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The museums in Berlin dedicated to the Berlin Wall
Posted by in Berlin Landmarks, Berlin Tour, Fun, General, Government, Guide, Hotels, News, Tips
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The two separate entities of Berlin that existed before the Wall has now become one once again and now there is hardly a trace left of the former east-west division. The Berlin Wall, which was given the propagandistic name “Anti-Fascist Protective Wall”, was an almost impermeable border until it fell on November 9th, 1989. Today, many locations and museums pay homage to the stories of the divided city and tourists. Traces of the wall are still found in Berlin. Later, a number of museums began to dedicate themselves to the Berlin Wall and the history associated with it and are considered favorite tourist spots for those interested in the history of Berlin.
The GDR Museum
This happens to be one of the most visited museums of Berlin as it is the only museum that deals exclusively with life in the former German Democratic Republic. The museum holds a permanent exhibition. The exhibition offers exhibits on and about the ‘Wall’ and ‘stasi’ memorials apart from dealing with the former GDR in a purely scientific way. The focus of the exhibition is provided by the SED – the Socialist Unity Party – exploring topics such as the state, economy, NPA, brother states, ideology, opposition and the Stasi.The museum gets its exhibits of everyday life mostly by donations from private households.
Deutsch-Russisches Museum Berlin-Karlshorst
The museum stands on a site where World War II ended on Mai 8th, 1945 with the unconditional surrender of the German forces. The ‘Surrender Hall’ and the office of the Head of the Soviet Military Administration, Marshal Shukow, have been preserved to this day. This museum was officially opened on May 10th, 1995, the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. The museum holds an important place in Berlin as it serves as a memorial of the German-Soviet War 1941-1945 and also documents the pre-war history and political relations between the USSR, the GDR and the Federal Republic. The museum offers special exhibitions, presentations and guided tours based on the history of German-Russian relations during the 20th century.
Marienfelde Refugee Center Museum
A refugee camp was created in 1953 to provide shelter to about 1.5 million people who had left the GDR between 1949 and 1990 in the direction of the Federal Republic. West German and West Berlin politicians visited Marienfelde to officially show their solidarity with the refugees from the East. In the current times, a museum stands here which holds a permanent exhibition which showcases the causes, the history and results of the German-German refugee movement.
The Bellevue Palace in Berlin
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The Bellevue Palace in Berlin, located on the northern edge of the Großer Tiergarten park, along the right bank of the Spree and close to the Brandenburg Gate, the Victory Column and the Bundestag, is the official residence of the President of Germany and has been so since 1994.
It was originally constructed to serve as a summer home to the younger brother of King Friedrich II, Ferdinand of Prussia. Built and finished in1786, this palace features remarkable architecture and comprises of a long main building and two wings- a women’s wing and a Spree wing.
Its façade has a classical style while its interior is more contemporary. Its architect was Michael Philipp Boumann and it was the first neoclassical building in the whole of Germany. About 20 hectares of green lush grass surrounds this palace. You can take a wonderful stroll through this park.
This palace has had a very colourful history. Though built for Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, it later became the residence of residence of his niece Princess Alexandrine. It continued to be occupied by the Hohenzollern dynasty until the German Revolution of 1918. Later on it became a museum for ethnography and during the World War II it suffered great damages. However it was restored later on and made the secondary residence of the West German president. It was again reconstructed in 2004-2005. However this most recent reconstruction did not include living quarters.
It is generally believed that if the presidential standard is flown on top of the palace then the President is in Berlin. However this is not completely true. If the President leaves for a vacation the standard is not taken down. It is taken down only if the President happens to go to some other official residence of his.
Reichstag building: The historical edifice of Berlin
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Berlin has a rich heritage of historical buildings and sites and the Reichstag building happens to be a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, which was constructed to house the Reichstag, parliament of the German Empire. It served as the house for Reichstag from 1894 to 1933, when a fire broke out to causing much damage to the building. The exact cause or the culprit behind the fire is still unknown but the Communists were blamed for it them. It gave a boost to Hitler’s Party, the NSDAP, who would soon come to power.
The building was damaged even more at the end of the war, when the Soviets entered Berlin. The picture of a Red Army Soldier raising the Soviet flag on the Reichstag is one of the most famous 20th century images and symbolized Germany’s defeat. Reichstag building became totally useless after the Second World War when the parliament of the German Democratic Republic met in the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin and the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.
The building was made safe against the elements and partially refurbished in the 1960s. When Germany reunified on October 3, 1990, the attempt to restore and reconstruct the building was made under the directions of the world famous architect Norman Foster. After its completion in 1999, it became the meeting place of the modern German parliament, the Bundestag.
The major draw of this building is the large glass dome at the very top of the building. The dome has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which would not only cause large solar gain, but bedazzle those below. However, the dome is not open for anyone now-a-days without prior registration.
