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Berlin is a beautiful old city and, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, it has come quite a long way as far as tourism is concerned. Many tourists come and get to know the many museums, nice town squares and shopping avenues and, of course, the rich history which the city is steeped in. The historical city centre is made up of the districts of Mitte and Kreuzberg. Mitte is famous for the Alexanderplatz and the long street ‘Unter den Linden’ with the lovely building of the Staatsoper. At the end of the street is the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of the division and reunification of Berlin. You can browse along the Friedrichstrasse, visiting the many nice shops. The Bebelplatz is known for the baroque Zeughaus, in which the German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum) is located. The Neue Wache (the monument to all the victims of war) and the Friedrichswerder Church are also close by. Museuminsel (Museum Island) has a number of excellent museums. Here you’ll find the Pergamon Museum with Greek, Roman and Asian works of art. The Altesmuseum, Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) and the Jewish Museum are all located here. The Kreuzberg neighbourhood is a lively district with many different cultures and its own special charm. Traces of the Berlin Wall can also be found here, and its remains are part of the sights to be seen, including the restored Oberbaum Bridge and Checkpoint Charlie. This area is also a great place for going out. There are trendy restaurants, small cafés and cool discotheques where you can go dancing until the early hours. Charlottenburg and Tiergarten are two other areas with much in store for any visitor. Charlottenburg was the centre of West Berlin before the fall of the Wall. The sights you simply must see include the Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church), the Kurfürstendamm, the Arts and Crafts Museum, the Painting Gallery, the Philharmonic (a concert building), the St. Matthew Church, the Olympic Stadium, the Zoological Garden (Zoo) and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche), which has been rebuilt after being destroyed in the Second World War. Tiergarten was previously a hunting ground and is now a beautiful park. This district is the political heart of the country, with the German Parliament (‘Bundestag’) located here, in the Reichstag building. The glass cupola of this building was designed by Sir Norman Foster and is a great attraction for visitors. The Potsdamer Platz is on the edge of the Mitte district, a square with, in addition to business offices, cosy cafés and restaurants. It is a meeting place for both business people and tourists of all ages. The Charlottenburg Castle is outside of the city, also definitely worth a visit. Berlin is in the province of Brandenburg, formerly known as Prussia. Brandenburg is a rural area and thinly populated. The area is mostly forest and occasionally rolling, ideal for hikers and bicyclists. Similar to the Elbe Valley, this is in the northwest of the region and is quiet and unspoilt. You’ll find a number of nice towns such as Pritzwalk and Perleberg. Bad Wilsnack is also worth visiting. This place is known for its marshland, which is supposed to have curative properties; previously it was a famed destination for pilgrims. The capital city of Potsdam has a number of nice historic monuments and the palace of Sanssouci Castle, a beautiful building in rococo style with lovely gardens. You should also have a look at the Picture Gallery (Bildergalerie), which is next to the palace. Another high point of this region is the Spreewald, the lake area of Brandenburg with waterways running through forests and villages. You can go canoeing, taking a trip through the area and getting to know the incredible flora and unique bird species which live here. This is a splendid area which no nature lover would want to miss out on.
Places of interest
- Checkpoint Charlie, the border crossing between former East and West Berlin.
- The town of Brandenburg, a place full of history and spread across three islands.
- The nature area of Schorfheide, a UNESCO site.
- The ‘Winterfeldtmarkt’ weekend market in the Schöneberg district in Berlin.
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