Brandenburger Tor and Unter den Linden
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL, BEBELPLATZ, PARISERPLATZ, FRIEDRICHSWERDER
Brannburger Tor is a very famous monument, that has became a symbol of the unification of Berlin. Brandenburger Tor is situated between the park Tiergarten with Strasse des 17 juni and the square Pariserplatz, where the West part of Unter den Linden begins, belonging to the locality Friedrichswereder in the district Mitte (city center). Unter den Linden is the most famous avenue in East Berlin and ends at the Museum Island in River Spree in the East. Along the avenue you can find popular museums, embassies, de luxe hotels, currywurst kiosks, brand new townhouses and luxorious stores. The square Bebelpatz can be found along the avenue, the Holocaust Memorial, Potzdamer Platz, the Reichstag and the notorious Hitler bunker are also in the surroundings.
Brandenburger Tor:
Brandenburger Tor, The Brandenburger Gate, is a former city gate at Pariserplatz. It was rebuilt in the 18th century as a classical gate. It was for a long time a symol of the divsion of Berlin, as it was situated right at the border of between West and East Berlin, part of the Berlin Wall. Now it is a symbol of the reunited Germany. Originally it was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace.
Traffc is heavy, once again, at Brandenburger Tor. Trafficants could travel freely through the gate, before the wall was built in 1961. When the wall fell in 1989, it became to symbolize freedom.
Fernsehturm seen through the Brandenburger Gate. The federal-state Brandenburg surrounds Berlin.
Sculptures at the top of Brandenburger Tor.
Brandenburger Tor is the gate to the Unter den Linden. In front is a bike taxi.
Straße des 17. juni, formerly Charlottenburger Chaussee, is a wide boulevard with 6 lanes, towards the Victory Monument, seen from Brandenburger Tor.
The famous "Mr Ampelmann" traffic lights.
Pariserplatz:
Pariserplatz is the square just next to Brandenburger Tor, at the west end of the famous boulevard Unter den Linden. This modern building to the right is DG Bank.
The French Embassy (right).
Acting like soldiers from USA, DDR and Great Britain!
At Pariserplatz you can find people acting as soldiers, golden statues etc.
Horse carriage.
Hotel Adlon, a classic de luxe hotel, and the Academy of Art.
Akademie der Künste, the Academy of Art.
Brandenburger Tor and the fountain at Pariserplatz.
The atrium of DG Bank at Pariserplatz and its fish shaped sculpture is a masterpiece by Frank Gehry.
The exterior of DG Bank looks plain, in contrast to Frank Gehry's atrium inside.
There are many strange vehicles at Pariserplatz., like segways...
... and revolving multi bicycles!
Potsdamer Platz and Ebertstrasse seen from Pariserplatz.
The American Embassy.
The American Embassy, East part. It is one of largest of brand new embassies in postmodern style around Unter den Linden.
Brandenburger Tor by night. You can see more the area by night in the Berlin by night part 3 section.
The Holocaust Memorial:
The Holocaust Mermorial was built to commorate the millions of the Jewish victims of the holocaust, designed by Peter Eisenman. It consist of 2 711 concrete slabs laid out in a labyrinth pattern and has about 10 000 visitors a day. The stone slabs are from 20 cm to 5m high, are laid out in a grid pattern and are unpainted. There is no text on the stones, but in the underground area you can learn more about the victims' lifes.
The memorial is open 24 hours a day.
The offiicial name is the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe. Eveyone has to find their own way out, and examine their own feelings.
The stairway to the information center for murdered jews.
Some people get lost in the labyrinths of the Holocaust Memorial.
The British Embassy at Wilhelmstraße, close to Brandenburger Tor. Also designed in a playful postmodern style.
The Russian Embassy.
There are many exclusive stores along Unter den Linden.
