Berlin Trip Overview
In contrast to bus tours, on an individual taxi sightseeing tour you have the opportunity to stop almost everywhere – be it for a photo shoot, be it for a snack or a break, be it for a coffee. Or for a longer tour to take a closer look at an object or to have it explained to you (Berlin Cathedral, Hackesche Höfe, Brandenburg Gate, Gendarmenmarkt, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, KaDeWe are recommended, for example). According to your interests and preferences! And in contrast to a tour, you don’t just see a tiny section of our city, City East, the former center and City West, the former West Berlin! So combine the best of walking and bus tours in an Auto City Tour, just like I’ve always done privately with friends and relatives. And enjoy the luxury of being picked up personally from your accommodation in the S-Bahn-Ring. And all in a real Berlin luxury taxi SUV!
Additional Info
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Starts: Berlin, Germany
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Berlin Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Berlin, Berlin, Germany
In contrast to bus tours, on an individual taxi sightseeing tour you have the opportunity to stop almost everywhere – be it for a photo shoot, be it for a snack or a break, be it for a coffee. Or for a longer tour to take a closer look at an object or to have it explained to you (Berlin Cathedral, Hackesche Höfe, Brandenburg Gate, Gendarmenmarkt, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, KaDeWe are recommended, for example). According to your interests and preferences! And in contrast to a tour, you don’t just see a tiny section of our city, City East, the former center and City West, the former West Berlin! So combine the best of walking and bus tours in an Auto City Tour, just like I’ve always done privately with friends and relatives. And enjoy the luxury of being picked up personally from your accommodation in the S-Bahn-Ring. And all in a real Berlin luxury taxi SUV!
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Breitscheidplatz, 10787 Berlin Germany
Not so many people can remember this name, it goes back to an SPD politician who was very committed to workers. Much better known is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which we will see from the other side again later. Many believe that the name refers to the memory of the war, but what is meant is Wilhelm I, to whom his grandson and his Hohenzollern family erected a memorial. Therefore, all the faces of the Holy Family and the disciples in the entrance of the preserved portal somewhat resemble the Prussian kings and emperors. Originally, the plan was to completely clear the war-torn place, including the remains of the church. There was resistance to this, so at least the tower and the west portal were preserved. The church tower and the actual church hall were built around the outside in a modern style based on designs by Egon Eiermann. Allegedly called lipstick and powder compact by the Berliners.
Pass By: Zoo Berlin, Hardenbergplatz 8, 10787 Berlin Germany
This zoo is not only one of the oldest in Germany, it also has the largest population of animals and species (around 16,000 animals of 1,600 different species). The foundation goes back to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who could not do much with the animal population on the Pfaueninsel of his predecessors (from peacocks to bears to other rare animals). So he had the animals moved near Berlin and sacrificed part of his private hunting grounds, the zoo. The buildings were also erected in the manner and style of the respective countries of origin of the animals, which is still nice to look at despite the war damage. Of course, Berlin also has a second zoo, but that is the zoo around Friedrichsfelde Palace, due to the division of the city. Today both belong together. From the outside, the large elephant gate with the monkey enclosure behind and the lion gate at the Zoo station are particularly striking.
Pass By: Theater des Westens, Kantstr. 12, 10623 Berlin Germany
It looks a bit strange from the outside, a bit poured over everything in the confectioner’s style and is also not that old: the theater of the west. So called because it was built in what was then the new west of Berlin (and only later, so to speak, happened to be in West Berlin). At the beginning of the 20th century it was trendy to move out of the much too densely built-up city center (called Mitte) with all its marches and parades to the green west, where there was still space for large villas with gardens. The theater, today used as a musical theater, is reminiscent of this splendor and even contains an imperial box inside.
Pass By: Uhlandstraße, Berlin, Germany
Here we pan over from Kantstrasse (which in its longer course turns into an interesting Chinese quarter, goes back to the students from the imperial era at the Technical University) to the famous Kurfürstendamm, in Berlin lovingly and ironically to the Ku’damm abbreviated.
Pass By: Kurfurstendamm, 10707 Berlin Germany
Here we get a small impression of the western splendor boulevard. In reality it is much longer, almost 5 km to Halensee. Erected on the model of the Champs Élysées in Paris, which Bismarck had made a great impression on after the German victory over France (even the candelabras remind of it). Only today it is no longer adorned by magnificent villas, not even by entertainment bars, cafes and many cinemas, as in the times of George Grosz and Erich Kästner, but has mutated into a shopping mile with chic boutiques (further west, from Versace over Bulgari and Dolce Gabbana can be found here) and modern flagship stores like here from Apple and Tesla. As a result, the chic boulevard is now lonely and deserted at night.
