My husband will be doing a conference in Gottingen and I plan to take the Intercity Express (ICE), a high-speed train to Berlin for the day. It looks like I can get from Gottingen to Berlin in about 2.5 hours. If I leave at 8 am I should be arriving around 1030 am. Since I remember the 1980s and the Berlin Wall coming down I will be exploring these sites on my trip to Berlin. I will also checkout a World War II site and a few other historic sites. This adventure is mostly a walking tour around Berlin.
I first hope to see is the Brandenburg Gate. It is an 18th-century neoclassical monument that has been restored to its original look. It was constructed on the location of the original city gate marking the start of the road to the town of Brandenburg. This is site is free to visit and is at the Pariser Platz in a pedestrian only area.
It was a major symbol of the Cold war since starting on Aug. 13, 1961 you could not longer go through the gate between West and East Berlin. During the revolutions of 1989 the wall was demolished, the gate remained as a symbol of freedom and unity.
On the top is a sculpture of a quadriga or chariot drawn by four horses. The quadriga was sculpted by Johann Gottfried Schadow a symbol of peace. There are a number of transit stops nearby to get to it.
Address: Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany
The building was constructed to house the Imperial Diet of the German Empire and opened on 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933. On Feb. 27, 1933, the building was severely damaged when it was set on fire. The Nazis used the fire to claim that Communists were planning a violent uprising and this allowed for emergency legislation to prevent this. This act abolished a number of constitutional protections and paved the way for the Nazi dictatorship. The building was not used again until after German unification and parliament once again met there starting in 1999.
Admission: The cost is free, but reservations are required. The glass dome with its sloping walkways with the views of Berlin is a awe inspiring place to checkout. In order to do this you have to reserve online a spot several days in advance. Go to www.bundestag.de to reserve a spot and to find out more information. The closest transit station is the Bundestag.
Address: Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin, Germany
I want to also check out the East Side Gallery, which is the longest section of the wall together and once formed the border between East and West Berlin. The wall has 101 large-format paintings on the wall that symbolize the joy of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery is a memorial to the fall of the Wall. It is open 24 hours. The outside gallery is along the Spree River along Muhlenstrabe with the Berlin Ostbahnhof transit stop nearby.
Address: Mühlenstraße 3-100, 10243 Berlin, Germany
Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to this Berlin Wall crossing point. American and U.S. tanks briefly faced each other during the Berlin Crisis of 1961, before the wall was allowed to stay versus the start of World War III. It is located at the intersection of Zimmerstrabe and Friedrichstrabe. UKochstrabe Checkpoint Charlie transit stop is nearby.
Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10117 Berlin, Germany
KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH
Ruins of the bombed out spire of the 1890’s Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and serves as a symbol of the destruction of war and now a monument to peace and reconciliation following World War. The Bahnhof Zoologischer Garden transit stop is nearby.
Address: Breitscheidplatz, 10789 Berlin, Germany
Berlin Cathedral or Berliner Dom is located on Museum Island. The dome is one of major landmarks of Berlin. The basilica houses elaborate decorative and ornamental designs.
Admission: €7 which includes the dome gallery, and €10 includes the audioguide.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 20:00 PM and Sundays 12 to 20:00, until 19:00 October through March. Address is Am Lustgarten 1. I will probably take Bus 100 that leaves from the Brandenburg Gate. The cathedral is in the middle of the city so it can be easily visited using the S or U-Bahn or buses.
Address: Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin, Germany
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