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Published: August 8th 2007
Berlin Wall
This is one of the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. On the other side of this section is a huge display called the Topographie des Terrors which goes into Nazi history. It was all in German, but the pictures spoke more than a thousand words.
Julie J Vanover I arrived in Berlin much later in the day than I had planned because of my visit to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. I didn't get checked in at my hostel until about 9pm and I still needed dinner. So I headed over to the main street a block away from my hostel and had an Indian Buffet. While I was eating I ran into two girls that I had stayed with in Budapest, they were on a pub crawl and seemed to be very much enjoying themselves. As I was walking back to my hostel I walked past a building that at first glance appeared to be a vacant building. Upon further inspection there were many red lights in the back of the building so I wandered back there to see what was there (I did a lot of the, wandering into places to see what was there- I decided that if I wasn't supposed to be somewhere someone would tell me).
In the back of the building I found many outdoor bars all in a large sand covered area with random large metal letters that served as seats and other random large pieces of artwork. I instantly
Tacheles
Tacheles stairwell. Before I came to Berlin some guys told me that I had to check out the Graffiti Bar, I am pretty sure that this is where they were talking about. realized that this was Tacheles, the artists community/cultural building/theatre/bar, that I had read about. The building was originally a beautiful huge department store that had been badly damaged during WWII. Most of the department store had been demolished but this section had remained standing due to the large basement and vaults underneath. After the fall of the wall it was taken over by many artist squatters and eventually an agreement was made that the artists could remain rent free and have an artistic/cultural area. I loved the idea of a place that artist could be to create and survive in the same space and be supported by the community around them so I was so incredibly curious about it.
So I walked around the outside area then headed off to find the entrance into the building as this is what I really wanted to see. I easily found the entrance and checked out the many floors finding some of the many treasures of the building. Inside was a theatre- which was closed, a cinema- also closed. There were also many galleries which typically were also the artists work space. I really liked this concept of the artist working in
Tacheles
The exterior of Tacheles, when I walked past this I thought that it was an abandoned building. the same space as where their work is presented. It was just cool to see the artist working on their art, it gave a different perspective into the art that you were looking at. There was a variety of galleries that were open showing differnet painting and drawing styles as well as some sculpture and clothing design. There was also a gallery with many painting and a guy with headphones and a stand of music equipment. In this gallery I found a silk print that I instantly fell in love with, but it was 15 Euros- ouch, so I decided to think about it.
I ventured further up and found another bar on the top floor with a group of guys that I had gone bowling with in Cesky Krumlov. Crazy small backpacker world! So I talked to them for quite a while then set off to bed and directed them to the galleries. I figured that a little art and culture would be good for them before they headed to the next bar. I stopped at the grocery store (I was so happy to have a grocery store that didn't close before 8) and headed into bed. I
Checkpoint Charlie
Here you can see an Army checkpoint and to the right you can see the sign saying that you are leaving the American Sector. went to sleep extremely pleased and satisfied with my first 4 hours in Berlin which included such a small section. This left me very excited to see more of it... and it did not disappoint.
The next morning I went to the Free Walking Tour of Berlin which was amazing. In a place with so much history it is almost necessary to have someone to help you sort through it. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, the spot where the bunker was that Hitler killed himself (which is now a parking lot), a gigantic chocolate Titanic and one of the remaining segments of the Berlin Wall. We walked past Checkpoint Charlie and heard about the history of this checkpoint and ended up at Museum Island (so called because there are five museums). All of the sites I could have easily found myself, but our guide was filled with history and facts that really brought everything to life. After the tour I went back to Checkpoint Charlie and read all plaques and stories that were there.
