Berlin has a special place in history, as the city that had a concrete wall around it for 28 years. It was the center of the Cold War. Located in former East Germany, it was divided into two sections – East Berlin and West Berlin. The wall was around the west, which was controlled by the Allies: USA, France, and Great Britain. The rest of East Germany was under Communist control. Checkpoint Charlie near the Brandenburg Gate, the largest opening between the east and west, is a must-see.
Since the wall came down in 1989, Germans have been working hard to restore Berlin as one of the premier cities in Europe. Much work has been done to get East Berlin up to the living standards of West Berlin and today you can’t even tell that there used to be such a drastic difference. Many new high rise office buildings, complete with malls and tourist attractions at the bottom, have been built near transportation hubs in East Berlin. The Berlin government is trying to lure big companies into relocating to this epicenter of business and history.
Ku’damm, short for Kurfürstendamm, is the most famous street in Berlin. It is not unlike the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The street goes into the cultural center of West Berlin, ending at two famous cathedrals. There is an old cathedral that was severely damaged during the Second World War, but they build a new, more modern one right next to it. Kurfürstendamm Strasse is lined with trees and shops and malls. Also in the area is one of the biggest zoos in Europe. That is definitely worth a trip as well.
During the World Cup in 2006, Berlin hosted several matches including the final. This is easily the most-watched event in the world and the street outside the Brandenburg Gate was shut down for weeks. Tournament organizers turned the street into Fan Mile, where about a million people gathered each day to cheer on their countries and watch the games on one of several giant screens. It was quite a spectacular event.
If you come in to Berlin by air, you may find it a bit annoying to get into the city. Currently, only three bus lines run from Tegel Airport (TXL). For a city with such an elaborate rail system, it is a surprise that neither the S-Bahn nor U-Bahn goes to the airport. However, the government is in the process of shifting the main air traffic load to a newly expanded Schonefeld Airport, which does have S-Bahn service. If you come in to Berlin by train, you will arrive at the heart of the city, either at the Zoologischer Garten Station, just off Ku’Damm or at Hauptbahnhof at one of the biggest new developments in the former East Berlin.
Andre Asbury - Andre is an engineer with an electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech. He also has a minor in French and has done extensive ...
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