After World War II bombs destroyed the previous Neues Museum, plans were made to build a bigger and better site to house a range of exhibits. Finally in 1997, work began on the design for the building, with an emphasis towards a so-called "gentle reconstruction" of the original structure. Reopened in 2009, some of the exhibits include Queen Nefertiti from the Egyptian Museum and pieces from the Museum of Pre and Early History. With all the time and effort that has gone into its construction, the museum is a spectacular addition to the area.
The Sachsenhausen is a concentration camp that lies twenty minutes north of Berlin, in the town of Oranienburg. It was used as the central command base for all the concentration camps in Germany and the Nazi-occupied territories during World War II. During this time it also witnessed the systematic oppression of the jews and other minorities. It is one of the few concentration camps to have been designed by an architect and while most of the buildings have been demolished and replaced by memorials, the deliberate layout of the camp still recalls the purposefulness of Nazi tyranny. The one thing to remember while visiting this is place is its varying times. Open daily, the Sachsenhausen functions between 8.30a to 6p on March 15th to October 14th and 8.30a to 4.30p on October 15 to March 14.
A perfect cinema set up under the sky is exactly what the Freiluftkino Rehberge is. Set within the iconic Volkspark Rehberge, this seasonal theater is one of the largest open air cinemas in Berlin. The theater has a capacity to seat 1500, and most screenings here are dubbed in German. To know more on the season's schedule, do check the website.
A contemporary space to showcase various from of design, the Appel Design Gallery is definitely worth visiting for art aficionados. Located at Torstraße, it lies in the Mitte district of Berlin city. A small yet appealing gallery, it has temporary exhibitions that showcase design in its best form. To catch their latest exhibition, or to know the upcoming schedule, please have a look at their website.
Insulaner (Berg) is a “pile of rubbish” or an “artificial hill” made from the rubbish that was accumulated when Berlin was bombed during World War II. The rubbish was piled high in the center of what is now a park, and has since become a sloping man-made hill. Despite its violent past, today the hill is a favored spot for sledding and skiing during the winter. A planetarium and observatory sits atop the hill.
Limitado pelo Portão de Brandenburgo ao leste e pela Estação Zoo à oeste, o parque Tiergarten é um dos mais bonitos parques urbanos na Europa. Concebido originalmente como um campo de caça para os reis prussianos, o Tiergarten foi transformado num jardim romântico no inicio do século 18, por Peter Joseph Lenne, que projetou um serie de passeios, lagos, pontes, esculturas e jardins de flores. O parque foi devastado na segunda guerra mundial bem como nos invernos subseqüentes. O Tiergarten foi replantado nos anos 50 e actualmente está tão belo como era em sua fundação, sendo muito popular tanto entre os visitantes quanto entre os habitantes da cidade.