Landmark sights in Berlin
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East Side Gallery
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 …
reviewed
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Teufelsberg
It may have a terrifying name, but at 115m high, the Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain), just south of the Olympic grounds, ain’t no Matterhorn. It is, however, the tallest of Berlin’s 20 ‘rubble mountains’, built by citizens, initially most of them women, during the clean-up of their bomb-ravaged city after WWII. It took 20 years to pile up 25 million cubic metres of debris. The curious domed structure up on top used to be a listening station operated by the Allies during the Cold War. The hill that was born from destruction is now a fun zone, especially in snowy winters when hordes of squealing kids toboggan or ski down its gentle slopes. At other times you can explore the …
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B
Rathaus Schöneberg
The Rathaus Schöneberg (Town Hall) was the seat of the West Berlin government from 1948 to 1990 but is really best remembered for a single day in 1963. President John F Kennedy was in town and he was going to speak. From the steps of the Rathaus, the silver-tongued orator flayed the forces of darkness to the east and applauded the powers of light in the west, concluding with the now famous words: ‘All free men, wherever they live, are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words: Ich bin ein Berliner’. The adoring crowd of half a million cheered his words all the way into the history books. The Rathaus clock tower holds a copy of the Li…
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C
Anhalter Bahnhof
Only a forlorn fragment of the entrance portal is left of the Anhalter Bahnhof, once Berlin’s finest and busiest railway station, surrounded by luxury hotels and bustling cafés. Marlene Dietrich departed from here for Hollywood, and the king of Italy and the tsar of Russia were among the official visitors to Berlin arriving at this station. Although badly bombed in WWII, Anhalter Bahnhof remained operational for years but was eventually eclipsed by Ostbahnhof. Not even vociferous protests could halt its demolition in 1960.
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Stasi Prison
Victims of Stasi persecution often ended up in the grim Stasi Prison, now a memorial site officially called Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen. Tours (in English at 2pm Saturday and sometimes during the week; call ahead) reveal the full extent of the terror and cruelty perpetrated upon thousands of suspected regime opponents, many utterly innocent. To get here, take tram M5 from Alexanderplatz to Freienwalder Strasse, then walk 10 minutes along Freienwalder Strasse.
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D
Checkpoint Charlie
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.
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E
Hitler’s Bunker
Berlin was burning and Soviet tanks advancing relentlessly when Adolf Hitler put a gun to his head in his bunker. Today there’s just a parking lot and an information panel with a diagram of the vast bunker network, technical data on how it was constructed and information on what happened to it after WWII.
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F
Siegessäule
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'.
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