Pass By: Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Breitscheidplatz, 10789 Berlin, Germany
Here again the Memorial Church, this time from the other side. The new building is also worth a visit, not only does everything appear in a mysterious blue light through the many thousands of glass stones specially made in France. It’s surprisingly quiet inside too, considering the noise of this very crowded place. This is due to the special construction of a double wall with 2 m of soundproofing air in between. Unfortunately, the concrete structure is very fragile because it is fragile and exposed to all traffic emissions. That is why one of the buildings is seldom without scaffolding. Immediately behind it the tower of the European Center, together with the low-rise building, it is the oldest shopping center in Berlin, recently 50 years old. Originally even with an ice rink in the middle, but that was later sacrificed to optimize space. Berlin is now nationwide mall capital: we already have more than 70 and more are in the pipeline.
Stop At: Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe), Tauentzienstr. 21 – 24, 10789 Berlin Germany
After Breitscheidplatz we reach the Tauentzien, named after a general from the battle against Napoleon, like all other streets straight ahead. Perceived by many as a continuation or the beginning of the Ku’damm; From a whim of history, Ku’damm is actually missing 9 house numbers. Also flanked by many shops, but mostly those with affordable prices. Apart from the deluxe department store at the end of the street, the KaDeWe, with its 60,000 m² largest single department store in continental Europe. There is every conceivable luxury there, especially up on the gourmet floor, from sipping champagne to eating oysters, the finest types of chocolate and even more types of bread and cheese, everything your heart desires is offered there. Still denigrated by some as “Fressetage” … Definitely visit!
Duration: 15 minutes
Pass By: U Wittenbergplatz, 10789 Berlin, Germany
It was once the most beautiful place, at least in West Berlin. In view of the rather insignificant 1950s buildings there is not much left, but the subway station still stands out in the middle, crowned by a truly beautiful building. Several lines cross here, so that in the early 20th century it was decided to connect them with a common train station. Nevertheless, the Berlin subway can of course not stand up to comparison with the Moscow one, for example, it is really old (not quite as old as the Londoner, but roughly like the one from Paris). And coming from Nollendorfplatz, the former workers’ railway disappears underground here. The formerly independent and very wealthy city of Charlottenburg did not want to do this to itself that a stinking train (at that time still) snorted past the beautiful villas.We will see in a moment how it back up towards Nollendorfplatz (and that was Schöneberg or Berlin) got.
Pass By: Lützowplatz (Berlin), 10785 Berlin, Germany
The Urania is actually an association that wanted to make science clear to a large audience in the late 19th century. We still feel obliged to this task with slide presentations, panel discussions, etc. In front of it a strange arch, which strives towards the sky, it represents a certain degree (of a circle), a gift from France for the 750th anniversary of Berlin (and France was an occupying power in 2 districts). The former largest hotel in West Berlin is located on Lützowplatz, which is why it is simply called Berlin. And in the middle? The big void, the extra-wide green strip reminds us that Berlin should one day become a car-friendly city. With elevated routes for through traffic. Like today in Bangkok or Mexico City. And luckily not here …
Pass By: Tiergarten, Strasse des 17. Juni 100, 10557 Berlin Germany
Formerly an electoral hunting ground, and because there was also a fence around it so that the animals couldn’t run away (and, conversely, the farmers from the surrounding villages couldn’t hunt them), it soon had its name: the zoo. But Friedrich II, later called the Great, didn’t like the hunt, banished the fence and for the first time allowed the Berliners to enter the private royal hunting grounds. In keeping with his time, he had part of it redesigned into a baroque garden. Later kings preferred the English landscape garden, and this is where the Prussian architect and gardener Peter Lenné excelled. He had the Schafgraben expanded into the Landwehr Canal, thus draining the swampy part of the zoo and creating landscapes, lakes and lines of sight. It has basically stayed that way until today, only World War II had a devastating effect. Soon almost no trees were standing upright, and potatoes were being grown in front of the Reichstag. But then the reforestation came with Allied help.
