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Urban Nation is a contemporary museum housed in a two storey building situated in the corner of Bülowstraße and Zietenstraße that is painted with large murals and paintings on the outside. With its ever-growing collection of contemporary and street art, Urban Nation has bought about a revolution in the local art scene and has built an establishment where the artists and art enthusiasts in the city can connect. Various exhibitions organized here feature artwork curated by the expert panel of international artists that choose only the best artwork from across the globe keeping the quality of exhibits always high.

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Brandenburg Gate

Germany's most recognizable symbol is not as large as many visitors expect, yet its history is rich and fascinating. Built in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate was modeled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Quadriga statue on top of the Gate, designed by sculptor Gottfried Schadow, represents Victoria, the Goddess of Peace, riding a four-horse chariot. This was one of Berlin's original 14 city gates, yet the only remaining evidence of the other gates are the names of underground stations such as Kottbusser Tor and Schlesisches Tor. The Brandenburg Gate and Pariser Platz have played center stage to numerous turbulent historical events. The south wing houses a tourist information office.

Berlin Cathedral

Throughout the centuries, many churches have stood on the location of the current Berliner Dom. The first one was erected in 1465 for the reigning royal family, the Hohenzollerns, and was little more than a chapel at that time. In 1747, it was replaced by a Baroque cathedral designed by Johann Boumann, before being transformed once again in 1822 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Today's Dom was built between 1894 and 1905 during King Wilhelm II's reign. Almost completely destroyed in World War II, the Berliner Dom remained a ruin until restoration work finally began in 1973. Some of the cathedral's highlights include the mosaics covering the cupola, the crypt, the altar and the altar windows. The Dom also enshrines over 80 members of the Hohenzollern family. Those visiting must take a look at the Sauer organ within the cathedral, one of the largest in Germany, and take in the views from the roof promenade.

Museum Island

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.

C/O Berlin

C/O Berlin calls itself an "International Forum for Visual Dialogues," and while this may be apt, it doesn't actually describe what C/O is. It is simply an excellent gallery that houses temporary exhibitions of photographs and photographic installations by the world's leading documentary photographers, from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Trent Park. It is not particularly well known, but for photographers, lovers of photography, or even just people who are interested in the world, it is one of the must-see museums in Berlin. Its exhibitions, usually by multiple photographers, never leave the viewer untouched.

Friedrichshain

The garden Volkspark Friedrichshain lends its name to Friedrichshain and is situated at the northern end of this prominent Berlin neighborhood. Friedrichshain is bordered by other city districts like Lichtenberg, Kreuzberg, Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, and the River Spree in the south. It was initially known for its low real estate prices and attracted numerous youngsters looking for inexpensive accommodation. Today, it has seen a rapid increase in housing rates and is known as one of the trendiest districts in the city. It is the hub of fashionable boutiques, design studios and media houses and its streets are dotted with bars, restaurants and cafés. This borough is especially known for its happening nightlife. Popular tourist attractions in the area include East Side Gallery, Frankfurter Tor and the Molecule Man sculpture.

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Raab Galerie

Goethestraße 81, Berlin, Germany, 10719

Raab Galerie opened a decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall, close to the border crossing at Heinrich-Heine Straße. The group of young artists who exhibited here in the gallery's formative years (the Moritzplatzbewegung) were inspired by the vicinity to the Wall. Others were influenced by the Holocaust or by the student movement of the 1960's. The gallery exhibits works by world-famous artists like Francis Bacon, Jim Dine, Michael Tracy, as well as complete "unknowns". Definitely worth a look.

Berliner Mauer Dokumentationszentrum

Bernauer Straße 111, Berlin, Germany, 13355

If you're looking for remnants of the Berlin Wall, you may have to search for a long time. There is little left of this Cold War relic in present-day Berlin, due to a popular desire among Germans to eliminate all traces of their previous division. Just a handful of sites are left, one of which is the recently erected memorial at Bernauer Straße, the scene of some of the most spectacular and tragic escape attempts. What you will see here is, in fact, a reconstruction of the original Wall. Two walls run parallel to one another down the street, and in the middle, a strip of no man's land. This serves as a potent reminder of what many Germans regard as a symbol of totalitarian evil. The museum itself documents the history of the Wall in a series of moving and disturbing photographs.

Synagoge am Kottbusser Tor

Fraenkelufer 10, Berlin, Germany, 10999

The huge orthodox synagogue on Fraenkelufer used to be the centre of orthodox Jewish life in Berlin. While liberal Jews frequented the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Straße, orthodox Jews celebrated the sabbath here from 1913-1938. That was until members of Hitler's SA stormed the building and burnt the torah scrolls. The complex was then confiscated by the Gestapo and used as a garage. Although completely destroyed during a wartime bombing raid, neither the bombs nor the Gestapo succeeded in putting an end to Jewish life on Fraenkelufer. Nowadays, there is a community centre and a smaller synagogue in an adjacent building. On the bank of the canal, one of the most beautiful spots in Berlin, a commemorative plaque recounts the synagogue's turbulent history.

Mori-Ogai-Gedenkstätte

Luisenstraße 39, Berlin, Germany, 10117

There are some sights in the city that many Berliners have never even heard of and the Mori Ogai Museum is one of them. Japanese tourists, however, flock in droves to see the house that the famous Japanese scientist, writer and poet Mori Ogai lived in during his stay in Europe. Ogai worked in the field of bacteriology with the great German scientist Robert Koch and later wrote novels and short stories about his experiences in Europe. He was also the first person to translate Goethe's "Faust" into Japanese. The museum contains original furniture, a library and a conference room which is regularly used for exhibitions of Japanese art.