Kiribu

Sights in Berlin

Brandenburg Gate Area:

Finished in 1791 as one of 18 city gates, the neoclassical Brandenburger Tor became an east-west crossing point after the Wall was built in 1961. The crowning Quadriga statue, a winged goddess in a horse-drawn chariot, was once kidnapped by Napoleon and briefly taken to Paris. It’s back in place now.

 Just to the west of the gate stands the glass-domed Reichstagsgebäude(Parliament Building). A fire here in 1933 allowed Hitler to blame the communists and grab power, while the Sowjets raised their flag here in 1945 to signal Nazi Germany’s defeat. Today, the glass cupola added in 1999 by architect Lord Norman Foster is the highlight. Queues to visit the internal spiral walkway are long, so arrive early.

 The Reichstag overlooks the Tiergarten. Meanwhile to the building’s south stands the Wall Victims Memorial, commemorating the people who died trying to cross from East to West.

 Further south again is the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (holocaust Memorial) a grid of2711 ‘stelae’ or differently shaped concrete blocks set over 19,000 sq metres of gently rolling ground. Designer Peter Eisenmann has created an underground information centre in the site’s southeast corner.

 Close to the Reichstag is the Hauptbahnhof (Main-Train-Station) which is within 10 minutes by train to our hostel. If you are looking for good food and a cheap place to stay and sleep, you’ll love our hostel in Berlin and the area around our hostel. We are just 2 walking-minutes away from the Kurfürstendamm, Berlin’s legendary shopping thoroughfare in the west-centre. Here you’ll find the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, which remains in ruins – just as British bombers on 22ns November 1943 left it – as an anti-war memorial. Only the broken west tower still stands.

 Berliners love eating out and you needn’t walk far for a feed. Restaurants usually open from 11am to midnight. Cafes often close around 8-9pm, though equal numbers stay open until 2am or later.

 There are also many supermarkets around our hostel, where you can buy food and prepare it in our kitchen (without stove).

 We hope to see you soon in our hostel, looking for accommodation, nice and helpful staff and a perfect place to stay in Berlin.