Pass By: Victory Column (Siegessaule), Grosser Stern 1, 10557 Berlin Germany
Originally erected in front of the Reichstag, it was a lot shorter, our victory column. It contained only 3 drums, on them gilded captured cannons of the opponents: Danes, Austrians and French in the so-called German Wars of Unification, at the end of which the German Empire was proclaimed in the Palace of Versailles. No wonder that the French in particular were angry and wanted to have the thing blown up after the war. But the British refused, she was in their occupation sector. And they also had the forest around it reforested. The Victory Column was shipped here by Hitler, whom it disrupted while building his giant people’s hall between the Reichstag and today’s main train station. Then he added another drum to it for the next victory – but as we know, thank God that turned out differently.
Pass By: Bellevue Palace, Spreeweg 1, 10557 Berlin Germany
Today the seat of the Federal President, the small castle was built for the youngest brother Friedrich II: August Ferdinand. And because from there it had a beautiful view of the much larger Charlottenburg Palace (and at times the seat of Fr. II), it had its name gone. That view is long gone, after the war it was pretty battered and was somewhat prepared for the temporary presence of the West German Federal Presidents in Berlin. What always led to protests from East Berlin, they considered West Berlin to be a neutral bloc between the two German states. Although they themselves had a president at Schönhausen Palace (Otto Grotewohl). But only Roman Herzog, the first Federal President after reunification, really lived in the castle, but found it rather small, cold and impractical. So it was completely rebuilt again as the sole Berlin official seat – next to the Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn.
Pass By: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10 Tiergarten, 10557 Berlin Germany
The former congress hall was a gift from the Americans to Berliners, de facto West Berliners in the 1950s. And the spectacular design with the curved roof soon led to the nickname “Pregnant Oyster”. Incidentally, one of the few that are actually in use in Berlin (there are now a few congress halls). But the building was probably so ahead of its time that the statics couldn’t withstand it, the roof collapsed in 1980 and even buried a journalist under itself. But the pregnant oyster was rebuilt true to the original and has been operating as the “House of World Cultures” ever since. Especially non-European artists have a venue here, often combined with cozy concerts on the roof terrace facing the Spree on summer nights. The Teddy Awards of the Berlinale were also given here at times. In the meantime, congresses took place in the “new” ICC at the radio tower, but that was 1979, and this has been waiting for a renovation for a long time.
Pass By: Reichstag Building, Platz der Republik 1, 10557 Berlin Germany
Magnificent Wilhelminian building, even if criticized by it as a chat room or monkey house. Therefore also built outside and away from the city. Historically valuable, after all, the Red Army soldiers placed their flag on the building as a symbol of victory. Even if the famous photo of it is only reproduced. Then for decades it was largely ignored in the so-called free West Berlin – only 5 m away from the Wall, it was not allowed to be used for official Bundestag sessions. If so, to elect the Federal President, for example, a reprimand from East Berlin followed immediately. Completely gutted in the nineties and completely redesigned for the reunified Bundestag with now over 700 members. Not to forget the iconographic wrapping action by the artist Christo. The Reichstag dome, put on new glass after the architect had only planned a kind of gas station roof at this point, it now represents the new Berlin.
Pass By: Paul-Lobe-Haus, Platz der Republik 1, 10557 Berlin Germany
This building is the so-called engine of parliament; all parliamentary work takes place here. In Parliament, only the closing speeches are held; the actual discussion and voting takes place in the committees. There is plenty of opportunity for this in every bulge in the over 200 m long building on three floors. And as a glass parliament you can even see it from the outside. Only the EU and secret committees sit in the largest rotunda facing the Spree above the two restaurants – and cannot be seen from outside.
Pass By: Bundeskanzleramt der Bundesregierung, Willy-Brandt-Str. 1, 10557 Berlin Germany
Colossal building, with a height of 36 m, ten floors and a total of 500 office rooms for over 300 employees, not exactly small. The White House would fit eight times. The only bigger ones are palaces for presidents. The Chancellor has her office in the top left corner. In the rotunda above there is an official apartment for her, which she does not use. As you know, she lives across from Museum Island. The official apartment is also rather impractical, with bathroom and bedroom across the street with about 200 m² of usable space.
Pass By: Haus der Bundespressekonferenz, Schiffbauerdamm 40, 10117 Berlin, Germany
A modern building, with a striking large giant window in the middle. Behind this, the government is surveyed once or twice a week by accredited journalists from the capital. They then sit in front of a blue wall, which is also easily reflected here in the facade.
