Museum Island is located on the northern half of a historically-significant island in the Spree River that runs through Berlin. The island takes its name from the five Berlin State Museums that reside in the area - the Altes Museum, the Bode Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Neues Museum, and the Pergamon Museum. Museum Island was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. The island's first museum was erected in 1797, and the whole area was designated specifically for art and science by King Frederick William IV of Prussia in 1841. An assemblage of spectacular historical monuments, the Museum Island is a stunning heritage hub.
The botanical garden and botanic museum's large and sedate park in the southwest of Berlin provides the perfect respite to a hard day's slog through the hectic inner-city. One can admire the English gardens and a collection of flora from all over Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The many greenhouses here are home to many rare plants from around the globe. Visitors shouldn't miss the unique Botanical Museum at the entrance.
The erection and fall of the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Germany from 1961 to 1989, is one of the most significant chapters in German history. The Berlin Wall Memorial (Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer) is a salute to those who lost their lives during this tumultuous era. The Federal Republic of Germany established the memorial in 1998 on Bernauer Strasse, the site of the wall and the hub of the powers that ruled Germany during this period. The memorial comprises of the Monument in Memory of the Divided City, the Chapel of Reconciliation and the Window of Remembrance among other significant sites. The Documentation Center and the Visitor Center are also situated opposite the memorial in what was formerly West Berlin. Visitors can avail of guided tours of the monument and the open-air exhibition, which narrates the turbulent history of the site. The educational programs use innovative teaching methods so that kids and youth are immersed in local history. It also hosts events and film screenings, and has a bookstore and multimedia guides for visitors. This site is open to all visitors free of charge.
Sixty years after World War II, Berlin unveiled the Holocaust Memorial, known officially as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, in memory of victims of those who lost their lives during Holocaust. An international symbol of a somber chapter in World history, this memorial, located next to the Brandenburg Gate and near the buried remains of Adolf Hitler's underground bunker, was designed by U.S. architect Peter Eisenman. The memorial's grid of 2711 gray concrete slabs covers a vast area in the heart of the city. The slabs, or stelae, stand at varied heights of up to 4.5 meters (15 feet), creating the sense of a stark concrete forest, through which visitors can wander on uneven cobblestone pathways. The design of the memorial is relatively abstract and has been interpreted in several ways. A poignant reminder of German history's dark chapter, the memorial's information center offers detailed archives and stories of the victims.
19th-century architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel provided Berlin with many of its greatest buildings, including the magnificent Konzerthaus and the equally striking Altes Museum. The museum, which opened in 1830, was the first to be built on Museum Island. It now houses rotating special exhibitions and is home to part of the Antique Collection, a breathtaking collection of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts that were excavated by the famous German archaeologist Hildesheimer.
Located next to Zoo Station in the heart of the western city center, Zoologischer Garten Berlin is one of the most renowned zoos and a popular tourist attraction in the city. Founded in 1844 by Prussian King William IV, the Zoologischer Garten is Germany's oldest zoo. With 13,000 animals covering over 1,400 different species, the zoo is also one of the world's most populous zoos. Home to polar bears, giant pandas and arctic wolves, majestic birds like King Vulture and Ostrich can are found here. Frequented by locals and tourists alike, the zoo is an important landmark of the city.
Berlin City's Library location of Landesbibliothek in the Mitte neighborhood is one place not to be missed. Literally meaning the Central and Regional Library, the city location is housed inside an elegantly designed structure that resembles royal British styled architecture. Inevidently occupying a huge area, this place houses a massive collection of titles of all genres and languages. Serving as a Center for Berlin studies too, the city library offers access to historic literature as well. Also, the large reading room housed in here is regularly used to conduct events like discussions, readings and even live performances. A must visit to grab some relaxed entertainment!
Cumbancha Salsa Tanzschule is a lively dance school that opened its doors in 2010. They offer bootcamps and lessons to amateur and trained dancers in various latin dance forms like salsa, bachata, mambo and chachacha. They also help organize events like dance workshops and fun dance parties.
Wir Waren Nachbarn, which translates to "We Were Neighbors", is a public exhibition created to commemorate victims of the Holocaust from the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district of Berlin. The exhibition, designed in the manner of an old public library, is housed in the district's restored town hall. It narrates harrowing stories and first-hand experiences of the region's Jewish residents through photographs, documents, and other memorabilia. Wir Waren Nachbarn has collaborated with present-day witnesses and descendants of the victims to collect their memories of the Holocaust. Also serving as a memorial for the lost souls, the exhibition presents the biographies of many famous residents such as Albert Einstein, Alice Salomon, and Kurt Tucholsky.
Original Berlin Walks is a major tour operator, that carries out customized group tours of the city. Providing a range of guided tours to suit everybody's need, they specialize in four-hour walking tours of Berlin, wherein major attractions of the city are covered. With highly skilled guides on board, you are sure to have a unique experience in whichever tour you choose. Their most famous tour includes the 'Discover Berlin' tour, which acquaints you with iconic places like Hitler's Bunker, The Berlin Wall, Pergamon Museum, Brandenburg Gate et al. To book yourself a group or private tour, please call ahead, or log on to their website to know more.
Take a walk through some of the most beautiful nature lanes in Berlin and admire the thousands of exotic plants species and flower meadows of the Späth-Arboretum. Founded by notable German botanist Franz Ludwig Späth in 1879, it has grown considerably in the last two centuries and today boasts of 1200 ornamental trees, 4000 species of plants along with a aromatic, herbal, medicinal and rock garden. It is currently owned and maintained by the Natural Sciences and Biology department of the Humboldt University of Berlin who organize guided tours, educational activities, special exhibitions, summer concerts and festivals throughout the year at the arboretum. Styled like a Victorian English garden, it is a perfect location for a romantic walk and a must visit attraction for nature enthusiasts.
The beautiful exteriors of the Harnack-Haus overlooking a well-maintained garden hardly indicate that it was built in 1929 for scientific research and studies. Yet, it turns out to be just that. Founded by Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft, this space became the hub of scientific and academic studies with renowned German scientists and scholars participating. Apart from research facilities, the center also has accommodation as well as conference facilities to enable meeting of notable minds as Germany's academic and scientific activities suffered setbacks due to the World Wars. Currently owned by the Max Planck Society, the celebrated house still offers excellent conference facilities and accommodation to visitors. Check the website for more information.