Bebelplatz:
Bebelplatz is a square next to Unter den Linden, near Tiergarten and Potsdamer Platz. It is surrounded by buildings in classicist style, but during my visit in 2012 most of my the square was roped-off for pedestrians because of construction works for a new underground parking garage, so much of the square wasn't even visible. The Humboldt Univeristy, the State Opera, Friedrichswerdersche Kirche and St Hedwigs's Cathedral are the most significant buildings at Bebelplatz. The square is also known for the Nazi book burnings in 1933, today there is a glass plate memorial of that event. Most buildings surrounding the square were destroyed in WWII during the battle of Berlin, but were restored in the 1950s, when the square got its current name (formerly Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Platz).
St Hedwig's Cathedral, hidden behind construction works at Bebelplatz.
St Hedwig's Cathedral seen from Unter den Linden. It is a roman-catholic church from the 18th century, built in neoclassical style, modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.
Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, a red brick church with twin towers at Bebelplatz.
Schinkelmuseum, a sculpture museum inside the church Friedrichswerdersche Kirche.
A new modern glass building with a large atrium inside, opposite the church.
Friedrichswerdersche Kirche seen from the back.
A building about to be torn down, to build a Titanic hotel! A bit ironic...
Unter den Linden:
Unter den Linden is probably the most famous road in Berlin. It is a boulevard of linden trees that goes from Brandenburger Gate in the west to the Museum Island at Rive Spree, and that formerly led to the place where the Palast der Republik was. During the communist times and DDR, the end of the boulevard, that was part of the East, was where the West begun. No other street in the German history has played such an important role. Along the avenue you can find popular museums, embassies, de luxe hotels, currywurst kiosks, brand new townhouses and luxorious stores. At the time of my visit (2012), a lot of construction was going on. The old City Palace is planned to be rebuilt next to the boulevard.
Unter den Linden, looking towards Alexanderplatz.
Deutsches Historiches Museum (German Museum of History) is located at Unter den Linden, opposite the Museum Island and River Spree.
The German Museum of History, founded in 1987, is partlylocated in this neoclassical building called Zeughaus. There is a courtyard with glass roof inside. There is also a futuristic modern annex, designed by IM Pei..
Equestrian statue of King Frederick II of Prussia.
Opernpalais and the Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince Palace).
Unter den Linden with university buildings.
Neue Wache at Unter den Linden with its doric columns.
Neue Wache, inside. The "Mother with her dead son" sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz symbolizes the suffering of all victims of violence.
Maxim Gorkt Theater.
The State Opera building at Bebelplatz, under reconstruction.
The Humboldt University. It was founded in 1810 and has inspired other European universities. The book market is to commemorate the by nazis burnt book.
Humboldt University's Old Library building, at Bebelplatz. It was here the Nazis took books that they found controversial and burned them on the square. The library is a large neoclassical building.
Unter den Linden from the top of a yellow double decker. There are construction sites everywhere in Berlin!
Here at Museumsinsel at River Spree is the eastern end of Unter den Linden.
The quarters around Unter den Linden:
The Prussian City Palace, Stadtschloss, will be reconstructed on this site. It was destroyed after the WWII bombings. During the DDR (East Germany) periode, a building called Palace of the Republic was built. But it has recently been torn down to rebuild the City Palace. Unfortunately, endless lawsuits have postponed the construction. The box is Humboldt-Forum, a temporary building.
University for Music near Unter den Linden.
Schleusen-Brücke, a sluice bridge, a narrow part of River Spree next to Museumsinsel.
The Friedrichswerder Town Houses
These new townhouses in the Friedrichswereder locality are situated between Oberwallstrasse and Caroline-von-Humboldt-weg:
These townhouses near Unter den Linden were built recently (2011?) in modern and postmodern styles. Each building looks different, but are about the same heights.
The style is typical American. Townhouses are a pretty uncommon site in Berlin.
Nice residential buildings under construction next to Friedrichswerdersche Kirche (the picture is a rendering).