Berlin Travel Tips from Rail Europe The impressive Berlin Brandenburg Gate at night Enjoying the cafes of the Hackesche Hofe in Berlin The majestic Concert Hall and Cathedral of Berlin A beautiful day at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin The Reichstag Presidentail Palace at night At the Gates of Modernity Berlin 2012. To get from East to West you need not dig a tunnel, hide in a car trunk or hop on a hot air balloon. Simply take S bahn from Friedrichstrasse (the border station) or just walk through the Brandenburg Gate. Today’s Berlin is a city of contrasts. Bullet scarred buildings from WWII provide a juxtaposition against an ultramodern metropolis. The four-year-old Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main train station) is one such example. Combining striking architecture with the mobility requirements of 21st century travelers, the station is one of the largest and most contemporary in Europe. And speaking of contemporary, Berlin’s modern art scene is truly thriving. Set in an old train station, the Hamburger Bahnhof may have an old façade, but inside holds a collection of works from the 1960s to the present.

Past exhibitions have included Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. And there lies one of the many contrasts. You can see modernity flourish in art and architecture, but it’s hard to ignore the city’s solemn history. You can step back in time at the Mauer Museum on the same site as the former Checkpoint Charlie. The DDR museum featuring artifacts from the former East Germany. The Jewish museum contains a history of German Jews. The Berlin Holocaust Memorial, located one block south of the Brandenburg Gate, provides a grim, emotional reminder of a time that no one can, nor should, forget. If you want to see how the city has come together, a great overview is the Berlin hop-on/hop-off bus tour . Freely stop at attractions all over Berlin. Just imagine, having the freedom to do what Berliners could only have dreamed of not that long ago. For a day trip to one of Germany’s most scenic cities, just hop on the train 30 minutes to Potsdam, home to great wealth and historic movie culture. Visit the enormous Park Sassoud with over 700 acres of gardens and palaces first started by Fredrick the Great. The brick gabled houses of the Dutch Quarter.

And for film buffs, the Filmpark Babelsberg, where many silent films were made. Maybe you’re looking to relax poolside after a day of touring. Why not hit the beach! In Berlin? It’s possible when you take a day trip south to Krausnick, the man-made Tropical Island Resort. Home to the world’s largest indoor pool and water park, it also contains an artificial rainforest, hot-air ballooning and a camping ground, where visitors can stay for the night inside the climate-controlled dome. What else would you expect from a country known for engineering? If you prefer to be more of a traveler than a tourist, catch the Paris-Germany night train . Purchase a sleeper compartment and breakfast is included. Board in Berlin, wake for croissants in Paris. Take a plane? Not someone with your level of savoir-faire. For closer traveler pursuits, get to Prague in five hours on the Eurocity train, and Hamburg in just 90 minutes via ICE . Today’s Berlin - hip, influential, current. And oh so cool. Just like those who visit.

Contributed by: Adam, Travel Consultant for Rail Europe Popular Routes What the Brandenburg Gate's pop-up horses say about the state of Berlin's public art | Cities | The Guardian Cities What the Brandenburg Gate's pop-up horses say about the state of Berlin's public art As part of the 70th-anniversary commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe, 20 monumental horses have been installed in the heart of Berlin. But why are they only here for one week? Cities What the Brandenburg Gate's pop-up horses say about the state of Berlin's public art As part of the 70th-anniversary commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe, 20 monumental horses have been installed in the heart of Berlin. But why are they only here for one week? Friday 1 May 2015 06.23 EDT Last modified on Friday 1 May 2015 06.58 EDT Share on Messenger Close This weekend, the Mediterranean will come galloping into the heart of Berlin.

As part of the commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe, 20 monumental horses – variously made of Italian marble, bronze, cast iron and granite, some of them six metres tall – will be installed in front of the Brandenburg Gate. At first sight, the animals resemble the four bronze horses by sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow that have sat atop the gate since 1793, one of the city’s iconic landmarks. On closer inspection, the new arrivals look decidedly more war-torn: cracks pattern the bronze like scars, ribcages are showing, flames seem to have licked up the beasts’ flanks. Their creator, Mexican painter-turned-sculptor Gustavo Aceves, says that for him personally, the domesticated horse will always be a “symbol of Western culture”, having first arrived on the shores of the Americas with the Spanish conquistadors in 1519. But here on Pariser Platz, with the triumphant quadriga looking down from up high, Aceves’ equines spark all sorts of associations.