Visit the Brandenburg gate at Berlin
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The Brandenburg gate in Berlin is situated in Pariser Platz 1 10117 Berlin. To reach there you can take the metro from Metro Stop Unter den Linden (S1, S2), or take Bus #100. It is cost free and so attracts even more tourists. Also, it is one of the most important landmarks of Germany and so automatically becomes a must see. The period when this gate rose to fame was the cold war. It marked the division of Berlin and Germany as it stands between East and West Germany.
This gate became a symbol of Germany’s violent past and also its present peaceful conditions. It has played an important role throughout the major events in Germany’s history. Though it has a colourful history the gate is important not only from that aspect but also from an architectural aspect. It was designed by architect Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1791. This entrance to the boulevard “Unter den Linden”, leading to the palace of the Prussian monarchs, is marked with grandeur and stature. Its design was inspired by the Acropolis in Athens.
A remarkable feature of the gate is the sculpture of the Quadriga, a four-horsed chariot driven by Victoria, the winged goddess of victory. This statue was taken by Napoleon’s troops in the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, as a war trophy. It was however reclaimed when the Prussians defeated France in 1814.
The gate’s history doesn’t end here. About a hundred years later the gate was used by the Nazis for their own objectives. The most important of which is their march in the form of a martial torchlight parade, celebrating Hitler’s rise to power and introducing the darkest chapter of German history.
This gate survived the turmoil of the Second World War and then stood straight throughout the cold war and thus came to symbolize ideological disputes. One of the most visited monuments of Germany, this gate was refurbished in 2000.
Some of the popular hotels near Brandenburg Gate in Berlin are:
The Ritz Carlton, Berlin
Potsdamer Platz 3
Berlin
030 337777
The Mandala Hotel
Potsdamer Straße 3
Berlin
030 590050000
Berlin Marriott Hotel
Inge-Beisheim-Platz 1
Berlin
The Westin Grand Hotel Berlin
Friedrichstrasse 158-164
Berlin
United Buddy Bears, the messenger of international peace.
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Buddy Bears are a series of painted, life-size fibre-glass bear sculptures that are with concept and ideas has been developed in Berlin, Germany. The first Buddy bear was made by the German business Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in collaboration with the sculptor Roman Strobl in the year 2001. The idea Buddy Bear and the United Buddy Bears here is conceptualized for two types of activities. Buddy Bear is an urban festive activity that is rather diversified with the help of many animal sculptures that brings life at many urban city centers around the globe. Whereas The United Buddy bears, brings out the different message like the message of peace, international understanding and tolerance among the nations, cultures and religions around the world.
The first Buddy Bears activities at the street of Berlin occurred at Buddy Berlin Show. In the show about painted about 350 bears to exist at the public domain, as decorative elements in the streets of Berlin. Four different bear designs participated in the show at the city centre of Berlin. Then after many bears were sold out at auctions in help of child relief organizations. Presently, these Berlin Buddy Bears are represented and exhibited at private locations as in the front of hotels and embassies as well as in the entrance hall of different office buildings. The shows of the original Buddy Bears as by the local artist has been organized in the cities of Shanghai (2004), Buenos Aires (2005) and St. Gallen / Switzerland (2006).
The United Buddy Bears is another art exhibition of international fame with about 140 two meter tall fibreglass bears. Its motto as states, “We have to get to know each other better, it makes us understand one another better, trust each other more, and live together more peacefully more than 140 countries acknowledged by the United Nations are represented, promoting tolerance, international understanding and the great concept of different nations and cultures living in peace and harmony.” The bears, therefore, remains standing there in and around a peaceful circle.
One important requirement for this international unifying project is to select artists from the different individual countries. The observer there learns about the culture, the history, the people and the landscape of the individual countries whether they are large or small. For the occasion the bears were on the show between June and November 2002, in a circle around the Brandenburg Gate.
It was in around November 2002, the bears were roamed at new locations and places on a world tour at respective countries embassies in Berlin and back to the country they were situated along. A few of the bears, there were auctioned off to make money for UNICEF. For these exhibitions, there entries are absolutely free and one can learn from these bears a lot about the culture, history, landscape, economy and music in all five continents in lively manner.
Two most sacred sites in Berlin
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Below is illustrated the two most popular sacred sites in Berlin, that is revered by everyone around the corner and all the times.
Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is a very huge and big Holocaust memorial inaugurated in May 2005 in central Berlin. The thought to create a memorial as an obituary to the jews murdered by the Nazis came to the fore for the first time in 1988, when German Jewish journalist Lea Rosh created a group to support the memorial construction and thus collect donations for it. However, in meantime, the great wall of Berlin fell and Germany was too busy with the duty of reconstructing and reunifying the two Berlins and the two states.
