How much history can a city take? Depends, really! Ask Berlin! History has been remade in a city that could never stay away from history…
By Inder Raj Ahluwalia
When Walter Memper, then Mayor of West Berlin, had said “Berlin rejoice” at the opening of the Brandenburg Gate in 1989, signalling Germany’s reunification, the excitement was palpable on both sides of the wall. And the celebrations reverberated across Germany. One Germany!
Two countries had become one once again, and as before, Berlin was the epicentre, regaining its rightful place among the world’s great cities.
I find today’s Berlin as enigmatic and interesting as a large city can be. They’ve described it as the ‘city that never sleeps’, but it has several other attributes. It is a reputed European urban centre, throbbing with commercial and entertainment activity, pulsating in its nightlife, graceful in bearing its wounds and wonders. Among Europe’s youngest capitals, post-wall Berlin is a city on the move.
Bedding down in Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin, gave me the perfect positioning to discover the city. Located on one of Berlin’s main arteries, the famous shopping mile Friedrichstraße, the hotel immerses you right in the middle of sights and shopping opportunities. The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Galeries Lafayette and the Gendarmenmarkt are all nearby.
Essentially a city of water and stone, Berlin packs a wallop when it comes to historical sights and diverse attractions. Whether inside the old Hamburger Bahnof, in the old German Ballhaus, or on the steps of the pleasure ground, or canoe-sailing on the Tegel lake, the city charms with its history and ambience.
Local icons abound. Grand historical buildings like the Charlottenburg Palace with its fabulous art treasures; the stately gleaming white Humboldt Palace in Tegel with its splendid two-centuries-old avenue of ‘Linden; and Klein-Glienicke Palace; all mirror past royalty. The Gendarme Market is the most charming square with a historical flavour.
Emerging from the shadow of history are famous buildings of modern Berlin. Like the sleek Radio Tower, the imposing International Congress Centre, or the office blocks that gleam with fresh paint and polished glass! And offering spectacular city views from its dome, through over 30, 000 square feet of glass, the renovated Reichstag retains all its grandeur.
The latest addition is the Humboldt Forum, a new building on a historic site. Princes and politicians have built, redesigned, demolished and re-planned this site. A 27-metre-wide video installation provides a stunning overview of the site’s history, as do 35 flashbacks offering a glimpse of the site’s past. ‘Baret’ restaurant on the rooftop provides panoramic city views.
Events are omnipresent. Berlin’s now gone into overdrive. The International Film Festival; the International Tourism Exchange; and the International Audio and Video Fair are just some symbols that showcase the world locally. Cultural highlights include the famous ‘Jazz Festival’; the ‘Free Berlin Art Exhibition’; the ‘Theatre Meeting’; and the ‘Berlin Midsummer Night’s Dream to name just a few in a packed calendar.
A delight awaits museum buffs. Brush up on local history at the Berlin Museum. Admire 19th Century paintings and sculptures at the National Gallery. Or Nefertiti’s famous bust at the Egyptian Museum.
And there’s this rather fortuitous ‘cultural crowding’, thanks to competing theatres and courageous, experimental ‘free theatre’ ensembles and collections that seem to exist and perform with no fixed place of abode. Combining to ensure that art is in season all year round, are The Oper (the city’s auditoria); the Philharmonic; the Chamber Music Hall; and the stylish Theatre das Westins. And there’s also The Schaubuhne, among Europe’s finest and most architecturally artistic theatres.
Like art and culture, nature also seems to be in season throughout the year, with a third of the city comprised of lakes, rivers, forests, fields and meadows. Beckoning ramblers are 225 km of riverbank and gleaming sandy beaches for swimming and fishing, and some sixty parks including the grounds of the Federal Horticultural Show and the Botanical Gardens. You can also cast off on a pleasure-boat cruise on the Spree or the Havel.
The city is seriously eating turf. ‘Good Morning’ and ‘Gotten Appetit’ are one and the same thing, and just how seriously the Berliner takes his cuisine is reflected by some amazing statistics. Five thousand restaurants, buffets, and snack bars serve everything from French nouvelle cuisine to Italian, Spanish, Asian, and ‘Bohemian food.’ Breakfast cafes with menus featuring anything from ‘wurst’ to caviar, and from yoghurt to plain cream cakes, provide a pleasant start to the day and stretch it right into the afternoon. Then the evening joints take over. And then the late-night establishments join the act. And late night means late.
The Berlin meatball and stuffed cabbage, Havel Zander that melts in the mouth like butter, pickled pork knuckle, and the unique currywurst are just some of the local specialities. For the less adventurous, KaDeWe’s celebrated food hall serves everything from champagne to Strasbourg liver pate, to oysters.
Shop till you drop! Mitte District; Prenzlauerberg; Kreuzberg and Charlottenburg all boast top-end boutiques, and Quartier 205-207 FriedrichstraBe; Kranzler Each; and Stilwerk are all big shopping centres. With some 1, 100 shops, boutiques, restaurants, galleries, antique shops and designer boutique-lined side streets, the Kurfurstendamm is among Europe’s finest boulevards. From KaDeWe to the contrasting flea markets, from smart shops to humble outlets, a shop awaits your leisure.
‘Berlin never sleeps’ an old saying has it. The city nightlife is a gleaming rainbow of colour, cosy, crazy, loud, entertaining, or titillating, bordering on ‘very hectic’, ‘very wild’, or ‘highly refined’, depending on where you go, with who, and who you end up meeting. When traditional fun-loving Berliners refer to a ‘kneipe’, they mean anything from the corner pub to the latest place in which to be seen. Entertainment is particularly vibrant in the Kurfurstendamm area where dozens of cafes, restaurants, and cabarets make you toss and roll like there’s no tomorrow. The corner bars and local pints may be as integral as Schrippen (rolls), and Buletten (risols), but the real-life scenarios never fade. The same holds true at the ‘kneipe’ and discos at Charlottenburg, Steglitz, and Nollendorfplatz.
Sunrise sees Tegel Lake bathed in gold. Sunset sees the neons flash their commercial messages at the Europe Center. And during all this time, one of the world’s great metros lives up to its formidable reputation.
Travel Facts
Getting There: Berlin is connected by air with the whole world, and by rail and road with most of Europe.
Getting Around: You have a choice of taxis, buses, trams and trains like S-Bahn (suburban railway), U-Bahn (underground railway), Regional-Express, and RegionalBahn.
Sightseeing: The Berlin Sightseeing Tour includes many tourist spots like Europa Center, New National Gallery, Potsdamer Platz, the Reichstag, Deutsche Oper etc. There are also Theme Walks with a choice of subjects like Historical Berlin, Architecture in Berlin etc. And there are coach and boat tours.
Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin
Located on one of Berlin’s main arteries, the famous shopping mile Friedrichstraße, the Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin is a fashionable local address.
According to General Manager, Dirk Moser, the hotel has several USPs. Its excellent location right in the heart of Berlin immerses you in the middle of tourist sites, congress centres and shopping opportunities. The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Galeries Lafayette or the Gendarmenmarkt are all nearby.
403 attractive rooms, quality restaurants serving diverse cuisine, such as the Galerie and Checkpoint Bar, the swimming pool and wellness area, and customised conference facilities take guests well in hand.
Romit Theophilus, Director German National Tourist Office, feels Berlin is a complete tourist city and a ‘pivotal driver’ of tourism in Germany. Apart from offering everything a tourist desires, the city ensures comfort for all budgets. There is something for everyone.
The fact that the city keeps innovating and expanding its tourist offerings means one can revisit any time and see and experience something new.