Sculpted out of Italian stone in Pietrasanta near Pisa, modelled on Leonardo da Vinci’s Gran Cavallo sketch , and referencing the Greek myth of the Trojan horse, the installation forces passersby to consider Germany’s cultural debt to southern Europe, at a time when the Greek debt to Germany and German wartime debt to Greece are very much in the headlines. “Without the horses on top of the Brandenburg Gate, this would only be a dialogue with art history,” Aceves says. “Now it’s a dialogue with live history.” Without the horses on top of the Brandenburg Gate, this would only be a dialogue with art history Gustavo Aceves Pinterest Mexican artist Gustavo Aceves oversees the installation. Photograph: Paul Zinken/dpa/Corbis Given their symbolic and literal weight – the head of the granite horse alone weighs 600 kilos – what is most remarkable is how briefly these war horses will make an appearance in the German capital. On 10 May, after just over a week, they will be packed up and trucked off to new destinations: first to Venice, then to Mexico City.

Beijing, Hamburg, Paris and London are also in discussions about hosting Aceves’ horses in the coming years. The trend towards temporary installations in urban public art is nothing new. Many of the permanent artworks commissioned through state-sponsored “percent for art” programmes, such as America’s Art in Architecture or Germany’s Kunst am Bau programmes, now look trapped in the fleeting aesthetics of their era. Temporary installations such as the one on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth, on the other hand, find it easier to command attention and are cheaper for the city to maintain and protect from vandalism. But in Berlin’s case, it has an absurdist twist: a pop-up show with materials usually picked to denote permanence and durability. The project has also profited from geopolitical circumstances. With diplomatic relations between Europe and Russia in permafrost, there will be no big state ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate, and the installation will take centre stage rather than merely framing speeches by heads of state. This latest public art stunt fits with the wider strategy of a city that is actively trying to fashion itself as Europe’s art capital.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall last November, authorities installed a Lichtgrenze or “border of lights” made up of 8,000 illuminated helium balloons, which were then released into the night sky one by one, symbolically dissolving the old division between the eastern and western halves of the city. For the 75th anniversary of Reichskristallnacht in 2013, shopfronts were fitted with images of shattered glass . What makes Berlin different from other big European cities is that all these projects are orchestrated not directly by the city but a separate limited company, called Kulturprojekte Berlin, which mostly uses the city’s money but retains autonomy in the commissioning process. There are things happening in Berlin that you wouldn’t see in other cities Lutz Henke In ideal circumstances, such an arrangement avoids public artworks being chosen by committee, or as a result of political trading, allowing curators to concentrate on the work itself.

In Britain, artists such as Antony Gormley have repeatedly criticised the lack of a structure to shortlist and judge public artworks: “Here, the standards are very low [for] the way submissions are judged,” Gormley told the Independent in 2008. In a city as full of artists as Berlin, Kulturprojekte also has its critics, who point out that the body tends to choose headline-grabbing spectacles over more quietly spoken works. But even they admit that Berlin now punches above its weight when it comes to public art. “There are fewer restrictions here, and a greater acceptance for when you break the rules than in New York, London or Paris,” says Lutz Henke , a curator specialising in public and street art. “There are things happening in Berlin that you wouldn’t see in other cities.” The Brandenburg Gate: 225 years of European history | All media content | DW.COM | 04.08.2016 Travel The Brandenburg Gate: 225 years of European history The Brandenburg Gate is one of Berlin's most famous monuments. Hundreds of tourists take pictures of it every day - perhaps without realizing what this building went through. Here's why it is so important.

