HISTORIC BUILDINGS
1. Brandenburger Tor
More than a mere symbol, the Brandenburg Gate is synonymous with Berlin.
2. Schloss Charlottenburg
This palace (see Schloss Charlottenburg) features Baroque and Rococo splendours and a beautiful park, making it one of the most attractive in Germany.
Façade of Schloss Charlottenburg
3. Schloss Bellevue
Spreeweg 1 • Not open to the public • www.bundespraesident.de/EN/
Built by Philipp Daniel Boumann in 1785–90, this was the residence of the Hohenzollerns until 1861. Since 1994 the stately building with its Neo-Classical façade has been the official residence of the President of the Federal Republic. The modern, egg-shaped Presidential Offices stand next to the old palace.
4. Reichstag
The seat of the Deutscher Bundestag, the German parliament (see Reichstag), with its spectacular cupola, is a magnet for visitors.
5. Berliner Rathaus
Berlin’s Town Hall (see Berliner Rathaus), also known as “Red Town Hall” because of the red bricks from Brandenburg province with which it is built, harks back to the proud days when Berlin became the capital of the new Empire. Built in 1861–9 according to designs by Hermann Friedrich Waesemann, the town hall was one of Germany’s largest and most magnificent buildings, built to promote the splendour of Berlin. The structure was modelled on Italian Renaissance palaces, and the tower is reminiscent of Laon cathedral in France. The exterior was decorated with Die Steinerne Chronik (the stone chronicle) in 1879, depicting scenes from the city’s history.
6. Konzerthaus
The Concert Hall is one of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s masterpieces. Built in 1818–21, it was once known as the Schauspielhaus (theatre), and was used as such until 1945. Following this, it was damaged during World War II, and then reopened in it’s new avatar as the Konzerthaus (see Gendarmenmarkt) in 1984. The building has a portico with Ionic columns and statues of allegorical and historical personages, some riding lions and panthers, as well as deities, muses and bacchants.
The Neo-Classical exterior of the Konzerthaus
7. Hackesche Höfe
This complex (see Hackesche Höfe) of 19th-century buildings has eight interlinked courtyards, some of which are decorated in Jugendstil style, originally by August Endell. In the early 1990s the complex was completely renovated. The first courtyard is particularly attractive: coloured glazed tiles with geometric patterns decorate the house from the foundations up to the guttering. In the last courtyard, trees are grouped around an idyllic well. The Hackesche Höfe is one of Berlin’s most popular hotspots; restaurants, cafés, a cinema and the Chamäleon musical theatre and variety show attract visitors from afar.
8. Siegessäule
The Victory Column (see Siegessäule) in Tiergarten is topped by the statue of Victoria. Designed by Heinrich Strack after Prussia’s victory in the Danish-Prussian War of 1864, it was refurbished in 2010.
Siegessäule
9. Altes Museum and Lustgarten
The façade of the Old Museum, possibly one of the most attractive Neo-Classical museum buildings in Europe, is remarkable for the 18 Ionic columns supporting a portico. Built in 1830 to Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s design, it was at the time one of the first buildings to be created specifically as a museum. Originally it was to house the royal collection of paintings; today it is home to a collection of antiquities (see Lustgarten). In front of the museum is a garden designed by Peter Joseph Lenné. Conceived as the king’s herb garden, it is now decorated with a 70-ton granite bowl by Gottlieb Christian Cantian, and a fountain.
10. Zeughaus
Designed by J A Nering as the first Berlin Baroque building, the former Royal Prussian Arsenal is now the Deutsches Historisches Museum (see Unter Den Linden), with a modern addition by I M Pei.