I backtracked to Museum Island, because from 6-10 on Thursday nights every musuem on Museum Island was free I found out on
Pergomon Altar
This is what you see when you walk into this room. I was not expecting it at all! See how massive it is and just beautiful. the tour!! I went to the Pergammon Museum not really knowing what it was, just knowing that it was hightly recommended. You walk into the first room of the museum and it takes you breath away. The stands the reconstructed Pergammon Alter larger than life! It was huge, with steps, colomns, friezes and everything. You could walk up the steps to the top of the altar. It was awe inspiring, and to imagine how much work had gone into it. Inside was also the reconstructed Gate of Ishtar of Babylon which was massive and beautiful. They also had murals showing where the gate had been in the city as well as how the city looked. They also had a huge Roman building, but it was under construction- staffolding! There was also some beautiful Islamic Art as well as a huge facade from an ancient city in Jordan. I really, really liked this museum. I thought about seeing a few of the other museums, but decided my day was full enough.
I headed to the Reichstag, the Parliament Building to go to the top of the dome on top of the building. The sun had started to set and there
was a beautiful sunset that I was hoping to see from the top of the dome. I got into line at 9:40 at the last entrance is at 10, so my hopes of getting in weren't very high. But I did, they crammed a huge group into the lobby to get everyone through at the end. I made it up to the top and got to see the end of the sunset. Then climbed up to the top of the dome and looked down on the Parliament Room. What really struck me was that this was where their government met, and I got in for free and could look down on them. This just wouldn't fly in the States!
Very pleased with my history, culture and life filled day I headed back to my hostel. I stopped at Tacheles on the way home and got myself the print that I had fallen in love with! Yeah, my first real souvenier!
The next morning I went out to see a little bit of Western Berlin as all I had seen was East Berlin. My first stop was Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a church that was badly damaged during WWII
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Look at the spire, see how it's all bombed out, and this is a small section of the entire church. The building next to it is the new church that was built to replace it. and most of it was demolished except for one section which was left standing as a memorial. When I got off of the S-baun I went the wrong way and walked for 20 minutes in the wrong direction. Did I mention that Berlin was very hot! The sun felt like it could pierce your soul it was so bright. So this 20 minute walk wasn't very scenic or pleasant. So I got back to the station and the church was right there, if only I had turned the right way! I walked around the church getting pictures and seeing it, the top of the spire is gone and they had covered it with metal. What looked to have been a huge window was gone and just left open, but what most suprised me was what was inside. I stepping into the small church and was surrounded by some of the most beautiful mosaics. The entire ceiling was covered with them. Amazing detail work and art, with cracks running all the way through them. The floors were covered with beautiful tile and mosaic work- with cracks and huge sections missing. This just cemented into my brain how many amazing things were
Church's interior
This is just one of many of the mosaic's on the wall of the Church. Where you see the cement is where all the cracks are in the tile work. I just thought that this was so beautiful it broke my heart that it was so badly damaged. lost. Just seeing the beauty of this small remaining section of this church and imagining how glorious it had once been. I was so glad that I was able to see it and that they had made it into a memorial. Looking at pictures you see the devestation, but when you can walk through what was once there it makes it more real.
From here I headed to Charlottenburg Palace to explore their grounds. I had been told that the inside wasn't that cool for what you paid to I just wanted to explore the gardens and see the building. It was a huge beautiful building. The gardens were huge and beautiful with ponds, lakes and many birds. After I had strolled through them I headed to the Kreuzberg Neighborhood to explore a little before my night train left. This area has one of the largest Turkish communities in the world, in the midlde of Berlin. So I just walked around and saw kids playing, old ladies sitting on park benches, stopped for some tasty food and headed to the train station. On the night train there was a history teacher who grew up and lived in Berlin in
the bed next to me. What a treat!
I loved Berlin! I was very suprised how much I enjoyed it. It is not as beautiful as some of the other cities that I saw, but it has such a uniqueness to it. It seemed like an old city and a new city at the same time. It was one of those places that you just have to feel, not see, but feel. There was so much energy...
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Mom & Dad
non-member comment
It sounds like Berlin was amazing. It's hard to see the damage done in times of war. It destroys so many beautiful things. Someday it will be no more. Hopefully, we will see that day. There were still many beautiful sights for you to see though. I'm glad they restored the Berlin Cathedral. It reminds me of the church in Vienna.