Monumental symbol of unity There used to be 18 city gates to enter the Customs Wall of Berlin in the 19th century. As the only remaining one, the Brandenburg Gate withstood the city's tumultuous history to become an unmistakable landmark of the German capital. The 26-meter (85-foot) high sandstone structure might not be as imposing as other comparable monuments, but it's definitely a symbolic heavyweight. Athens on the River Spree This picture shows the former city gate in 1764. Commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II, the Brandenburg Gate was inaugurated on August 6, 1791. The architect Carl Gotthard Langhans was inspired by the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens for this neoclassical monument. Berlin had established its reputation as a cultural hub in the 18th century; a poet dubbed the city "Athens on the River Spree." The Peace Gate A quadriga conceived by the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow was added to the ensemble in 1793. This sculpture of a chariot drawn by four horses was driven by Eirene, the Greek goddess of peace.

While the values of the French Revolution were finding their way to Prussia, the gate on the road to Brandenburg was named Friedenstor - the Peace Gate. War trophy Despite these noble ideals, the Peace Gate would quickly be afflicted by war. In 1806, Napoleon's victorious soldiers marched through it and seized the entire Quadriga, bringing it back to Paris as a war trophy. Although the plan was to exhibit the looted sculpture, it stayed packed in boxes in the French capital. The triumphal return After Napoleon's defeat, the Quadriga returned to Berlin in 1814 thanks to General Ernst von Pfuel. From then on, his family was allowed to use the central archway of the gate, otherwise reserved to royalty - normal citizens were restricted to the outer lanes. The statue was redesigned by Karl Friedrich Schinkel to represent Victoria, the goddess of victory, holding a cross and a Prussian eagle. Nazi propaganda On January 1933, the Nazis celebrated Hitler's seizure of power with a torchlight procession through the Brandenburg Gate.

The gate was to be included in the creation a great East-West city axis in the planned "Welthauptstadt Germania," the ambitious vision of architectural renewal of the capital of Germany after the planned victory of World War II. After World War II The Brandenburg Gate was badly damaged during World War II, but remained standing. As it was located in the sector occupied and administered by the Soviet Union, the Soviet flag was flown atop the gate from 1945 until 1957, when it was replaced by an East German flag. Little was left of the Quadriga - the horse's head that survived is now kept at the Märkisches Museum. Restoration in 1957 Luckily, a plaster cast of the Quadriga had been prepared in 1942, allowing the sculpture to be recreated. Despite arguments, the authorities of East and West Berlin managed to agree that the gate should be restored. The Quadriga was returned to the top of the gate in 1957. However, the East Berlin government had the iron cross and the Prussian eagle removed from the sculpture shortly afterwards.

No man's land When the Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961, access to the Brandenburg Gate from West Berlin was blocked, as the wall formed an arc just outside the western side. A smaller wall was also built on the eastern side, making the gate off limits to East Berliners too. The sign on this picture of the western side warns: "Caution! You are now leaving West Berlin." 'Tear down this wall!' The Brandenburg Gate served as the backdrop for Ronald Reagan's famous speech on June 12, 1987, where he called, "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall!" Loudspeakers made those words audible on the east side as well. West German President Richard von Weizsäcker also used the gate as a metaphor by declaring: "The German question is open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed." Symbol of reunification When the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989, thousands of people came to celebrate at the Brandenburg Gate, which served as a symbol of freedom and unity.

The passage served as a border crossing as of December 1989, until Germany officially reunified in October 1990. The monument was completely refurbished in 2000. Famous meeting point Today, tourists all go to Pariser Platz to get their picture of Berlin's famous monument. It is also the location of several large events, whether for protests or parties, such as on New Year's Eve. During football championships, tens of thousands of people gather on the "fan mile" to watch the games and celebrate together. Dramatic lighting effects The Brandenburg Gate offers a remarkable backdrop for lighting effects during the Festival of Lights, held this year from October 7-16. After different terrorist attacks, colored tributes to the victims have also illuminated the gate, such as here after the Orlando attacks on a gay club. On January 5, 2015, its lights were all turned off to protest against a far-right Pegida demonstration. Hope for the future Current events are a constant reminder of the fragility of peace - or "Frieden" in German, as projected on the monument during the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall in 2014.

