Berlin, Germany - Part 3

In what was once known as West Berlin, the primary attractions are around Kurfurstendamm and the Tiergarten.

Once a hunting reserve, the Tiergarten was converted into a park after 1830 by a landscape designer, Peter Joseph Lenne. It is the largest park in Berlin occupying about 495 acres and is a haven of nature and a recreational amenity for the Berliners. Most of Tiergarten hums with activity from picnicking families to joggers, from footballers to rollerblading teenagers. Footpaths weave through these woodlands. Within Tiergarten is Schloss Bellevue, the official residence of the President of Germany. Triumphal Avenue was built in the eastern section of the park lined with statues of the country's statemen and figures including Johann Waolfgang von Goethe and Richard Wagner. At the center of the park is the "Great Star" roundabout and Siegessaule (Triumphal or Victory Column) that was built to commemorate victory in the Prusso-Danish war of 1864. A gilded figure by Friedrich Drake representing Victory, was added to the top of the monument after further wars with Austria (1866) and France (1871). The base is decorated with bas-reliefs commemorating battles, while higher up the column a mosaic frieze by Anton von Werner depicts the founding of the German Empire in 1871. There is an observation terrace at the top of the monument.

Along the southwestern end of the Tiergarten on Budapester Strass lies the Intercontinental Berlin Hotel. This hotel is easy to find with a glass dome covering the lobby. The hotel is situated east and on the outskirts of the Zoologischer Garten. The zoo is one fo the largest in the world and is one of Berlin's greatest attractions. It was founded in 1844 by Alexander von Humboldt and Martin Lichtenstein, Africa's expert and the zoo's first director. The 19,000 animals and 1,400 species collection includes the monkey house with a family of gorillas and a darkened pavilion for nocturnal animals. There is even a hippopotamus pool and the largest aquarium in Europe containing sharks, piranhas and unusual animals from coral reefs. There are two entrances; one off Budapester Strasse with the decorative Oriental-style Elephant gate and from Hardenbergplatz with the Lion's Gate.




Around Budapester Strasse, you will see on the southwest Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche. This church monument is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks surrounded by a lively crowd of street vendors and beggars. This Neo-Romanesque church was designed by Franz Schwechten and was built in 1895 only to be destroyed by Allied bombs during World War II in 1943. While the western tower was a ruined shell, the restored ceiling mosaics in the base of Memorial Hall (Gedenkhalle) depict scenes from the life of Emperor Wilhelm I. In 1961, a contemporary octagonal church with walls of reinforced concrete and electric-blue glass tiles was built abutting the ruins on one side and a new freestanding bell tower on the other. Inside the main altar is a monumental golden figure by Karl Hemmeter of the resurrected Christ suspended above the altar with his arms outstretched in the form of the cross.





Kurfurstenddamm (or shortened to Ku'Damm) runs from the Memorial Church to Lake Halensee which marks the exclusive "villa district" in old West Berlin. The top end of Ku'Damm is packed with department stores, fashionable and elegant boutiques and art galleries and is a shopping paradise for young and old alike. The wide avenue was established in the 1880's as a royal bridle path that was quickly populated with buildings and grand hotels. The street is renowned for its great cafes and elegant shops of designer clothes and accessories including Gucci and Bulgari. The Story of Berlin is a multimedia exhibition with over 20 theme-rooms that lets you experience 800 years of Berlin's history: from its trading center status in the Middle Ages to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. The exhibition uses original models, photos, film, costumes, and audio effects to give the visitor the fell of the atmosphere of the city's then and now.


The eastern stretch where Ku'damm meets Tauentzienstrasse, department stores and well known brand stores line the area. They say if it exists, you can buy it in Berlin. A look inside the largest department store in Europe, KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), may confirm this belief. KaDeWe, built in 1907 on Wittenberg Platz and extended several times from the original building, contains seven stories with a comprehensive collection of international designer labels from interior design to fragrances, fashion, and lingerie. The main attraction, though, is on the 6th floor and the legendary food hall with the largest collection of foodstuffs from exotic fruits and vegetables, live fish and seafood, 100 varieties of tea and more than 2400 wines.

The famous Berlin Sculpture by Brigitte and Martin Matschinsky-Denninghoff is in the median of Tauentzienstrasse that was erected to mark Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987. The broken chain is a powerful symbol of a city divided yet inextricably linked.