Guys,
No doubt there are certain must-go places in each town, especially in such town as Berlin. But I was wondering whether anyone could point out some places in Berlin which are not very popular but are in fact very interesting to visit from their perspective.
Will be grateful for any directive!
|||
Depends on your interests of course but I would recommend two which tend to be overshadowed by better-known counterparts. The Berlin Wall info centre (and memorial) at Bernauerstrasse is to me more moving than the more propagandistic presentation at Checkpoint Charlie. Bernauerstrasse is where the houses were right on the border and people threw themselves from the windows to escape.
Similarly, Centrum Judaicum in the Neue Synagoge is less well-known than the Jewish Museum but shows what happened to the Jewish community in Berlin specifically.
If you are interested in the history of GDR, the new DDR-Museum near Domaquaree on riverbank opposite the cathedral is well worth a visit. For more details on the Stasi (secret police) there%26#39;s an info centre in Mauerstrasse in the city centre and you can also visit the Stasi HQ out at Normannenstrasse (u-Bahn station magdalenenstrasse). Labelling is in German in both places but some material in English sd be available at the info-desk.
You might also be interested in the Deutsch-Russisches Museum in Karlshorst.
We also like Brücke Museum as we are big fans of German expressionism. And Alte Nationalgalerie for older German painting (Gemäldegalerie is foreign Old Masters).
Depending on how long you are in Berlin, wd suggest day-trip to Potsdam too.
|||
Good question. We were in Berlin in the summer and discovered a few places where not many tourists visit and others where there are many tourists but are definitely not to be missed.
For the latter, you no doubt will visit the Holocaust Memorial. For us, the fact that so many people may be within it, but remain unseen from outside makes it even more poignant. Once you enter and walk through the stones, you see fleeting glimpses of others within the maze but still get a sense of being alone – very well thought out and you cannot fail to be moved. It’s also the best place to see and understand the differences in architecture between the East and West.
www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,949359,00.html
For less visited places, you should go to the site of what was once the largest synagogue in Berlin and from where up to 50,000 Jews were deported to concentration/extermination camps. It is a sad place, but important historically. It also has a plaque for every synagogue that existed around the time of the Kristallnacht, most of course have long since gone but a few remain. There is a sculpture and a railway carriage which gives you an idea of the conditions that the people were transported. Here is a map and a link (sorry, I could not find many):
www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp…
…usf.edu/HOLOCAUST/photos/levet2/levet2.htm
The Führerbunker, supposed to be Hitler’s last HQ and the place where he committed suicide, is another place you may want to visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BChrerbunker
www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp…
On a lighter note, the carillon in the Tiergarten is very nice – make sure you go when the bells are ringing as the building itself is not that spectacular. This site mentions that they only ring for a few minutes, but when we were there it must have been over half an hour.
pantarhei.com/english/…index.html
Lastly, we would highly recommend visiting the beautiful palaces, gardens and buildings of Sanssouci near Potsdam – it’s a easy train ride from Berlin and gives you a whole different view of the area.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanssouci
No comments:
Post a Comment