The idea once again popped up after a few years and a resolution passed by the Bundestag in 1998 to stand the memorial. This time, its completion was delayed by many bureaucratic hassles, disagreements over concept and design, and resistance from Germans. Finally, the construction of the memorial started in April 2003. In October 2003, it was discovered that the German company Degussa is providing provided materials for the memorial and there construction was halted as a daughter company of Degussa had produced the Zyklon B poison that was used for killing Jews in the Nazi gas chambers. But, somehow Degussa remain attached to construction activities. On December 15, 2004, the memorial was completed and opens to public on May12, 2005.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is situated close to the Reichstag and the underground bunker where Hitler committed suicide. The memorial is a collection of about 2,700 concrete slabs as in arranged in a grid pattern covering 19,000 square meters. Visitors there are persuaded to walk between the steles; the memorial can be entered from all sides and there is no such path for the memorial. An adjoining “place of information” keeps the name of all Holocaust victims as found from the Jerusalem museum Yad Vashem.
Berliner Dom, Berlin
The Berliner Dom in Berlin is a very remarkable basilica named as the “Protestant St. Peter’s.” It’s, present Baroque structure is as old as from 1905, and is situated on location of several earlier structures. The entire structure of “Protestant St. Peter’s” has dimensions expending to 114 m long and 73 m wide. Its dome is beautifully decorated with mosaics. Other important artworks there include Sauer’s Organ, the Neo-Baroque pulpit and stained glass windows designed by Anton von Werner. One can have an outstanding view of the dome from the dome’s gallery. The 270-step climb to the top is I the experience that all must enjoy. The most historically figure to the Berliner Dom is the crypt, that is more than 80 sarcophagi of Prussian royals. The most impressive there are the tombs of Frederick I and his queen, Sophie Charlotte.
Some attractive centers of shopping in Berlin
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With respect to shopping Berlin have many places and spots that a shopper would like to revisit again and again. One can get everything that he wishes to buy to desire at shopping malls and markets in Berlin. Here one can have everything from expensive designer labels, to flea and antique markets. Here something is available for everyone at its shopping markets and places. Some of its prominent shopping centers are as following.
• Kurfuerstendamm and Tauentzienstrasse: Tauentzienstraße, the extension of Kurfuerstendamm is very attractive shopping space that is extended till an area of a mile and is ideally suited for shopping for family and represent in commodities various styles as well as prize categories. There is located world famous KaDeWe department store on Wittenbergplatz that is known for its Food Halls and international designer labels. Markets toward Ku’damm one will get popular fashion stores like H&M or Zara. Souvenir Shops at the Europa Center and the traditional Café Kanzler on Kanzler with its extensive street views is a place to be worth visiting. The labels and brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci and Jil Sander one can get at the boulevard on the elegant side streets such as boutiques are elegant side streets such as Fasanenstrasse and Bleibtreustrasse are chic boutiques and specialty stores.
• Friedrichstrasse: This entire area was revived just after demolishing of Berlin war and has been transformed into an area with expensive office buildings and some greater opportunities for shopping and other curricular activities. There on the market remains stretch under Unter den Linden and Leipziger Strasse, Friedrichstrasse offers quite a remarkable selection of the expensive ones among the retail chains. Especially in the shopping mall, never really busy inside you have a very calm and easy going shopping experience. More attracting center, Galeries Lafayette, a branch of the French chain of department stores. Right east of the place there is situated Gendarmenmarkt square. There one can find out equally expensive café’s and restaurants, therefore it is equally calm.
• Alte Schönhauser Strasse, Neue Schönhauser Strasse, Münzstrasse: East of upper Friedrichstrasse and Northwest of Alexanderplatz there is situated Berlin’s most recognized and attractive shopping area. It is situated at the oldest part of cities close to Hackescher Markt that offers many funky boutiques and other interesting stores. There are also many café’s and bars in the area to take break from the shopping. In recent times many flagship stores of brands like Acne Jeans, Fillipa K, A.P.C., Adidas Originals, Hugo, Boss Orange etc. has open their shops in the area.
• North of Torstraße Area around Kastanienallee: There a number of new stores have been cropped up in this area and presents their own respective brand. The most known stores are Thatchers or the latest opening INAT on Schwedter Strasse 22. INAT fashion store is distinct from other Berlin based designer labels as their fashion creates a simplistic and elegant collection for women that offers many possibilities to combine various outfits.
• KaDeWe: The shopping sprees of Berlin is incomplete unless a visit to KaDeWe is to made that is the biggest departmental store on the European continent and has world’s best and biggest food court covering the entire 6th floor. Its food court is rich and vast with exotic Chinese food where a huge opportunity is provided to a diner to select from a wide variety of food items.
• Galeries Lafayette Berlin: It is a famous French departmental store located on Friedrichstrasse. Here you can get fashion and fine food in a structure made up of glass. The fashion article here is more attractive for ladies.
• Galeria Kaufhof Alexanderplatz: Completely renovated this is a very attractive and large departmental store. Here at the store one can have all the necessary and top brands for shopper’s paradise and luxury. Its food hall is indeed is very luxurious and one can get it at Alexaderplatz.