Berlin

Berlin: The City That Destroyed Itself and Rebuilt Differently

Berlin was 70-80% destroyed by Allied bombing and Soviet artillery by May 1945. The rebuilding happened separately and on different philosophies: East Berlin following Soviet Socialist Realism, West Berlin with modernist international architecture and American influence. The result is a city where you can walk a few blocks and see the architectural handwriting of completely different political systems. The division line (now mostly marked by a double row of cobblestones in the road) runs through the middle of the city and through the middle of Potsdamer Platz, which was completely flattened and rebuilt as a modern commercial district after reunification. This palimpsest of catastrophe and reconstruction is what makes Berlin fascinating in a way that other European capitals, which preserved their centres, cannot replicate.

The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989. The reunification happened the following year. The physical transformation of the city since 1990 is one of the most rapid urban changes in European history.

The Essential Sites

The Holocaust Memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) on Cora-Berliner-Strasse is 2,711 grey concrete stelae of varying heights covering 19,000 square metres. You walk between them at ground level; the effect, intended or not, is disorienting in a way that photographs fail to convey. The underground Information Center beneath it is one of the better-designed memorial museums in Europe. Free entry to the field; small admission to the information centre.

Museum Island in the Spree contains five major museums: the Pergamon (ancient architecture including the Ishtar Gate), the Neues Museum (Nefertiti), the Alte Nationalgalerie (19th-century German painting), the Altes Museum, and the Bode Museum. A single-day pass covers all five; individually, the Pergamon and Neues are the priorities.

The Reichstag building, the German parliament, has a Norman Foster glass dome open to the public at the roof level, with a ramp spiralling up the inside and a view down into the parliamentary chamber below. Free, but you must register in advance at bundestag.de at least 3 days ahead.

Neighbourhoods

Mitte contains most of the historic sites. Prenzlauer Berg, in former East Berlin, has become the most gentrified neighbourhood and is pleasant for cafes and Sunday morning markets at Kollwitzplatz. Kreuzberg, traditionally the most counter-cultural neighbourhood, still has the highest concentration of independent bars and good Turkish food in Europe. Neukölln, adjacent to Kreuzberg, is where the interesting restaurants are currently opening.

Eating

Currywurst (pork sausage with ketchup and curry powder) is Berlin’s street food. Curry 36 on Mehringdamm is the standard reference. Vietnamese food is excellent throughout the city: Berlin has the largest Vietnamese community in Germany, concentrated in Mitte and Lichtenberg. The Turkish food in Kreuzberg, particularly the doner from any of the Turkish-owned establishments on Kottbusser Tor, is significantly better than anything called “doner” in other European cities.

Practical

Berlin’s U-Bahn and S-Bahn network is comprehensive. The airport (BER, Berlin Brandenburg) opened in 2020 after a 9-year delay that became a national symbol of German infrastructure failure, and now functions normally. The 24-hour day ticket is €9.90 and covers all zones. Cash is still preferred in many smaller establishments.