Having witnessed and survived the most dreadful and joyful periods of Europe's last 225 years of history, the Brandenburg Gate remains a symbol of hope for the centuries to come. Author: Elizabeth Grenier Monumental symbol of unity There used to be 18 city gates to enter the Customs Wall of Berlin in the 19th century. As the only remaining one, the Brandenburg Gate withstood the city's tumultuous history to become an unmistakable landmark of the German capital. The 26-meter (85-foot) high sandstone structure might not be as imposing as other comparable monuments, but it's definitely a symbolic heavyweight. Athens on the River Spree This picture shows the former city gate in 1764. Commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II, the Brandenburg Gate was inaugurated on August 6, 1791. The architect Carl Gotthard Langhans was inspired by the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens for this neoclassical monument.

Berlin had established its reputation as a cultural hub in the 18th century; a poet dubbed the city "Athens on the River Spree." The Peace Gate A quadriga conceived by the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow was added to the ensemble in 1793. This sculpture of a chariot drawn by four horses was driven by Eirene, the Greek goddess of peace. While the values of the French Revolution were finding their way to Prussia, the gate on the road to Brandenburg was named Friedenstor - the Peace Gate. War trophy Despite these noble ideals, the Peace Gate would quickly be afflicted by war. In 1806, Napoleon's victorious soldiers marched through it and seized the entire Quadriga, bringing it back to Paris as a war trophy. Although the plan was to exhibit the looted sculpture, it stayed packed in boxes in the French capital. The triumphal return After Napoleon's defeat, the Quadriga returned to Berlin in 1814 thanks to General Ernst von Pfuel. From then on, his family was allowed to use the central archway of the gate, otherwise reserved to royalty - normal citizens were restricted to the outer lanes.

The statue was redesigned by Karl Friedrich Schinkel to represent Victoria, the goddess of victory, holding a cross and a Prussian eagle. Nazi propaganda On January 1933, the Nazis celebrated Hitler's seizure of power with a torchlight procession through the Brandenburg Gate. The gate was to be included in the creation a great East-West city axis in the planned "Welthauptstadt Germania," the ambitious vision of architectural renewal of the capital of Germany after the planned victory of World War II. After World War II The Brandenburg Gate was badly damaged during World War II, but remained standing. As it was located in the sector occupied and administered by the Soviet Union, the Soviet flag was flown atop the gate from 1945 until 1957, when it was replaced by an East German flag. Little was left of the Quadriga - the horse's head that survived is now kept at the Märkisches Museum. Restoration in 1957 Luckily, a plaster cast of the Quadriga had been prepared in 1942, allowing the sculpture to be recreated. Despite arguments, the authorities of East and West Berlin managed to agree that the gate should be restored.

The Quadriga was returned to the top of the gate in 1957. However, the East Berlin government had the iron cross and the Prussian eagle removed from the sculpture shortly afterwards. No man's land When the Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961, access to the Brandenburg Gate from West Berlin was blocked, as the wall formed an arc just outside the western side. A smaller wall was also built on the eastern side, making the gate off limits to East Berliners too. The sign on this picture of the western side warns: "Caution! You are now leaving West Berlin." 'Tear down this wall!' The Brandenburg Gate served as the backdrop for Ronald Reagan's famous speech on June 12, 1987, where he called, "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall!" Loudspeakers made those words audible on the east side as well.

West German President Richard von Weizsäcker also used the gate as a metaphor by declaring: "The German question is open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed." Symbol of reunification When the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989, thousands of people came to celebrate at the Brandenburg Gate, which served as a symbol of freedom and unity. The passage served as a border crossing as of December 1989, until Germany officially reunified in October 1990. The monument was completely refurbished in 2000. Famous meeting point Today, tourists all go to Pariser Platz to get their picture of Berlin's famous monument. It is also the location of several large events, whether for protests or parties, such as on New Year's Eve. During football championships, tens of thousands of people gather on the "fan mile" to watch the games and celebrate together. Dramatic lighting effects The Brandenburg Gate offers a remarkable backdrop for lighting effects during the Festival of Lights, held this year from October 7-16. After different terrorist attacks, colored tributes to the victims have also illuminated the gate, such as here after the Orlando attacks on a gay club.

