Things To Do
Berlin Wall. It's tough to find the last remnants of the Wall these days, unless souvenir sellers are less crafty than they seem (their 2 euro Wall chunks look suspiciously like plaster of paris. Iron Curtain, indeed!). One place to try is near the Martin Gropius Bau museum, currently under reconstruction. There is a section of the wall that is preserved as a gallery, but viewers in search of excellent graffiti art would be better served by looking out the window from the U-Bahn.
Berlin Wall Memorial (Gedenkstatte Berliner Mauer). (U-Bahn Bernauerstrasse U8 or S-Bahn Nordbahnhof S1, 2, or 25, follow the signs in the stations (wall is Mauer in German)) Often missed by tourists but an absolute must for anyone interested in this part of the city's history. It's a memorial to those who died crossing so you won't, fortunately, get the tackiness of the Checkpoint Charlie area but you will be left with a haunting feeling of what it may have been really like. The monument itself is a gigantic wasted opportunity, blank and featureless, and the inscription on the outside, declaring it a monument to the victims of the "communist reign of violence," has angered many local residents, but the documentation center across the street on Bernauer Str. is excellent, although most of the documentation is in German.The viewing platform gives you a tiny hint of how massive the Wall was, and how terrifying the "no man's land" between the two walls must have been.
The Memorial is on Bernauer Strasse which itself is a street with a great deal of Wall history - the first recorded Wall related death was here, one of the famous tunnels and that famous photograph of the DDR border guard leaping over the barbed wire. Various monuments can be found along the entire length of the street, documenting nearby escape attempts and tunnels; captions are in German, English, French, and Russian. The Memorial itself is a complete section of 4th generation wall - both inside and outside sections, and you can peer through from the east side to see the remains of the electric fence and anti-tank devices in the death strip. It really helps you understand what an incredible feat it was to get from one side to the other -- and why so many died doing it.
Checkpoint Charlie/Berlin Wall. Checkpoint Charlie is no more. Formerly, it was the only border crossing between East and West Germany that permitted foreigners passage. Residents of East and West Berlin were not allowed to use it. This contributed to Checkpoint Charlie's mythological status as a meeting place for spies and other shady individuals. Now the remains of the Berlin Wall have been moved to permit building, including the American Business Center and other institutions not given to flights of John Le Carré-inspired fancy.
At the intersection of Zimmerstrasse and Charlottenstrasse is the famous "You Are Now Leaving the American Sector" sign. The actual guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie is now housed at the Allied Museum on Clayallee. For a more interesting exhibit, go to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, a private museum with kitschy memorabilia from the Wall, as well as the devices GDR residents used to escape the East (including a tiny submarine!).
How did the checkpoint get its name? From the American military spelling alphabet - checkpoints "Alpha" and "Bravo" were at the autobahn checkpoints Helmstedt and Dreilinden. Checkpoint Charlie's atmosphere was not improved any 27 October 1961 when the two Cold War superpowers chose to face each other down for a day. Soviet and American tanks stood approximately 200 meters apart, making an already tense situation worse.
Hugenottenmuseum, in Französischer Dom, Platz der Akademie. The Hugenottenmuseum represents the ongoing influence on Berlin by the Huguenots who emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Crown Prince Friedrich William encouraged them to settle here because most of them were skilled workers or otherwise useful to the kingdom. One memorable artwork, in room nine of the museum, pictures Crown Princess Dorothea exclaiming "But he's a refugee!" upon being presented a very valuable set of jewels by Pierre Fromery. The generally agreed-upon view of refugees as poor, without resources let alone diamonds, was blown apart by the talented French Protestants forced to leave their country due to religion.
One of the most notable effects of having such a large French population was their influence on the infamous Berlin dialect. Berlinerisch words such as Kinkerlitzchen (from French "quincaillerie" - kitchen equipment) and Muckefuck (from French "mocca faux" - artificial coffee) are unique to the area.
The Französischen Dom (Dom = Cathedral) itself was built to resemble the main church of the Huguenots in Charenton, France, destroyed in 1688. It has housed the museum since 1929.
Käthe Kollwitz Museum. Käthe Kollwitz's reputation as a social activist who used art as a means to express her support of pacifism was hard-won. Her son was killed in the first World War, after which her art took a turn for the morose. When her grandson was killed in World War II, her art became even darker and more brooding as she contemplated the huge loss of life Germany had suffered. Both her own personal losses and those of the nation affected her art. After the war ever-present artistic themes for Kollwitz - death, violence, war, misery, guilt and suffering - took shape as the drawings, prints, sculptures, original posters and woodcuts housed in this museum.
Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium). Built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympic Games. It is one of the better examples of Nazi-era neoclassical architecture, and is still used for sporting events. It is the home of the most successful soccer/football team of Berlin, Hertha BSC, being heavily modernized in 2004/2005. A visit to a Bundesliga football match can be safely recommended, as football is a main ingredient of German public life (matches start Saturday 15.30 or Sunday 17.00, be there at least half an hour earlier). The Olympic Stadium is where Jesse Owens won four gold medals. To the west of the Stadium itself is the Maifeld with the Langemarck hall and the Belltower, both can be visited. It is still quite in the condition of before 1945 (except for the deterioration), so you can witness there the helplessness of the German authorities to cope with the area.
For a glimpse at the Olympiastadion when it was new and not falling apart, rent Leni Riefenstahl's movie Olympia.
Riefenstahl has been accused of purposefully producing propaganda for the Nazis, though in her autobiography she denies it. There is no argument, however, that she is an excellent filmmaker. Though the Nazis may have helped fund some of her productions, Riefenstahl's artistic vision is undeniable.
Tempelhof airport was used with the Berlin Air-Bridge (Berliner Luftbrücke) 1948 till 1949 and featured in movies like Billy Wilders "One Two Three" with James Cagney, Horst Buchholz and Lilo Pulver.
Walking Tour of Berlin - the Mitte and surrounding districts are sufficiently compact to allow a number of excellent walking tours through its history-filled streets. You'll see amazing things you would otherwise miss.... Details are usually available from the reception desks of hostels and hotels. Some options include:
The Original Berlin Walks - www.berlinwalks.de
Brewer's Best Of Berlin Walking Tours - www.brewersberlin.com
Sunbathing on the banks of the Havel and Spree Rivers.
Pick up a copy of EXBERLINER the monthly English-language paper for Berlin. It provides high quality journalism and up-to-date listings. Find out what's on and where in English.
If you happen to understand German, the activity planners for the city zitty and tip are available at every kiosk. Be prepared to choose among a huge amount of options.
The Berlin Film Festival / Berlinale- next dates: 10-20 February 2006. The city's largest cultural event and an important fixture in the global film industry's calendar (up there with Cannes and Venice...). 150,000 tickets sold, 500 films screened and a host of associated parties and events.
Loveparade - Each July, techno takes over Berlin, a chance for Berlin youth culture to take over the city as the parade and related events are supposed to create a massive party atmosphere devoted to love, tolerance and just plain fun - although looking at the faces of people walking around might give you another impression. Top DJs from everywhere dominate the discos, Berlin proves itself the capital of gay culture in Europe as drag queens roam the streets with impunity, and people in their twenties from all corners of the continent gather to dance together and celebrate in the streets and clubs. Consider it the county fair of the techno scene with a twist - street vendors, floats, and more hair colors than a cosmetology convention. The German music channel VIVA sponsors contests and broadcasts from the parade all day. Dr Motte, the DJ founder of the Love Parade, originally intended it to be a small gathering for people in the dance music community - it's grown to over a million attendees every year! It was discontinued in 2004, but may yet be revived. www.loveparade.de
Hanf Parade. End of August. The Hanfparade is the biggest european political demonstration for the legalization of hemp for use as agriculture and stimulant.
Christopher Street Day. The CSD is a well-known annual political demonstration for the rights of the gay culture organized in all major German cities. Even if you are indifferent about the issue, the Christopher Street Day is usually a worthwhile sight as many participants show up in wild costumes.
Fête de la Musique . In June. Everywhere in Berlin there is different music at this day, which coordinates with a similar one in several French cities.
Karneval der Kulturen In May. The idea of the "Carnival of Cultures" is a parade of the various ethnic groups of the city, showing traditional music, costumes and dances. Other - more modern/alternative/political - groups also participate. Similar events are also held in Hamburg and Frankfurt.
Shopping hours were extended last year until 8pm on a Saturday in most places shopping has become much easier. Previously you had to rush around to get everything done before 4pm, or even 1pm in some parts of town. Sunday opening is still sadly not on the horizon, though if you have time to queue you can go to Friedrichstrasse or Ostbahnhof Stations to supermarkets there on Sundays. Note, the queue is usually to get IN the supermarket!
Ku'damm remains the main shopping street even now that the Wall has come down. KaDeWe (Kaufhaus Des Westens) at Wittenbergplatz is a must visit even if just for the vast food dept (which has an extremely confusing layout). It's reputedly the biggest department store on Continental Europe and still has an old world charm, with very helpful and friendly staff. Be aware that on a Saturday this shop can be unbearably busy, and seems to be full of rich, arrogant and extremely rude customers, so go during the week if you can.
