Berlin attraktioner

Named for the lime trees lining its central pedestrianized strip, Unter den Linden is one of Berlin’s most famous thoroughfares, and the former hub of historic Berlin. Many of the avenue’s once palatial buildings are being restored, and it’s a popular location for embassies, shops, outdoor cafes, museums and educational institutions. A walk along the Unter den Linden is especially magical at night, when the trees are lit up, and during the autumn colors of fall.

Friedrichstrasse runs north to south through the center of Berlin, while during the Cold War, the Berlin Wall cut through this street. The Friedrichstrasse S-bahn and U-bahn station was on the East, but trains from the West were still able to stop there so passengers could transfer lines. However, they could not leave the station without proper paperwork.

Today the street is a major shopping and residential area. However, due to its history, it is also a popular tourist spot. Photography exhibits at the Friedrichstrasse station show the stages of the station's history from 1961 when the wall went up to 1989 when it came down. At the Berlin Wall History Mile information board at the Friedrichstrasse border crossing, you can learn about Oct. 27, 1961, when Allied and Soviet tanks conflicted over the right to unrestricted movement in both parts of Berlin for the Allied forces.

Located on the northern tip of Spree Island, Berlin’s Museumsinsel (Museum Island) is an ensemble of five world-renowned museums. In 1830, King Friedrich Wilhelm III commissioned the construction of the Royal Museum - now the Altes Museum - to allow the general public to view the royal art treasures of Germany. The idea for the island was devised in 1841, when Friedrich August Stuler wanted to create a cultural center, which later became Museum Island.

Almost 70% of the buildings were destroyed during World War II, where the collections were divided between East and West Berlin. Since 1999, the museum has been the only architectural and cultural ensemble that was honored world heritage status by UNESCO.

Alexanderplatz remains the largest urban square in all of Germany and is a central meeting place in Berlin, located in the Mitte District. At its center is the large railway station (Alexanderplatz) with connections to many subway (U-Bahn), tramway (Strassenbahn), city trains (S-Bahn) and buses.

Named after the Russian Czar Alexander I, who visited the capital of Prussia in 1805, ""Alex"" became a traffic hub when a train station was established there in 1882.

Alexanderplatz took on its present form in the 1960’s after being ravaged in World War II. After the war it became the center of East-Berlin and used as a showcase of socialist architecture. This resulted in some unattractive buildings like the former Centrum department store and the Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower). In 1969 two more monuments were added to the square, the Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock) by Erich John and the Fountain of International Friendship.

Affectionately known as the Ku’damm, this elegant tree-lined boulevard is a major thoroughfare in Berlin’s west.

The Berlin equivalent of Paris’ Champs-Elysees, the Kurfürstendamm avenue is lined with shops, hotels and historic cafes. Before World War II, the Ku’damm was the heart of nightlife in Berlin, and before reunification it was West Berlin’s major shopping strip. Today, it’s a lively stretch for strolling, shopping and dining.

A shopping landmark, the KaDeWe is Berlin’s most famous trademark department store. Since 1907, this luxurious and extravagant center has been lowering its iron gates for customers for an exciting shopping adventure.

You can find some of the most famous fashion designers for contemporary apparel including Derek Lam, Ralph Lauren, Rachel Zoe, Theory and Alice & Olivia. Indulge in famous beauty products such as Diptyke, Marni and Sisley. High-end services include a wedding and gift service, a hotel and home service, an on-site tailor, and salon. At the top of the plaza, there's an amazing food section. You'll find artisan chocolates, fresh baked pastries, restaurants, wine shops and more! We specifically like the champagne bars and chocolate bars that provide lounges with a view to match.

Meet Knut the polar bear at the Berlin Zoo, along with a massive variety of marine creatures at the Zoo Aquarium.

Berlin’s zoo celebrates diversity, from pandas to rhinos, and protects, studies and breeds the world’s most comprehensive collection of species.

Many of the enclosures are historic and re-create a range of enclosures, from carnivores to birds. One of the newest enclosures is the glass-domed Hippopotamus House.

