Me and my friends decided to go on a short trip to Berlin as the Polish railway operator PKP Intercity announced a special offer. Berlin is a perfect place for a weekend trip.
Reichstag
Berlin is 6 hours by train from Warsaw. Eurocity trains that go between Polish and German capitals are comfortable and cheap (2nd class - from 19 to 39 euros). The capital of Germany is a city of majestic architecture and countless museums. What I liked most was the concoction of neoclassical buildings and modern architecture. The best (and most famous) example of such melange in even one building is the Reichstag with its steel and glass dome.
Favourite spots:
An ancient mosaic in Pergamonmuseum
There are many interesting places in Berlin but I decided to focus on architecture and museums. My friends and me visited four museums: 1. Gemäldegalerie - an art gallery in which you can admire paintings by worldwide famous artists such as Canaletto, Dürer or Rubens. 2. Alte Nationalgalerie - another gallery with again famous names: Rodin, Monet, Renoir and many others. 3. Pergamonmuseum - this one hosts traces of ancient culture, not only European. There you can see a replica of the Ishtar Gate (from Babylon). 4. Jewish Museum has many exhibits showing the history of German Jews. There are also many exhibits reminding of Holocaust (eg. letters from people imprisoned in the death camps, their everyday things and so on). The building itself is very unusual - it was designed by Daniel Libeskind, a famous architect.
The best way to visit Berlin's museums is to buy a ticket that allows you to enter each and every. It pays if you want to visit more that two museums.
What's really great:
Gendarmenmarkt
Colors. Definitely. This is a city of stunning colors. Both during the day and by night (an album coming soon). Although it was cloudy and rainy when I visited Berlin, I managed to take many interesting pictures (the most beutiful are those taken by night). If you want to improve your night picture take a tripod with you. Berlin is a well iluminated city and a keen photographer can make a good use of his or her camera.
Sights:
Oberbaumbrücke
The splendid architecture of Berlin is worthwhile. Architectural must-haves include:
1. Reichstag - the building of German parliament. It's admission free but sometimes a lot of people queue in front of the building and you may have to wait a bit. But the panorama from the top of the building is breathtaking.
2. Brandenburger Tor and Unter den Linden - it's the central street in Berlin along which you can admire architectural masterpieces by Schinkel, e.g. Forum Fridericianum. Brandenburger Tor is the most famous gate in Berlin.
3. The New Synagogue - Moorish in style, resembles the Spanish Synagogue in Prague, but is bigger.
4. Daimler City and Sony Center - these buldings show how successfully modern architecture can be combined into an old city.
5. Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche - this church was bombarded during the WWII and then rebuilt, but the destroyed tower was left as a reminder of the war.
6. Oberbaumbrücke - the most beutiful bridge in Berlin
Other recommendations:
Schlesisches Tor
The best way to move around Berlin is to buy a ticket that is valid for the whole day. If you travel in a group up to five persons there's one ticket for all of you, which makes using the public transportation even cheaper. Public transport in Berlin is well developed with 12 lines of metro (which is not only underground). Unfortunately the metro in Berlin is worn-out and dirty. What is interesting, many metro stations are historic monuments, e.g. Schlesisches Tor (worthwhile), that is located next to the Oberbaumbrücke bridge.
Interesting report, I love the photo of the Gendarmenmarkt. With a few more tips on where to stay and eat this report would go from great to fantastic.
Cheers,
Kerrie
Hey, I had a similar idea last year just before Christmas when the city was full of Christmas markets. All of them were beautifully illuminated at night which gave us an incredible feeling of warmth and joy. I think I will visit it again this year just to feel this Christmas spirit again;) I liked your report, a well written guide for a two-day visit:)
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