The Brandenburg Gate made of sandstone is one of the largest and most beautiful creations of German classicism. It was built in the years 1788 to 1791 based on designs by Carl Gotthard Langhans the Elder, who was strongly oriented towards the propylaea of the Athens Acropolis. King Friedrich Wilhelm II had previously ordered the construction of the Brandenburg Gate because he was looking for a worthy architectural conclusion for the boulevard Unter den Linden.

Significant turning points and events in German history are associated with the Reichstag building. On November 9, 1918, SPD politician Philipp Scheidemann called the Republic from the balcony on the west portal. The "Reichstag fire" occurred on the evening of February 27, 1933. The plenary hall and the dome were completely destroyed. A red flag of the Soviet Union, raised on April 30, 1945 by two Red Army soldiers, symbolized the victory over the "Third Reich".

The 36-meter high "administration building" rises between and above the two five-story administrative wings, which houses the offices of the Chancellor and his Ministers of State, the cabinet room and conference rooms. A large arch is cut into the bare wall to the north and south, to the east (to the main entrance) and to the west the outer walls are broken up into large glass surfaces that span between high concrete pillars. This gives the large building an astonishing transparency and lightness. The two side wings, whose floor plans resemble a comb, appear completely different. The offices are grouped around atriums that are completely glazed. The long side walls with their alternation of windowless concrete walls and large glass surfaces appear compact and defiant.

Flanked by two "T 34" tanks, there is a bronze statue of a Red Army soldier carrying his rifle on his shoulder in the middle of the square. Texts with the names of fallen Soviet soldiers are attached to the pillars behind them. In the rear part of the memorial are the graves of around 2500 soldiers.

History of the zoo At the end of the 17th century, Elector Friedrich III. create a "pleasure park for the population" from the former hunting ground. Over time, the park was redesigned according to several models, including Between 1833 and 1838 the famous landscape designer Peter Joseph Lenné transformed the zoo into an English public park. Sights in the Tiergarten But it is not just trees, shrubs and green spaces that determine the face of the approximately 200-hectare zoo. Many sights such as monuments and memorials, bridges, the Victory Column, the Federal President's Office, the House of World Cultures or the English Garden invite you to take a day stroll through the park. The English garden created around a pond gives an insight into the English landscape architecture and is today one of the most beautiful corners of the zoo.

Potsdamer Platz was planned as an entire district by architects. With success - the cafes, cinemas and shops between the futuristic high-rise buildings are used by Berliners and tourists alike. The city planners' calculation worked: The Berliners have accepted the cafes, cinemas and the large shopping arcade of the new Daimler City very well. A whole new district was created on 6.8 hectares between Potsdamer Platz and Reichpietschufer.

The area, which became known as the "Topography of Terror" in 1987, was the central location for the planning and control of most Nazi crimes. Between 1933 and 1945, the most important institutions of the National Socialist terror apparatus of the SS and police were housed here with the Secret State Police Office, the Reichsführung SS and the Reich Security Main Office.

The Martin-Gropius-Bau is dedicated to cultural history, contemporary art and photography.

Wall

The former military checkpoint Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing of the three border points controlled by the Americans next to the Glienicke Bridge during the division of Berlin. The others were the border control points Helmstedt-Marienborn (Checkpoint Alpha) and Dreilinden-Drewitz (Checkpoint Bravo). The transition could only be used by foreigners and employees of the Permanent Representation of the FRG in the GDR and by GDR officials.

Friedrichstrasse runs through Berlin as a north-south axis. A popular shopping mile developed between Checkpoint Charlie and Friedrichstrasse station after the fall of the wall.

The square was created at the end of the 17th century according to plans by Johann Arnold Nering. At that time, French immigrants, mainly French Protestants (Huguenots), settled in this area. The market place was first called Esplanade, then in chronological order Lindenmarkt, Friedrichstädtischer Markt and Neuer Markt. Finally it was renamed Gendarmenmarkt in 1799, since from 1736 to 1782 the guard and the stables of the "Gens d'armes" ward regiment were located there.

The permanent exhibition "Ways - wrong trails - detours" in the German Cathedral shows the historical development of liberal parliamentary democracy in Germany on five floors.

The Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt is a masterpiece of classicist architecture and is one of Karl Friedrich Schinkel's main works. As early as 1776, at the instigation of Frederick the Great, a small comedy house was opened here, which was designed according to the plans of the Prussian director of construction, Johann Bouman the Elder. was built. The renaming to the Royal National Theater in 1787 illustrated the rise to one of the leading theaters in the country

In the middle of the museum center of Berlin, Bebelplatz gives an idea of what a beautiful city was like almost 300 years ago. The Nazis desecrated the place by burning books, which is now a memorial. On May 10, 1933, the National Socialists burned over 20,000 books at Bebelplatz. They believed that the volumes they selected were "non-German spirit". These included books by Erich Kästner, the Mann family, Magnus Hirschfeld, Lion Feuchtwanger, Karl Marx, Else Lasker-Schüler and almost 400 other authors. Heinrich Heine's books were also burned. If you had read them instead, you would have come across Heine's remark that wherever you burn books, you also have people

The rather small Neue Wache is right next to the Zeughaus, which now houses the German Historical Museum. It was built between 1816 and 1818 according to the designs of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and has been the central memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the victims of war and tyranny since 1993.

The Museum Island in the center of Berlin is one of the most outstanding museum complexes in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With its striking design features, the Berlin Cathedral is a must for every church lover and visitor to the city.

The Lustgarten on Museum Island was once part of the Berlin City Palace. The spacious square is now a popular place with Berliners and tourists.

What was left of her shines even brighter today: The New Synagogue on Oranienburger Strasse. It was once the largest and most important synagogue in Germany.

The Nikolaiviertel is Berlin's first and therefore oldest residential area. In addition to the Nikolaikirche, the district offers old town flair with historic houses, restaurants and coffee shops.

Whether in the 1920s, during GDR times or today: the famous Alexanderplatz was and remains one of the liveliest places in Berlin.