A trip to Berlin can be seen asacquaintance with the history of all of Germany, and especially interesting will be sightseeing tours of the old city for domestic tourists who studied German in school. The unique architecture of Berlin, the sights of its environs attract lovers of history and architecture, who want to see the remains of the wall dividing the city and the restored historical buildings, almost completely destroyed in the last days of World War II. Acquaintance with this city will also pleasantly surprise lovers of flora, since the rarest species of animals are collected on the territory of the Berlin Zoo, functioning since 1844, and you can walk along the cages and large enclosures all day long.
Where do you start acquaintance with the sights of Berlin?
When planning a trip to Berlin, mapwhose attractions are so extensive that in one visit rarely any tourist will be able to see all the architectural monuments and unique museum exhibits, be sure to buy a guidebook and plan your own excursion route according to your interests. You can truly understand the history of Germany after the division of its territory into four occupation zones - British, French, Soviet and American only after examining the remains of the Berlin Wall. The wall, which for almost three decades divided Berlin into Eastern and Western zones, was erected in 1961 to prevent residents of the GDR, dissatisfied with the socialist regime, from moving to the FRG, which attracted Germans with its democratic regime and more developed economy. After the collapse of the socialist regime and the fateful unification of Germany, the hated concrete wall was almost completely dismantled, and now its remaining hundred-meter section on Kochstrasse is the most important tourist attraction in the German capital. If you are interested in old Berlin, whose sights remind us of its very recent history, you can visit the unusual museum "Checkpoint Charlie". Its exhibition takes tourists back to the time of the construction of the Berlin Wall, the existence of checkpoints, the division of the German people and the life-threatening attempts of residents of the Soviet zone to get over the fence. You can go down to the Kochstrasse metro station, which in the past was a hub where the trains of the East and West Berlin metro diverged, and the carriages flew past it without stopping.
The most interesting monuments of architecture in Berlin
While exploring the city's architectural monuments,It is impossible not to notice the Reichstag – a greyish one-storey building with a central dome and side turrets, built in 1894 in the neo-Renaissance style. In 1933, this building marked the beginning of Hitler’s shameful reign, and in May 1945, with the raising of the Red Banner on the Reichstag, spoken of by thousands of bullets, the Great Patriotic War ended for millions of Soviet citizens. Charlottenburg Castle is a striking example of palace complexes erected during the era of the German emperors, and its baroque architecture impresses every tourist who decides to visit Berlin. The palace complex, in the centre of which a romantic turret rises, and the wings are characterized by a symmetrical shape, was built for the wife of Emperor Friedrich I – Sophie Charlotte. Charlottenburg Castle is now open to visitors, and tourists can see the private chambers of the German Emperor, the luxuriously decorated Reception Hall with numerous bas-reliefs and niches, and the Porcelain Hall, within the walls of which the richest collection of Chinese porcelain is exhibited. In the very heart of Berlin, there is a majestic architectural monument - the massive Brandenburg Gate on Pariser Platz. They are twelve paired Doric columns, on which a portico is erected, decorated with a sculptural composition - a quadriga, the central link of which is a statue of the goddess of Peace.
Museums in Berlin - acquaintance with the beautiful
Remember that Berlin and its attractions– is not only the history of the recent past and the revived masterpieces of architecture, but also many interesting museum collections. Thus, in the eastern part of the city there is the Museum Island, formed by the branches of the local river Spree diverging in different directions. In this place there are five of the best Berlin museums, each of which is distinguished by the richest collections of art objects. Thus, in the Pergamon Museum, which consists of three buildings, you can see masterpieces of the ancient heritage found during excavations of ancient Greek cities and ancient Roman colonies. Unique exhibits from Western Asia are presented here, each of which has its own history, as well as ancient Egyptian rarities. It is impossible to ignore the building of the Old National Gallery, where immortal masterpieces of sculpture and painting of the 19th century are presented, and among the exhibits you can see amazing works of the French impressionists, frescoes of the Nazarenes who worked in Rome, as well as the works of Caspar David Friedrich. The Bode Museum, which opened on the romantic Museum Island only in 2006, introduces visitors to the art of medieval Italy and masterpieces of the Byzantine period. The island is home to many museums that attract lovers of cultural recreation, and each traveler can decide for themselves which historical heritage to get acquainted with first - stroll through the Egyptian halls or first get acquainted with the collections of modern art. We recommend reading:
