 Of strategic importance since it first straddled the Spree River in the 13th
century, Berlin went on to hog centre stage in the turbulent twentieth.
Today the city, restored as the nation's capital, is the focus of a mammoth
project of reunification and the barometer of Germany's moods.
This is the heart of Germany, with a stoic beat that echoes through grand
public buildings, glorious museums and theatres, urbane restaurants,
bustling pubs and raucous nightclubs. The Wall is gone but Berlin is still
divided: there's a distinct segue from the glitz of the west to shabby East
Berlin.
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This area was quickly colonised by the trendy cafe-bar set in the early
1990s and swift rebuilding has erased nearly all trace of the Wall. It's the
suburbs of East Berlin with their grey and decaying apartment blocks,
cardboard cars and paucity of telephones that make it apparent that the Wall
was up to protect a utilitarian East from a decadent West.
Before it came down, the Wall was the most enduring icon of a nation's
disharmony. But it's not as if the city hadn't seen it all before. From the
civic turmoil of the Thirty Years War, to the devastating impact of the
fire-bombing during WWII, Berlin has constantly been under siege or in a
post-siege rebuilding phase.
Top Berlin Attractions
The first time you visit Berlin, or any new destination, the question
asked isn’t usually what attractions should be scene but what attraction to
see first, what to expect, how to get there, and how much time is needed.
We’ve provided tips, advice, and other information about the top tourist
attractions in Berlin to help with your itinerary planning.
more ....
Berlin Bars & Cocktail Lounges
Bars, beers and more bars…and more beers. Aside from that
there's only the cafes, cabarets, casinos, concerts, clubs and the high
voltage music scene to keep you occupied!! The home of decadence since the
Twenties, Berlin has more to offer than a sweet shop counter, although some
of the ‘shows' may raise your eyebrows. Since re-unification, you can find a
great mixture of bars: from quieter watering holes in the East to the full
glitz and glam of the West. more .... Orientation
Berlin sits in the middle of the region known from medieval times as the
Mark of Brandenburg, now the Bundesland (federal state) of Brandenburg. The
city spills north and south of the Spree River, which winds through some of
the magnificent parkland that comprises a third of the municipal area. In
2001, Berlin's previous 23 administrative districts were reduced to 12 in an
effort to curb bureaucracy. There is little impact on visitors, however, as
the old district names continue to be used.
You can't really get lost within sight of the brooding and monstrous
Fernsehturm (TV Tower), a useful orientation point visible from most of
central Berlin. Unter der Linden, the fashionable avenue of aristocratic old
Berlin, extends from the Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz, once the heart
of socialist East Germany. Some of Berlin's finest museums are on
Museumsinsel in the Spree, the original centre of the metropolis. West of
the Brandenburg Gate, the boulevard runs through Tiergarten, a huge
landscaped park. You may remember the Victory Column at its centre from the
Wim Wender's film Wings of Desire. The commercial centre of West Berlin
glitters just to the south. The real revelation for visitors at the moment,
however, is Friedrichshain, once a grotty district favoured by backpackers
for its cheapness. Right now this is the place to come for a long night out.
Things are still cheap here by Berlin standards, but the area south of
Frankfurter Allee has suddenly become the city's hottest nightlife zone,
with new bars and clubs popping up like magic mushrooms. The original spirit
of the district still survives around Rigaer Strasse, where hard-core
squatters run some pretty anarchic bar-clubs. Most open whenever someone
feels like it, and their existence is constantly threatened by police busts.
South of the Brandenburger Gate, in areas once occupied by the Wall,
Berlin's newest quarter has emerged around Potsdamer Platz.
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Ramada
Plaza Hotel Berlin