On January 5, 2015, its lights were all turned off to protest against a far-right Pegida demonstration. Hope for the future Current events are a constant reminder of the fragility of peace - or "Frieden" in German, as projected on the monument during the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall in 2014. Having witnessed and survived the most dreadful and joyful periods of Europe's last 225 years of history, the Brandenburg Gate remains a symbol of hope for the centuries to come. Author: Elizabeth Grenier Number of pictures 14 Author Elizabeth Grenier Live Berlin Streaming Brandenburg Gate Berlin City Web Cam Berlin Germany Tweet DESCRIPTION Enjoy watching this real time HD streaming Berlin City Centre overlooking the famous Brandenburg Gate in the heart of the German capital city of Berlin in Germany Watch LIVE all the activity around the Brandenburg Gate in the western area of Berlin by viewing this live HD streaming Brandenburg Gate camera in the city centre area of Berlin The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is an 18th-century neoclassical triumphal arch in Berlin, and one of the best-known landmarks of Germany.

It is built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel. It is located in the western part of the city centre of Berlin, at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees, which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. Watch LIVE panorama webcam views around the city centre of Berlin by viewing our streaming live Berlin city panorama HD camera - HERE Great LIVE Berlin webcam views showcasing the Berlin Television Tower Alex - Reichstag Parliament building - Brandenburg Gate - and many other well known city of Berlin landmarks in the German capital cty of Berlin in Germany LOCATION Like what you read? Use the buttons below to share it with the world! These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. OTHER CAMERAS YOU MIGHT LIKE...

Brandenburg Gate: A Brief History - History in the Headlines Brandenburg Gate: A Brief History June 19, 2013 By Barbara Maranzani Credit: Thomas Wolf/Wikimedia Commons Brandenburg Gate: A Brief History Author Brandenburg Gate: A Brief History URL Google On Wednesday, Barack Obama became the fourth U.S. president to deliver a speech near Berlin’s famed Brandenburg Gate, following in the steps of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. The Brandenburg Gate, an 18th century triumphal arch that has become one of the most recognizable landmarks in Europe, has played witness to some of the most significant moments in modern history. From political speeches set against the backdrop of a divided city, to its role in the emotional reunification of a nation, here’s a look back at some key moments in the history of the Brandenburg Gate.

October 1806: Napoleon steals a statue Built between 1788 and 1791 by Prussian King Frederick William II as a key entry point to the city of Berlin, Brandenburg Gate was topped off with a statue known as the “Quadriga,” which depicted a statue of the goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses. The statue remained in place for just over a decade, before falling into the clutches of Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grand Army. After occupying Berlin that fall and triumphantly marching beneath the arches of the Gate, Napoleon ordered the Quadriga dismantled and shipped back to Paris. The horse and goddess were hastily packed up in a series of crates and moved across the continent. Napoleon, perhaps preoccupied with the crumbling of his recently established empire, appears to have forgotten about the statue, and it languished in storage until 1814, when Paris itself was captured by Prussian soldiers following Napoleon’s defeat. The Quadriga was returned to Berlin and once again installed atop the Brandenburg Gate, this time with one change: As a symbol of Prussia’s military victory over France, an iron cross was added to the statue.

The cross was later removed during the Communist era, and only permanently restored in 1990 during the unification of Germany. January 1933: Hitler comes to power After a meteoric rise to power at the head of his Nazi Party and a power struggle with German President Paul von Hindenburg, Adolf Hitler was appointed to the position of chancellor on January 30, 1933. That evening, the new chancellor was treated to a torchlight procession through Berlin, as thousands of brown shirted stormtroopers and SS members passed under the Brandenburg Gate to the presidential palace, where Hitler and high-ranking members of the Nazi Party were cheered. It was the first of many large-scale propaganda events held by the Nazis as they tightened their control over Germany in the years leading up to World War II. The end of the war destroyed much of Berlin, but the Brandenburg Gate survived, albeit with heavy damage. In one of the last cooperative measures before the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the East and West Berlin authorities worked together on its restoration. Once the wall went up, however, access to the Gate, located in what was now East Berlin, was cut off.