Pass By: Berlin Central Station, Hauptbahnhof, Europaplatz 1, 10557 Berlin, Germany
Largest crossing station in Europe, that’s what the railway itself says and tells of 300,000 passengers who change trains here every day. Well that’s hard to check. But in fact the train station is already huge in its dimensions, with 8 underground tracks and just as many above ground. In between huge halls, a total of 5 levels, and many, many shops. And so that they got enough visitors, the former most important train station in West Berlin, namely the Bahnhof Zoo, was downgraded to a regional train station without a stop for the ICE. To the horror of the Charlottenburg etc, who now had another journey – felt like nowhere. Because the new central station (Berlin never had one, only terminal stations in all directions) was only on the Stadtbahn (which was once built to connect most of Berlin’s train stations). The underground only got a stub up to the Brandenburg Gate (it is being extended), and underground digging is still going on at the S-Bahn.
Pass By: Humboldthafenbrücke, Mitte, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Here we pass the east-west border again. In the port, which was already a restricted area at that time, the first deaths occurred after the wall was built. Günter Litfin was shot backwards while trying to swim through the harbor. His brother mourned him until a few years ago – in one of the last remaining watchtowers at the Invalidenfriedhof.
Pass By: Invalidenstraße, Berlin, Germany
Today important ministries – for economy and traffic – are lined up here in significant buildings with an eventful history. The Palais am Invalidenpark – formerly for war casualties who were admitted here – was also used for an execution court in GDR times, in which death sentences were passed. For a long time it was also a military hospital. On the way to the Ministry of Transport – a Bavarian minister has always resided there for years – we see a piece of sunken wall on the left. This is art – because it wasn’t there at all, but behind us at the level of the bridge. On the right hand side we can already see many of the old clinic buildings of the Charité, the largest university hospital in Europe. In the foreground is the medical-historical museum, nearby is an “anatomical theater” from the Baroque era, in which animals were dissected as object lessons even before medical students.
Stop At: Memorial of the Berlin Wall, Bernauer Strasse 111, 13355 Berlin Germany
For a long time it was away from the tourist stream, the official memorial of the city of Berlin to the wall. Everyone flocked to Checkpoint Charly, but there is only one privately run museum dedicated to the escape attempts. Today it’s different, but why was this part on Bernauer Strasse on the border with Wedding chosen? There have been many spectacular escape attempts here – with tunnels. Because it was also possible here at Prenzlauer Berg (otherwise you would already drink in Berlin in about 1m depth). In addition, there was an original piece of the Berlin Wall, preserved on the initiative of the pastor of the parish that was cut by the wall here and whose historic church was blown up at the end of the 1980s. This was framed by metal mirror surfaces, in expectation that the city would soon close the fallow land on the death strip. But here too: wrong, you can still see the strip through the city clearly, now also protected.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: U Rosenthaler Platz, 10119 Berlin, Germany
This has now become a hotspot – not just for tourists who find hotels and hostels all around here. There is also – unlike in many other places in the former East – warm food all night long during the week, and not just as a snack. Bars and nightlife are also all around, even if not the big clubs (almost all of them are now near the water, i.e. near the Spree), but there are small, hip shops right here in Torstrasse. By the way, it’s called that because it was a kind of city limits road (part of a ring), where the 17 city gates stood at weddings until the 19th century. Jews were also allowed to enter through the Rosenthaler Tor, as well as through the Hallesche Tor at the southern end of the city at that time. Immediately behind this gate we come to the so-called Spandauer Vorstadt, which is why many Jews settled there.
Stop At: Die Hackeschen Hoefe, Rosenthaler Str. 40/41 Hakerscher Markt, 10178 Berlin Germany
Today they are like a nucleus of this area, which is particularly popular with tourists. Dilapidated in GDR times and partly used as a warehouse, this courtyard ensemble was the first to be restored after the fall of the Wall and shines in its old Art Nouveau charm. The courtyards were built in 1908 as a kind of showcase courtyard area. Here life and work were supposed to mix in an exemplary manner, small factories, printing houses and workshops offered work, and the atria were large enough and green enough that one could also live on the upper floors. You can admire all of this again today in its original splendor, although the workshops have been replaced by shops with selected, partly self-made goods. KPM (Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur) also exhibits its porcelain here, and in the same courtyard you will also find the products of the famous East Berlin Ampelmännchen.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin – Centrum Judaicum, Oranienburger Str. 28 – 30, 10117 Berlin Germany
Here we see a no-stopping ban on the right, bollards and also policemen with submachine guns in their arms. A sure sign of a Jewish facility in Berlin, because it is not without reason that they are guarded day and night. In the facade you can see Moorish style elements, the whole thing is crowned by a golden dome. Unfortunately, the church itself, which offered space for up to 3000 believers, was destroyed in the war. The front building, a kind of entrance portal, was at least started to be rebuilt in Eastern times. In it today a worth seeing exhibition on Jewish life in Berlin. But be careful, the security measures at the entrance are similar to those in the airport. The synagogue was built to replace an older synagogue nearby, at a time when Prussia offered Jews equal civil rights and people wanted to proudly present their own culture. Even the iron chancellor Bismarck appeared for the inauguration in 1866.
