The 103m-high Europa-Center shopping mall was Berlin’s first "skyscraper" at its 1965 opening, the giant Mercedes star spinning on its rooftop a symbol of capitalist West Germany's miraculous post-WWII economic recovery. Today, the gracefully ageing structure has 70 shops and exudes charming retro flair, enlivened by such quirky sights as the Lotus Fountain and the ingenious Time-Flow Clock by French physicist-artist Bernard Gitton.
Europa-Center was built on the site of the Romanisches Cafe, a popular hang-out of 1920s artists and intellectuals.
