published in 2000
by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd


General Sightseeing and Orientation in Berlin

Berlin has a continental climate of extremes, which generally means very hot summers and freezing cold winters; spring and autumn are pleasant in-between seasons. If you can choose when to visit Berlin, try to avoid the winter months of January and February, when the bitingly cold east wind sweeping across the North European Plain numbs both the skin and the senses. Though December is also usually cold, the Christmas markets are a big attraction, and a warming glass or two of Gluhwein will go some way towards compensating for the outside chill.
From April-October is the best time to go to Berlin - preferably in April, May, September and October if you want to avoid taking the chance of catching a mid-summer heatwave. However, with its expansive inner-city parklands and the beautiful lakes along its fringes, Berlin is a city that is able to breathe and even the high summer days are seldom too unbearably hot to preclude sightseeing. The months of June to September are ideal for strolling around in the Tiergarten, taking a boat trip on the Spree, people- watching from an outdoor cafe on the Ku'damm, or simply getting out of town to enjoy the lakes.

Berlin was almost completely destroyed during World War II, before the war what was to become East Berlin was the cultural and political heart of Germany with the best of the churches and museums, after the war East Berlin restored all of the important museums and landmarks and West Berlin built entirely new museums and cultural attractions. This has resulted in a contrast between new and old in the city as it is known today.

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Places to Visit in Berlin

Brandenburg Gate
Unter den Linden
Berlin

The Brandenburg gate stands in the heart of Berlin and was once the symbol of the divided city and was integrated into the Berlin wall. The gate was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1789 and in Berlin's heyday before World War II, the gate marked the grand western extremity of the "main street," Unter den Linden. In the Room of Silence, built into one of the guardhouses, visitors still gather to meditate and reflect on Germany's past. Free admission.

Olympia-Stadion
Olympischer Platz 3
Berlin

The Olympic stadium was built in 1936 for the XI Summer Olympic Games and seats 100,000 people. Hitler had expected to see his "master race" run off with all the medals in the 1936 Olympics, but his hopes were dashed when an African American, Jesse Owens, took four golds for the U.S. team.
The stadium's main attraction is the arena and for panoramic views of the city you can take the elevator to the top of the 260ft platform. Sporting and cultural events still take place here regularly.

Die Sammlung Berggruen: Picasso und Seine Zeit
(The Berggruen Collection: Picasso and His Era)
Schlosstrasse 1
Berlin

This is a private museum displaying the collection of the respected art and antiques dealer, Heinz Berggruen who fled the Nazis in 1936 but returned to establish an empire of dealerships throughout the world. The museum is housed in a renovated army barracks with most of the collection being devoted to Picasso and other artists such as Van Gogh and Cézanne.

Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
Friedrichstrasse 44
Berlin

This is a small building showing the tragic events connected with the Berlin Wall. Exhibits include some of the instruments of escape used by East Germans and photographs documenting the construction of the wall and the post war history. One of the highlights of the display are the drawings by schoolchildren in 1961 and 1962, who were asked to draw both halves of Germany in one picture.