The Kreuzberg district was the centre of West Berlin’s counter-culture in the 1980s. Alternative cultural centres now rub shoulders with the Turkish community of “Little Istanbul” in the eastern section, the famous “SO36” (a reference to “Südost 36”,..

This complex was designed by Knobelsdorff to garner unprecedented artistic and scientific influence for the Prussian monarchy. The site was to include an opera house, an academy of science and a castle. Only the opera house was built, as Friedrich ..

This square is without a doubt one of the most beautiful in Berlin. Its name derives from the "Gens d'Armes" regiment, whose barracks were constructed here by order of Frederick William I. The Schauspielhaus , an elegant theatre built by S..

Gendarmenmarkt square has an attractive Italian feel, with the domes of the French church and the German cathedral facing each other across the square. The magnificent neo-Classical theatre built by Schinkel stands in the centre of the esplanad..

After the hall built by Langhans in 1817 was burned down, the Schauspielhaus theatre was rebuilt in 1820 by Schinkel, who took inspiration from the architecture of Ancient Greece. The building, destroyed during the Second World War, was rebuilt from ..

Restored to its position as the monumental centre of both Berlin and Germany, the Mitte district is currently undergoing numerous restoration projects. The district lies around the famous Unter den Linden (Under the Lime trees) avenue once used by ..

Welcome to Berlin’s equivalent of the Champs-Elysées! Unter den Linden (“Under the Lime trees”) is the most famous avenue in the city, laid out by the Great Elector Frederick William in 1647. Its fine palaces were carefully restored by the former Eas..

A refuge for artists during the post-war period, then a bastion of alternative culture and political activism after the Wall came down, this district has gradually been restored and is now popular with middle-class bohemians. The peaceful streets, li..

In marked contrast to the heterogeneous, working-class eastern district , western Kreuzberg has an almost bourgeois feel with its magnificent restored buildings, making it perfect for a relaxing stroll. To the north lies what was the government and ..

This building, designed by Frank Gehry and built in 1999, is one of the most interesting constructions on Pariser Platz . While tradition has been respected in terms of the façade, convention is also challenged. Overhanging windows alternate with st..

This triumphal gate is now the emblem of Berlin but for nearly three decades it was a symbol of the divided city: the monument used to be an integral part of the Berlin Wall, which ran north-south towards Potsdamer Platz . Built by Carl Gotthard La..

The Bethanie Arts Centre is located in a former 19C hospital originally used by Deaconesses. Left to ruin, it was a squat from the 1970s onwards and now houses a cultural centre which plays host to a variety of activities, while maintaining its exper..

For this memorial dedicated to Europe’s Jewish victims, the American Peter Eisenman designed a field of 2 711 steles of differing sizes standing on undulating ground which appears to subside in places. To reach the underground museum, visitors pass t..

Closed down in 1884, the Hamburg station was endowed with a metal roof to house the Transport and Building Museum. Today, it houses the Museum of Modern Art . The heart of the collection comes for the most part from funds left by Erich Marx. In the ..

Never has an architectural project been so vilified as this one, designed to symbolise the “Republic of Berlin”. However, the chancellery, designed by architects Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank, does justice to a democratic and powerful State at ea..

The symbolic Judisches Museum was designed by Daniel Libeskind as a metaphor for the history of the Germans and the Jews. The zinc and concrete exterior has no door, just windows made from fragmented lines. Visitors enter the building through semi-un..

This neo-Renaissance building (1877-81), adorned with elegant decoration reminiscent of an Italian palazzo, is the work of Martin Gropius, the great-uncle of Walter Gropius, a leading figure of the Bauhaus movement. Once the home of the Museum of Dec..

Standing in an industrial wasteland, this 1,300m of the old Wall – the longest remaining section – provides an interesting glimpse into Berlin’s recent history. Admire this open-air art gallery by walking from one end of the wall to the other: the fr..

The archives contain no fewer than 10 000 German and foreign films and over a million documents, photos, posters and programmes. The museum is primarily focused on German cinema, with exhibits that include sets and props from Fritz Lang’s 1927 Metro..

This large park near the Kulturforum and Potsdamer Platz was laid out in 1650 by Elector Frederick III and later redesigned by Frederick the Great. Its trees were used as firewood during the two harsh winters following the Second World War. Trees..