Pass By: Friedrichstrasse, Berlin Germany
One of the most famous and longest streets through the city of Berlin: Friedrichstrasse. From here it runs in a straight line south to Kreuzberg, where it ends at today’s Mehringplatz – and thus at Hallescher Tor. It has quite different sections, here is the somewhat dingy northern end, which is currently being spruced up. The Tacheles, which actually stands on Oranienburger Straße, extends over here, as it was originally a shopping gallery before department stores became fashionable. Today it’s the other way around. A small new district is being created here on an area that could hold some villages.
Pass By: Friedrichstadt-Palast, Friedrichstr. 107, 10117 Berlin Germany
West Berliners like to mockingly call it Revueplatte, since it has provided a lot of amusement since it was built, and that when the house is often sold out. Much attention is also paid to the large in-house productions. And people like to advertise the longest stage in the world (even if it is not as deep as the one in Las Vegas), after all it also contains a retractable swimming pool or a rotating ice surface. In any case, that much is certain, two 80 revue dancers’ legs fit nicely next to each other.
Pass By: Berlin Friedrichstrasse Station, Georgenstr. 14/17, 10117 Berlin Germany
This station was the only one from which there was an onward journey from East to West Berlin during the time of the Wall, for example also for the Paris-Moscow Express at the time. Or also for the departure of East Berliners, but then without a return ticket. Which is why this station was also used for adventurous escape attempts, which, however, were not always successful. Otherwise, the whole station was criss-crossed by barriers and customs checkpoints, with Stasi observation corridors in the middle – if you are interested in this and more, you will find the original reconstructed next door in the so-called Palace of Tears. This was so called because the East Berliners had to say goodbye to their relatives there, and often for seemingly forever.
Pass By: Unter den Linden, Berlin Germany
This magnificent boulevard was the first of its kind in Berlin. Actually designed as a tranquil bridle path, it led from the Berlin Palace to the west, through the Brandenburg Gate into the hunting grounds, today’s zoo. These were also reserved for the elector personally and exclusively. When the city expanded to the west – the nucleus was the island in the Spree and the eastern side, where the Nikolaiviertel is today – the Jagdweg was expanded into a considerable boulevard. When it came to the question of how to plant it, there was no agreement between nut trees and linden trees. As you can see today, the linden trees prevailed, otherwise today the street was called Unter den Nüssen … Originally lined with aristocratic palaces, today there are important and prominent buildings from the State Library to the Humboldt University and the State Opera. Only the remaining cafes on the median are cozy.
Stop At: Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin Germany
It’s actually on Pariser Platz, at least from the other side. If the city of Berlin were an apartment, this place would be the so-called parlor. In other words, the room where guests are happy to take them to show the most beautiful sides of the city. But why so much, the surrounding buildings were destroyed by war and demolition in the later decades, all that was left was the Brandenburg Gate. It was about as isolated as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. But it wasn’t planned that way. There was no way to get to the gate from either side, a very thick wall stood from the west, and the East Berliners were separated by a fence from the east. The remaining part of the Hotel Adlon was finally blown up. After the fall of the Wall, it was decided to rebuild everything here, but modernized in style, only in cubature as before. Now the Liebermannhaus, the Academy of the Arts, the French and American embassies are gathered here again.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Russische Botschaft, Unter den Linden 63-65, 10117 Berlin Germany
After the war, the Soviet Union had the largest foreign representation in Europe built here. Its size was supposed to document who was in charge here in the center of Berlin, at that time the American, British and French embassies on Pariser Platz were all in ruins. Contrary to the von den Linden statutes, according to which all buildings should be aligned flush with the street, this type of palace allowed itself an inner courtyard. It was supposed to please Stalin in everything – but unfortunately it is not known whether he ever set foot in it, let alone stayed the night there. At least nothing would have been missing, even for the attached school there is a swimming pool and ballrooms and so on anyway. But Stalin was also a paranoid all his life. To this day used for the successor states of the USSR called GUS.
