, and strolling. It is also the place for amateur and professional volleyball players. 

Alexanderplatz is one of the most famous squares in Berlin and the largest. It was named after Russian Czar Alexander I, who visited the capital of Prussia in 1805. After the construction of the Central Market Hall in 1886 and the Tietz Department Store between 1904 and 1911, the square became one of the main shopping areas in Berlin. It became famous when the classic novel “Berlin Alexanderplatz” written by Alfred Doblin, was published in 1929. After being practically destroyed in WW II is was rebuilt in the 1960s and was converted into a pedestrian zone. Here you’ll find the Berlin TV Tower. Alexanderplatz is the largest urban square in all of Germany. 

The Berlin Television Tower or Berliner Fernsehturm had its 50th Anniversary in 2020. This 368-meter-tall structure opened in 1970 and is the third-tallest freestanding structure in Europe. It offers amazing views over Berlin from the observation deck. This landmark can be seen from many focal points in the city. It has a beautiful 207-meter-high revolving restaurant.

Grosser Tiergarten translated literally as the “Large Animal Garden.” It has become a popular tourist attraction. At one time this was a royal hunting reserve with deer, wild pigs, and other game animals. In 1700 it was transformed into a public park. There are many trees, shrubs, flowers, and grassy spaces. People enjoy relaxing, walking, and boating here.

This park also has many statues and monuments, among them the 1880 Statue of Queen Luise. It depicts her with a relief recalling how she cared for wounded soldiers during the War of 1806.

The Monument to Frederic Wilhelm III was erected in 1849 and has reliefs that reflect the King's peace-loving disposition. 

The Victory Column is the most famous monument in Grosser Tiergarten. This is a 70-meter-tall structure topped by an eight-meter-tall gold statue of Victoria. The locals refer to the statue as Golden Lizzy. You can climb up the 285 steps to the top of the monument for views over the garden.

The Berlin Central Station opened in 2006. It is the largest and most modern connecting station in Europe with two main levels for trains. There are three connection and business levels.

The Botanical Gardens have 22,000 kinds of plants and rank among the three most important botanical gardens in the entire world. They were created between 1897 and 1910, and designed by architect Alfred Koerner. The gardens consist of three areas – the park-like arboretum with woody plants and roses. The exhibition area showcases plants from around the world in their geographical context and the collection of 1,500 types of plants, which have been systematically categorized. There is also a large 3,000 square meter garden with a focus on smelling and touching different kinds of plants for visitors who are visually impaired or in wheelchairs. On the eastern edge of the park are fifteen greenhouses, including a tropical greenhouse which was built in 1907 and counts as one of the largest in the world, and a great example of 19th-century glass and steel architecture. 

The Botanical Museum is located on Konigin-Luise Strasse and has a comprehensive scientific collection of plants. It is Europe’s only museum that is totally botanical in nature. Visitors can study plants that are associated with the tombs of the Egyptian Pharaohs. 

St. Mary’s Protestant Church was founded during the first medieval urban expansion of Berlin in 1250. It is a Gothic-style church with a nave and two aisles. In the Baroque era a pulpit was added. 

Dicke Marie or Fat Mary is Berlin’s oldest tree. It first buried its roots in the Brandenburg sand some 800 or 900 years ago. Back in 1244, when the name Berlin was first officially mentioned Marie was bigger than the tallest house. She has also been visited by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and finally got her name around 1800. Two boys supposedly Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, named the tree after their cook. The gnarled, English oak stands 26 meters tall to the north of the Grosser Malchsee Lake in Tegel, a few minutes' walk from the Hafenbrucke Bridge. 

The Tegeler Harbor Bridge in the Tegel district is popularly known as “Sechserbrucke”. It spans a pedestrian bridge, the entrance to the harbor, and the mouth of the Tegeler. It was built in 1909 as a steel truss arch bridge and is now a listed building. 

The Grunewald Tower on the Havel River offers fantastic views of the Havel landscape. The red brick building was built in 1897 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kaiser Wilhelm I. Originally it was called “King Wilhelm Tower” however it was Wilhelm, who referred to is as “Kaiser Wilhelm Tower”. In the upper part of the building is a domed hall with a marble statue commemorating Wilhelm I. 204 steps lead up to an observation platform, offering a panoramic view of the Havel landscape. 

Berlin Zoological Gardens (Zoologischer Garten Berlin) is the oldest zoo in Germany and remains one of Berlin's most popular attractions, welcoming 3.5 million guests each year. Established in 1844 and completely rebuilt after WWII, the zoo has earned a reputation for its many successful breeding programs and is known for providing authentic habitats for the animals.

The zoo is home to nearly 20,000 animals big and small, from Arctic wolves to zebras. Famous residents include a pair of giant pandas, two species of giraffe, and a flock of diminutive African penguins.

The Zoological Gardens are also home to Europe's biggest aviary, as well as Aquarium Berlin, where you can watch more than 9,000 creatures swim in its 250 tanks, including reef and tiger sharks, jellyfish, tropical fish, reptiles, and insects.

Another zoo of interest is Tierpark Berlin. Spread across 400 acres and is home to some 7,250 animals of 846 different species. Opened in the 1950s, it's very nearly the equal of Berlin Zoo and is well worth a visit, especially if you're traveling with kids. Star creatures include its elephants (the zoo is known for its breeding program), polar bears, as well as a large herd of muskox.

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About the Creator

Rasma Raisters

My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.

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