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Attractions near Berlin Ostbahnhof |
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Attractions Near & Surrounding Berlin
Zoologischer Garten Berlin (Berlin Zoo-Aquarium)
The zoo is open April to October daily 9am to 6:30pm; November to March, daily 9am to 5pm. The aquarium is open year-round daily 9am to 6pm. Founded in 1844, this is Germanyís oldest zoo. It occupies almost the entire southwest corner of the Tiergarten. Until World War II, the zoo boasted thousands of animals, many of which were familiar to Berliners by nickname. By the end of 1945 only 91 had survived. Today more than 13,000 animals live here, many of them in large, open natural habitats. The most valuable residents are giant pandas. The zoo also has Europeís most modern birdhouse, with more than 550 species. The aquarium is as impressive as the adjacent zoo, with more than 9,000 fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and other creatures. The terrarium within is inhabited by crocodiles, Komodo dragons, and tuataras. You can walk on a bridge over the reptile pit. Thereís also a large collection of snakes, lizards, and turtles. The ìhippoquariumî is a popular attraction. Mitte (Center) Closed to western investors for nearly 50 years, this district is at the heart of Berlin. It was originally conceived as the architectural Centerpiece of the Prussian Kaisers. Its fortunes declined dramatically as the Communist regime filled it with starkly angular monuments and buildings. Although some of Mitteís grand structures were destroyed by wartime bombings, unification has resulted in restoration of its remaining artistic and architectural treasures. The districtís most famous boulevard is Unter den Linden (Under the Lime Trees). Famous squares within the district include Pariser Platz (adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate), Potsdamer Platz, and Alexanderplatz. Tiergarten Tiergarten ( Animal Garden) refers both to a massive urban park and, to the parkís north boundary: a residential district of the same name. The park was originally intended as a backdrop to the grand avenues laid out for the German Kaisers by a leading landscape architect of the day, Peter Josef LennÈ. The neighborhood contains the Brandenburg Gate, the German Reichstag (Parliament), the Berlin Zoo, and some of the cityís grandest museums. Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin
located just to the east of Friedrichstrasse, the Guggenheim contains an extensive collection of contemporary art and hosts three to four major exhibitions per year. Lining the wide promenade beyond are a host of historic buildings restored from the rubble of the war Schlossplatz
At the eastern end of Unter den Linden lies the former site of the imperial palace and the current home of the abandoned Palast der Republik, the former GDR parliament building. It stands at the midpoint of a city-centre island whose northwestern part, Museumsinsel, is the location of some of the best of Berlinís museums. Reopening following an extensive reconstruction program: The Alte Nationalgalerie (U-Bahn Friedrichstr.), houses the cityís collection of nineteenth-century European art has been extensively renovated and restored. Marienkirche,
This is Berlinís second opldest parish church, dating from the 15th century. Inside is the 1475 wall painting Der Totentanz (The Dance of Death), discovered in 1860 beneath a layer of whitewash in the churchís entrance hall. Also worth seeing is the marble baroque pulpit carved by Andreas Schl¸ter (1703). The cross on the top of the church annoyed the Communist rulers of the former East Germany--its golden form was always reflected in the windows of the Fernsehturm. Western Berlin Altes Museum
Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the cityís greatest architect, designed this structure, which resembles a Greek Corinthian temple, in 1822. On its main floor is the This is a large collection of world-famous antique decorative art. Some of the finest Greek vases of the black-and-red-figures style, from the 6th to the 4th century B.C., are here. The best-known vase is a large Athenian amphora (wine jar) found in Vulci, Etruria. Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum houses several departments, but if you have time for only one exhibit, go to the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, housed in the north and east wings of the museum, and enter the central hall to see the Pergamon Altar, (180-160 B.C.), so large that it has a huge room all to itself. The Near East Museum, in the south wing, contains one of the largest collections anywhere of antiquities from ancient Babylonia, Persia, and Assyria. ƒgyptisches Museum
The western Berlin branch of the Egyptian Museum is housed in the palaceís east guardhouse. Itís worth the trip just to see the famous colored bust of Queen Nefertiti, which dates from about 1360 B.C. and was discovered in 1912Other displays feature jewelry, papyrus, tools, and weapons, as well as objects relating to the Egyptian belief in the afterlife. Brˆhan Museum
Berlinís finest collection of Jugendstil (German art nouveau) is found here. When Professor Brˆhan started the collection, Jugendstil was viewed as having little merit. Itís a different story today. The objects include glass, furnishings, silver and gold, paintings, and vases. Museum f¸r Vor und Fr¸hgeschichte Langhansbau
This museum of prehistory and early history is in the western extension of the palace, facing Klausener Platz. Schloss Charlottenburg
Schloss Charlottenburg, one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in Germany, was built by Sophie Charlotte, a patron of philosophy and the arts, and the wife of Friedrich I, crowned as the first king in Prussia in 1701. The residence was begun as a summer palace, but grew into the massive structure seen today. At the far end of Schlossgarten Charlottenburg is the Belvedere, close to the River Spree. This former royal teahouse contains exquisite Berlin porcelain, much of it from the 1700s. Gem‰ldegalerie (Picture Gallery)
U-Bahn: Kurf¸rstenstrasse, then bus 148. Bus 129 from Kuídamm (plus a 4-min. walk) Admission charged. This is one of Germanyís greatest art museums. Several rooms are devoted to early German masters, with panels from altarpieces dating from the 13th to 15th centuries. Most of the great European masters are represented. Kunstgewerbemuseum
This museum displays applied arts and crafts from the Middle Ages through the 20th century. Its outstanding exhibition is the Guelph Treasure, a collection of medieval church articles in gold and silver. Neue Nationalgalerie (Staatliche Museum zu Berlin)
This modern glass-and-steel structure designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) contains a continually growing collection of modern European and American art. Included are works of 19th-century artists, with a concentration on French impressionists. Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin
This state-of-the-art museum is devoted to modern and contemporary art. The exhibition space is on the ground floor of the newly restored Berlin branch of Deutsche Bank. The Guggenheim Foundation presents several exhibitions at this site annually, and also displays newly commissioned works created specifically for this space by world-renowned artists. Die Sammlung Berggruen: Picasso und Seine Zeit (The Berggruen Collection: Picasso and His Era)
This unusual private museum displays the extensive collection of respected art and antiques dealer Heinz Berggruen. A native of Berlin who fled the Nazis in 1936, Berggruen later established a miniempire of antique dealerships in Paris and California before returning, with his collection, to his native home in 1996. Friedrichswerdersche Kirche-Schinkelmuseum
This annex of the Nationalgalerie is located in the deconsecrated Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, which was designed in 1828 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841). It lies close to Unter den Linden, not far from the State Opera House. The twin Gothic portals of the old church shelter a bronze of St. Michael slaying a dragon. Inside, the museum is devoted to the memory of Schinkel, who designed many of Berlinís great palaces, churches, and monuments. |
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