June 1963: “I am a Berliner” Almost two years after the Berlin Wall was erected, John F. Kennedy delivered one of the most famous addresses of his presidency to a crowd of more than 120,000 gathered outside West Berlin’s city hall, just steps from the Brandenburg Gate. Like Ronald Reagan after him, Kennedy’s speech has been largely remembered for one particular phrase. In Kennedy’s case, it was in German—poorly spoken German, some believed. Kennedy had tried out a variation of the “I am a Berliner” line in an earlier speech, and worked on the German passages with his speechwriters and State Department translators to ensure the correct pronunciation, going so far as to spell the possibly tricky phrases phonetically.

In the 50 years since Kennedy’s speech, German linguists have chimed in on the debate, insisting that the president’s grammar was essentially correct and that contrary to popular belief, he did not try to turn a Cold War moment into a culinary one by erroneously announcing to the crowd, “I am a jelly doughnut.” June 1987: The line that almost didn’t happen Ronald Reagan had visited Berlin once before in his presidency, in June 1982, when he addressed West German dignitaries and a crowd outside the city’s Charlottenburg Palace, affirming America’s support for the city of Berlin and its people. Five years (and three Soviet leaders later), Reagan prepared to return to West Berlin to celebrate the city’s 750th anniversary. The preceding years had seen an escalation in rhetoric on both sides (with Reagan famously referring to the USSR as an “Evil Empire”), but also the first noticeable “thaws” in the Cold War in nearly a decade, including the Reykjavik Summit in Iceland the year before and ongoing negotiations that would result in an arms treaty in late 1987.

Although authorship of the 1987 Berlin speech’s most famous line remains in dispute, there is little doubt that Reagan’s advisors were almost as deeply divided about whether he should use the potentially inflammatory words, as the city of Berlin was itself. Some feared antagonizing Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, with whom Reagan had built a successful working relationship. Others on Reagan’s team, fearful of charges that the administration had gone “soft,” argued that the time had come for a full-throated challenge to the Communists. The back and forth over the text continued for almost a year, but in the end Reagan made the final decision to keep the line in, and on June 12, 1987, he addressed not just the crowd of more than 20,000 gathered at the Brandenburg Gate itself, but millions of listeners in the Unites States, the Soviet Union and around the world, thunderously calling for Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” December 1989: Lenny takes Berlin One of the most emotionally charged moments in the history of the Brandenburg Gate involved musicians, not politicians.

Just weeks after the November 1989 opening of the Berlin Wall, American conductor Leonard Bernstein held a series of concerts in music halls on both sides of the famous divide. Leading an international orchestra comprised of musicians from the four countries that had occupied Berlin following the end of World War II (France, England, the United States and the Soviet Union, which would itself collapse just two years later), both concerts featured performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Bernstein, however, eager to honor the momentous historical change afoot, made a crucial change to the work’s famed final movement, known as the “Ode to Joy.” Tweaking the original 18th century text by poet Friedrich Schiller, Bernstein substituted the German word Freiheit for the word Freude, and led a group of singers from two leading East and West German choirs in an emotional rendition of what was now the “Ode to Freedom.” The first of the two concerts, held in West Berlin, ended at midnight on December 23, the same moment that the Berlin Wall became permanently and fully open; the second was held two days later, on Christmas morning, in East Berlin.

