UNTER DEN LINDEN
“As long as the lime trees still blossom in Unter den Linden, Berlin will always be Berlin,” sang Marlene Dietrich about this magnificent avenue. The lime trees blossom more beautifully than ever and the street’s old buildings have been extensively restored. The Linden, once a royal bridle path linking the king’s town residence (the Stadtschloss) and Tiergarten, became Berlin’s most fashionable street in the 18th century, and was synonymous with the city that was then the capital of Prussia.
NEED TO KNOW
Deutsches Historisches Museum: Zeughaus, Unter den Linden 2; (030) 20 30 40; open 10am–6pm daily; adm €8; free for under-18s; www.dhm.de
Staatsoper: Unter den Linden 7; (030) 20 35 45 55; www.staatsoper-berlin.de
St Hedwigskathedrale & Bebelplatz: Bebelplatz; open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, 1–5pm Sun; www.hedwigs-kathedrale.de
- Take a break at the Café im Deutschen Historischen Museum (in the Zeughaus) which can be accessed directly from the street.
1. Deutsches Historisches Museum
Germany’s largest history museum offers an overview of more than 1,000 years of German history. Housed in the Zeughaus, it is the oldest and architecturally the most interesting building (see Deutsches Historisches Museum) on Unter den Linden.
2. Staatsoper Unter den Linden
The richly ornamented State Opera House is one of Germany’s most attractive. Neo-Classical in style, it was built by architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1741–3 as Europe’s first free-standing opera house, to plans devised by Frederick the Great (see Forum Fridericianum) himself.
3. St Hedwigskathedrale
Designed by von Knobelsdorff in 1740–2 and modelled on the Pantheon in Rome, this is the seat of Berlin’s Catholic archdiocese. It was commissioned (see St Hedwigskathedrale) by Frederick the Great to appease Berlin Catholics after the conquest of Silesia.
4. Humboldt-Universität
Berlin’s oldest and most highly regarded university was founded in 1890, on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt. Twenty-nine Nobel Prize winners were educated here, including Albert Einstein.
5. Neue Wache
The central German memorial for all victims of war was created in 1816–8 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. A reproduction of Käthe Kollwitz’s moving Pietà stands here.
6. Opernpalais
The charming building next to the Staatsoper, built in 1733–7, was also known as the Kronprinzessinnenpalais and once served as a palace for the daughters of Friedrich Wilhelm III.
7. Russische Botschaft
The gigantic Russian Embassy, built in Stalinist “wedding-cake style”, was the first building to be erected on Unter den Linden after World War II.
8. Frederick the Great’s Statue
One of Christian Daniel Rauch’s grandest (see Forum Fridericianum), this equestrian statue shows “Old Fritz” (13.5 m/44 ft high) in his tricorn and coronation mantle.
9. Kronprinzenpalais
Originally created in 1669 as a private residence by Johann Arnold Nering, the building was remodelled in 1732–3 into a Neo-Classical palace by Philip Gerlach and was a residence for several Hohenzollern heirs. After World War I it became an art museum, before the East German government housed state visitors there. The German reunification agreement was signed here in August 1990. It now holds cultural events and exhibitions.
10. Bebelplatz
Originally named Opernplatz, this wide open space was designed by Georg W von Knobelsdorff as the focal point of his Forum Fridericianum. The elegant square was meant to introduce some of the splendour and glory of ancient Rome to the Prussian capital. In May 1933, it became the scene of the infamous Nazi book burning.
