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After a fifty-year lull, Berlin is back – back as the capital of a reunified
Germany and back as one of Europe’s greatest cities. After World War II,
Berlin was a crippled pawn, sandwiched between East and West, with a literal
and metaphoric wall deeply dividing the two halves. The northeastern German
city even suffered the ignominy of losing its capital status, as the West
German government fled to Bonn. Today, the Cold War and the iconic events of
November 1989, which saw the Berlin Wall torn to pieces by those whom it had
oppressed for so long, are starting to seem like a distant memory and all
the talk in Berlin is of the future.
In the biggest construction project in Europe since World War II, a new
Berlin has emerged from the forest of cranes dotting the no-man’s land that
was the divided city’s dead heart. Potsdamer Platz is the most voluminous
project but the most symbolic recent construction is at the Reichstag.
British architect Lord Foster has rejuvenated the German parliament with an
impressive glass dome that symbolizes the new transparency in German
politics – that of a nation with nothing to hide, which is attempting to
distance itself from the ghosts of its past.
 Berlin Wall Bicycle Tour
The Berlin Wall - dividing the capital
of Berlin for 28 years! See the longest stretch of wall still remaining
and understand why it was erected, how it fell, and how Berlin is
dealing with the scars of its past. Regardless if this is your first
trip to Berlin of if you already feel like "ein Berliner", this is a
great way to see the city. Stop at a traditional German beer hall and
experience Berlin as the locals do!
Click here for more Sightseeing Tours Berlin |
Coupled with this wave of new construction is a city laden with
historical charm – from the old streets of East Berlin, which are slowly
being restored after remaining unchanged for 50 years, through to the grand
architecture of Museumsinsel and Unter den Linden, and the green lung of the
Tiergarten Park. Tourism is on the rise, as visitors come to savor the
intoxicating mix of old and new. Big business, too, is booming, as
government bodies flock back from Bonn and relocate in the capital, along
with investment from many other parts of the country and from all over
Europe. Key industries such as electronics, manufacturing and information
technology reflect the hopes for a brighter future for Berlin.
Contrary to the usual clichés about Germany, Berlin is a city with a
laid-back attitude and some of the liveliest nightlife in Europe. In Berlin
today, there is everything from authentic beer halls and old Soviet era
haunts right through to buzzing style bars and Latino nightclubs. Berlin’s
climate is equally eclectic, with hot summer days giving way to occasionally
freezing temperatures during the long grey winter. Today’s quintessential
Berlin experience is to laze through a summer day in the Tiergarten with the
rabble of construction just out of earshot, sipping on a chilled Pilsner
beer, while witnessing a city reinventing itself as one of Europe’s finest
capitals.
Bars, beers and more bars…and more beers. Aside from that
there's only the cafes, cabarets, casinos, concerts, clubs and the high
voltage music scene to keep you occupied!! The home of decadence since the
Twenties, Berlin has more to offer than a sweet shop counter, although some
of the ‘shows' may raise your eyebrows. Since re-unification, you can find a
great mixture of bars: from quieter watering holes in the East to the full
glitz and glam of the West.
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The city has no definite centre and pockets of attractions are
dotted all over. The densest array of sights lies to the east of the
Brandenburg Gate, on either side of Unter den Linden. West Berlin's centre
has less to offer. Nevertheless visitors should take a look at the broken
shard of a church, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, which serves as a
brutal reminder of World War II. The nearby Zoo and Aquarium also provide a
happy distraction.
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