Both concerts were broadcast to tens of thousands of spectators gathered at the Brandenburg Gate and throughout the two Berlins, and it was the first television events transmitted to both East and West Germany in more than 30 years. Tags Berlin | Europe-Cities Europe-Cities A comprehensive source of information about travelling to Europe. Menu and widgets Join us on Facebook for easy access to What's on, up & wow in Europe. Berlin Europe Destinations > Germany > Cities in Germany > Berlin The earliest records mentioning the existence of a settlement on the site of today’s Berlin are from the late 12th Century. The origin of the city’s name is unknown; it’s thought that it may be derived from a word in an ancient Slavic dialect meaning ‘swamp.’ Throughout its history, Berlin has been virtually swept off the face of the earth a number of times. The Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 took the lives of nearly half the city’s population, and a third of all its buildings. As a result of the air raids carried out by the Allied Forces in the final years of World War II, the city was reduced to ruins, with many of its landmarks shattered to pieces.

The turbulent history and ever-repeating cycle of destruction and reconstruction determine the unique spirit of the city. An urban organism with an essentially unassailable soul, Berlin attracts people from the furthest parts of the planet with its modern zeitgeist, liberal lifestyle and relatively low cost of living. The entire Berlin-Brandenburg area is home to nearly 5 million people representing more than 180 nations. After London and Paris , Berlin is the third-most visited destination in the European Union. Visitors arrive to find a city that has literally risen from the ashes like a fantastic, colourful phoenix. An eclectic gathering of architecture and sights is the chronicle of this marvellous city, and every detail has a story to tell. Once divided by the Berlin Wall , whose remnants can still be seen today, the eastern and western parts of the city are now united, though architectural and lifestyle differences between them are still visible. The world-renowned symbol of Berlin and the entirety of Germany is the Brandenburg Gate , rising tall over the centre. Another familiar landmark is the Reichstag building, the seat of the German Parliament. It owes its current spectacular shape to British architect Norman Foster.

An impressive glass dome above the session area allows free public access to the parliamentary sessions, as well as breathtaking views of the city. Another location from which to admire an aerial view of the German capital is the Fernsehturm , a TV tower at Alexanderplatz . The nearly 370-metre-tall structure is the second highest in the European Union. It’s visible from virtually anywhere in the city centre. Across the city from east to west runs a tree-lined avenue, Unter den Linden , connecting the Brandenburg Gate to where the Berliner Stadtschloss once stood. Berlin's former premier promenade, it’s still a popular shopping location and the home of Humboldt University. Another prominent street running from east to west is Straße des 17. Juni, which commemorates the 17 June 1953 uprisings in East Berlin, and connects Brandenburg Gate with Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Roughly halfway between them is the Großer Stern, a round traffic island with the Siegessäule (Victory Column). This spot constitutes the centre stage of the annual Love Parade. Berlin is internationally renowned as the seat of numerous cultural institutions, a major trendsetter among European capitals.

Since 2005, it’s been listed as a UNESCO City of Design. The nightlife scene is among the most diverse and vibrant on the continent and possibly in the entire world. The unrestored abandoned houses of former East Berlin have become a fertile ground for the counter-culture scene. Today, they hold many alternative nightclubs, plenty of which are true artistic enterprises. At night, life in Berlin is concentrated on the city squares. Probably the most spectacular of these is Potsdamer Platz , which was constructed from scratch after 1995. The ultra-modern, innovatively designed square is surrounded by buildings housing the Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie and Philharmonic. Fashionable culture also blooms in the area around Hackescher Markt, featuring numerous alternative boutiques , bars , galleries and clubs . A conglomeration of all these things is the Hackesche Höfe, a gathering of buildings around several courtyards, reconstructed in the 1990s. At night, Berlin pulsates with hypnotizing rhythms, and all the more if you’re there for one of the many street events which figure into the city’s cultural calendar.

Every Pentecost weekend, the Karneval der Kulturen sweeps down the streets of Berlin, a madly colourful multi-ethnic parade. Christopher Street Day on the last weekend of June is celebrated with Central Europe's largest gay-lesbian parade, openly supported by the authorities of Berlin. The legendary Love Parade takes place every July. Whichever time of year you choose to explore Berlin, you can be sure that the stunning German capital will capture your heart forever. Why not book a hotel right now, Berlin is waiting for you!