Stop At: Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin Germany
German and French cathedral, theater, concert hall, this square is rightly described by many as the most beautiful square in Berlin. Today’s concert hall (formerly built as a theater) is nicely framed by the two so-called domes. Namely the German and the French cathedral. However, they are neither bishop’s seats nor cathedrals, but simple meetinghouses that Frederick II had embellished with a cathedral-like tower, supposedly according to his own design. The left church, the German cathedral, is no longer used as such, but contains a museum for the parliamentary history of Germany. The one on the right, the French cathedral, is still used by a Reformed congregation that holds services in French on Sundays. Behind it a small Huguenot museum, because it was these refugees who were allowed to build their church here. They only had to live further outside in Moabit. Rebuilt in GDR times.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Bebelplatz 1, 10117 Berlin Germany
So-called commode (Royal Court Library), St. Hedwig Cathedral, State Opera, Humboldt University together form the Forum Fridericianum. In today’s Hotel Club the Rome, the SPD and KPD were forcibly united. Therefore, the name August Bebel, the founder of the SPD, may also fit. Otherwise, the square used to be called simply Opernplatz, which would also fit better. In the middle of the square, you can easily walk across it, unless there is a crowd of people there, a glass window in the floor that points to an empty library. Here on May 10, 1933, all books unsuitable from the Nazi point of view were burned. With the Humboldt University opposite, the square forms a nice square, as the Berliner says. Because this building was also built as a palace, namely for the younger brother of Friedrich II, Heinrich. A few years after his death, it was used as the nucleus of the royal Friedrich Wilhelm University, today Humboldt University.
Pass By: Neue Wache, Unter den Linden 4, 10117 Berlin Germany
For many, the spectacle under the linden trees used to be: the changing of the guard at the new guard, the East Berlin soldiers then walked up and down here at goose-step. That is long gone now, but actually this guard housed the castle guard, at least a small part of it. Formerly a kind of eternal flame inside (actually made of glass, but looks like this when the light falls), today a pièta, an enlarged form of the sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz, who mourned her son who died after only a few weeks in the First World War. Today a place of mourning for all victims of war and tyranny, therefore often statesmanlike wreaths here, especially after the national memorial day in November.
Pass By: Kronprinzenpalais, Unter den Linden 3, 10117 Berlin Germany
This building and the neighboring Kronprinzessinnenpalais are often overlooked – when all the giant objects on Unter den Linden are named, they quickly go under. In fact, their most important purpose was that which is already hidden in the name: Not only were crown princes and princesses born here, but they also grew up here and not infrequently gave birth to them themselves. The two palaces are connected by a corridor. Since the Kronprinzessinnenpalais is so close to the State Opera, it was often used as an opera cafe, and it is currently being used as an exhibition space. The Kronprinzenpalais is still being used by the administration for the reconstruction of the City Palace / Humboldt Forum.
Pass By: Deutsches Historisches Museum, Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin Germany
The German Historical Museum is located in the former armory. This traditionally contains the “toys” for men in case of war, ie war implements. Gladly also those captured by the enemy. As a result, a war weapons museum developed from this, and in GDR times also a military history museum. After the fall of the Wall, the decision was made to set up a central museum of German history here, after the groundbreaking had already fallen where the Chancellery is today. Then the story came in between … The house itself was completely refurbished after the fall of the Wall, and especially the frescoes outside and also in the inner courtyard of the building make many shiver, because they are replicas of death masks of dying warriors. Andreas Schlueter, the builder of the baroque Berlin Palace, drew here as a sculptor.
Pass By: Humboldt Forum, Schloßpl., 10178 Berlin, Germany
There was simply nothing here for decades, a large parking lot, sometimes used for merrymaking and hype. The Berlin palace of the Berlin electors, later kings and later emperors, has stood here for centuries. Burned out during the war and not extinguished, its silhouette was nonetheless unbroken and was partly used inside after the war, for example for exhibitions on how things should go on with Berlin after the war. Nevertheless, the East Berlin gentlemen had it blown up for months, regardless of all criticism from home and abroad, because it represented an icon of the North German Baroque. Before the demolition, it was documented in detail with photographs, it now allows an externally exact reconstruction, the Schlueter inner courtyard is also reconstructed in great detail. The non-European art collections and those of the Humboldt University are to be added to the otherwise modern concrete building. Planned opening in sections as the Humboldt Forum 2020/2021
Pass By: Alexanderplatz, 10178 Berlin Germany
Everyone talks about Alexanderplatz today – it would be funny to talk about Ochsenplatz, even if that was the original name, probably because they were traded in exactly the same here. Actually already outside the oldest city walls, it was an eastern extension including St. Mary’s Church. The origin of the square can actually be found whe