At the adjacent Aquarium you can see tiny jellyfish and huge crocodiles, reptiles and tropical fish.

Berlin’s Central Park is Tiergarten, a huge stretch of parkland, formal gardens and leafy walkways in the city’s west.

Until the 1830s the parkland was used as a hunting ground. Today it houses the home of the German President, an array of public sculptures and memorials, canals and lakes, and a network of lovely shady avenues. The park’s avenues merge on the 66 meter (216 foot) Victory Tower, topped with a gilt angel. If you’re feeling fit, you can climb the 285 steps to a platform at the top to catch stupendous views of Berlin.

The Topography of Terror exhibition and documentation center covers the history of terror during the Nazi era. The centers of this national-socialist terror between 1933 and 1945 were the Gestapo and its prison, the SS headquarters, the SS Security Service (SD) and the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Main Office for State Security). These institutions were located in the immediate vicinity of the Nazi government district, and the history of the crimes originating there is featured at Topography of Terror. There is also a second exhibition that focuses on the role of Berlin as the capital of the Third Reich.

Also on site is one of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. Niederkirchnerstrasse, formerly Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, formed part of the border between the U.S. and Soviet sectors of Berlin, and the boundary ran along the south side of the street.

The Führerbunker, translated to English means "Leader's bunker" was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943. This bunker was a defensive military fortification designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attack; in this case, the Führerbunker was to protect Adolf Hilter during WWII, and was the center of the Nazi regime. Hitler married Eva Braun here during the last week of April 1945, shortly before they committed suicide.

The Bunker can be found at Wilhelmstrasse 77 near the corner of In den Ministergärten and Gertrud-Kolmar-Strasse, a short walk from Potsdamer Platz. It may be difficult to find independently as it is located in a grey apartment block backed onto a desolate car park, bordered by small wooden posts. You will find an information sign detailing the history of the site, which replaced a plaque that was there in 2006.

The Bebelplatz is a public square in the central ‘Mitte’ district of Germany’s capital city, Berlin. Today it is best known for being the site where some 20,000 newly banned books were burned by bonfire in 1933 on order of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, because they conflicted with Nazi ideology. The square is surrounded by notable historical buildings, including the German State Opera (Staatsoper); St. Hedwig’s Cathedral (built in 1747 and modeled after Rome’s Pantheon, it was the first Catholic church built in Germany after the Protestant Reformation); and the former Royal Prussian Library (Alte Bibliothek) which is now part of Humboldt University.

All of the buildings on the Bebelplatz were destroyed in World War II and reconstructed afterward. An easily overlooked monument in the center of the square simply contains a pane of glass, which the visitor can look through to see many rows of empty bookshelves underground.

The Lilliputian Nicholas Quarter is an area that was developed around Berlin’s oldest parish church, the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas’s Church), dating from 1230. The area now tries to maintain its medieval character; its cobblestoned lanes worth a quick stroll if you are in the surrounding borders of Rathausstrasse, Spandauer Strasse, Mühlendamm and the Spree River. Though there are many gift stores, cafes and restaurants in the quarter, you will find locals elsewhere.

The main attractions, in addition to the St. Nicholas church, include the Ephraim Palace, a masterpiece of palace architecture of the 18th century Berlin. Equally beautiful is the Baroque style Knoblauch house built in 1760, which offers insight into world of the upper middle class world through its rooms and valuable furniture.

Humboldt University was founded in Berlin in 1810 and is the city's oldest university. It was founded by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt. He was the first to introduce the unity of research and teaching, and his university model strongly influenced other European and Western universities. Teachings began with the four classical faculties of law, medicine, theology and philosophy. The university was originally called Frederick William University and later Universität unter den Linden due to its location, but in 1949 its name was changed to Humboldt-Universität in honor of both its founder Wilhelm and his brother, naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. Today Humboldt University ranks among Germany's top ten universities and has educated 29 Nobel Prize winners. It has more than 33,000 students, including several thousand students from other countries, and 185 degree courses.