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Attractions in Berlin
The city has no definite centre and pockets of attractions are dotted all over. The densest array of sights lies to the east of the Brandenburg Gate, on either side of Unter den Linden. West Berlin's centre has less to offer. Nevertheless visitors should take a look at the broken shard of a church, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, which serves as a brutal reminder of World War II. The nearby Zoo and Aquarium also provide a happy distraction.
Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin
Unter den Linden 13-15
daily 11am-8pm
Free admission on Mondays
take U-Bahn Französische St.
located just to the east of Friedrichstrasse, the Guggenheim contains an extensive collection of contemporary art and hosts three to four major exhibitions per year. Lining the wide promenade beyond are a host of historic buildings restored from the rubble of the war.
Bebelplatz
U-Bahn Französische St.
Faces the Cathedral and is the site of the infamous Nazi bookburning of May 10, 1933; an underground room visible through a glass panel set in the center of the square.
Französische Kirche on the northern side of the square. Built as a church for Berlin's influential Huguenot community at the beginning of the eighteenth century, it also now houses the Hugenottenmuseum.
Deutsche Kirche
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
free admission
The church was built in the 18th century for the city's Reformed community. It houses an historical exhibition, "Questions of German History"
Friedrichstrasse
an upscale shopping district with an eclectic mix of modernist architecture, lies a block west of the Deutsche Kirche.
Schlossplatz
U-Bahn Alexanderplatz
At the eastern end of Unter den Linden lies the former site of the imperial palace and the current home of the abandoned Palast der Republik, the former GDR parliament building. It stands at the midpoint of a city-centre island whose northwestern part, Museumsinsel, is the location of some of the best of Berlin's museums. Reopening following an extensive reconstruction program:
The Alte Nationalgalerie (U-Bahn Friedrichstr.), houses the city's collection of nineteenth-century European art has been extensively renovated and restored.
Altes Museum
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
free first Sun on month
U-Bahn Friedrichstr.)
Perhaps Schinkel's most impressive surviving work is displayed in the Alte Nationalgalerie's collection. In addition, it devotes a floor to the city's excellent collection of Greek and Roman antiquities.
Alexanderplatz,
The commercial hub of eastern Berlin.
Marienkirche,
The church is open Mon. to Thurs. 10am to noon and 1 to 4pm, Fri. to Sun. noon to 4pm. Free tours are offered Mon. to Thurs. at 1pm and Sun. at 11:45am.
This is Berlin's second opldest parish church, dating from the 15th century. Inside is the 1475 wall painting Der Totentanz (The Dance of Death), discovered in 1860 beneath a layer of whitewash in the church's entrance hall. Also worth seeing is the marble baroque pulpit carved by Andreas Schlüter (1703). The cross on the top of the church annoyed the Communist rulers of the former East Germany--its golden form was always reflected in the windows of the Fernsehturm.
Nikolaiviertel
Take U-Bahn Klosterstr.
A modern development that attempts to recreate the winding streets and small houses of this part of old prewar Berlin, which was razed overnight on June 16, 1944.
Pergamon Museum
Kupfergraben, Museumsinsel
030/20-90-5555
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse.
Tram: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 15, or 53 Admission charged.
The Pergamon Museum houses several departments, but if you have time for only one exhibit, go to the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, housed in the north and east wings of the museum, and enter the central hall to see the Pergamon Altar, (180-160 B.C.), so large that it has a huge room all to itself. The Near East Museum, in the south wing, contains one of the largest collections anywhere of antiquities from ancient Babylonia, Persia, and Assyria.
Ägyptisches Museum
Schloss-strasse 70
030/32-09-11
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz or Richard-Wagner-Platz.
Admission charged except: free admission 1st Sun of each month
The western Berlin branch of the Egyptian Museum is housed in the palace's east guardhouse. It's worth the trip just to see the famous colored bust of Queen Nefertiti, which dates from about 1360 B.C. and was discovered in 1912Other displays feature jewelry, papyrus, tools, and weapons, as well as objects relating to the Egyptian belief in the afterlife.
Bröhan Museum
Schlossstrasse 1A
32-69-06-00
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (until 8pm on Wed)
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz or Richard-Wagner-Platz
Admission charged; 11 and under Free
Berlin's finest collection of Jugendstil (German art nouveau) is found here. When Professor Bröhan started the collection, Jugendstil was viewed as having little merit. It's a different story today. The objects include glass, furnishings, silver and gold, paintings, and vases.
Museum für Vor und Frühgeschichte
Langhansbau
030/32-09-11
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Sophie-Charlotte-Platz or Richard-Wagner-Platz
Admission charged.
This museum of prehistory and early history is in the western extension of the palace, facing Klausener Platz.
Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery)
Mattäiskirchplatz 4
030/20-90-55-55
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Kurfürstenstrasse, then bus 148. Bus 129 from Ku'damm (plus a 4-min. walk) Admission charged.
This is one of Germany's greatest art museums. Several rooms are devoted to early German masters, with panels from altarpieces dating from the 13th to 15th centuries.
Most of the great European masters are represented.
Kunstgewerbemuseum
Matthäikirchplatz, Tiergartenstrasse 6
Opposite the Philharmonie
030/2-66-29-02
Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm
U-Bahn: Kurfürstenstrasse; S-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz
Admission charged.
This museum displays applied arts and crafts from the Middle Ages through the 20th century. Its outstanding exhibition is the Guelph Treasure, a collection of medieval church articles in gold and silver.
Friedrichswerdersche Kirche-Schinkelmuseum
Werderstrasse At the corner of Niederlagstrasse
030/2-08-13-23
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm
U-Bahn: Hausvogteiplatz
Admission charged.
This annex of the Nationalgalerie is located in the deconsecrated Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, which was designed in 1828 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841). It lies close to Unter den Linden, not far from the State Opera House. The twin Gothic portals of the old church shelter a bronze of St. Michael slaying a dragon. Inside, the museum is devoted to the memory of Schinkel, who designed many of Berlin's great palaces, churches, and monuments.
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