Copyright © 2004-2017 europe-cities.com Free Tour of Berlin | SANDEMANs NEW Berlin Tours FREE Tour of Berlin Tue T Start 10:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 2:00 PM East Berlin, Brandenburg Gate by 14,433 travelers Watch our video - See the tours in action Our FREE Tour is the perfect introduction to Berlin, a great way to orientate yourself in the city and at a price to suit everybody’s budget. Starting every day, right in front of the symbol of Germany – the Brandenburg Gate – our guides will give you an exciting overview covering 800 years of Berlin’s history. Accommodation we trust Travelers speak out 5/5 Sam Noble: Best Tour Guide I've ever had "I have been on 7 free tours the past 6 months and Sam Noble was by far the best. A lot of enthusiasm, and kept us informed and entertained.

10 out of 10 would recommend." TripAdvisor, June 2016 5/5 Amazing! Must Do, Fun, Adventures, Educational "Are journey began in each country or city with the Sandemans Tours. We loved it and a great starting point. I would recommend the Sandemans Tours to everyone. We had the best time." TripAdvisor, June 2016 “Brilliant." The Guardian, 2016 "Some of the best walking tours we enjoyed during our travels were free walking tours from SANDEMANs." Buzzfeed, 2016 "SANDEMANs offers fantastic free walking tours…. This is a great option for travelers on a budget and often offers some of the best guides I’ve had." Huffington Post, 2016 Rain or shine, all of our tours run as scheduled By booking your place online you can skip the queue at the meeting point and enjoy discounts for multiple tours and for groups. Alternatively, you can just show up at the meeting point if you prefer not to book ahead of time. Just come 10-15 minutes early if you’ve not purchased online.

Connecting great guides with smart travelers We believe in supporting our local communities and are committed to giving a voice to self-employed guides who have chosen Berlin as their home. By ensuring that every native English speaking guide represents our unique style of mixing history and story-telling while maintaining their own personality and flair, we’ve become one of the most popular tour companies in the world. Helping superb independent guides connect with thousands of travelers a day, we provide these local freelancers with the possibility to inform and entertain you, and they employ us to spread the news about this great concept. How can a FREE Tour be one of the best in Europe? The answer is simple: because the informed, entertaining, and unforgettable guides on our FREE Tours work on a tips-only basis, the highest quality is guaranteed! They’ll never pressure you to tip – even though the guides receive no other compensation from our company or the cities we work in. We believe that if money is given, it should be voluntary and in direct proportion to the quality of the tour and the budget of the traveler. Value for money goes a long way, and satisfied customers tip what they think the tour was worth!

Famous Landmarks: Satellite View of Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany - Nations Online Project Satellite View of Brandenburg Gate ___ Famous Landmarks - Satellite View of Brandenburg Gate (in German: Brandenburger Tor) About Brandenburg Gate Berlin Germany's capital city. The gate is one of the best known symbols of Berlin and of Germany as well. It is one of the former city gates, built 1788–91 (the Quadriga, was installed in 1793), and it is the only one that survives. The Brandenburg Gate was a former city gate of Berlin Image: Nations Online Project The design of the gate is based upon the Propylaea, the gateway to the sanctuaries of the Acropolis in Athens , Greece . The Brandenburg Gate consists of twelve Doric columns, six to each side, forming five passageways. Atop the gate is the Quadriga, the chariot of gods, drawn by four horses and driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. Today the Quadriga faces east, as it did originally.

The gate has played different political roles in German history, for example: after the 1806 Prussian defeat, Napoleon took the Quadriga to Paris. Some years later the Quadriga was restored to Berlin. After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the gate stood in East Berlin, a conspicuous symbol of a divided city. After the fall of the wall it was reopened in December 1989. Brandenburg Gate is located west of the city center at the intersection of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. Zoom out to see some more of Berlin's landmarks. φ Latitude, λ Longitude (of Map center; move the map to see coordinates): , Map Help [ show ] to pan the map click on the respective arrow on the pan button or click on the map and move your mouse/pointer to drag the map around (pan). to Zoom in +, or Zoom out – use the zoom buttons; or double click on the map to zoom in. Map Type Control Buttons; To switch between various map types click on this buttons: Click the Map button for a street map, this button holds the option for Terrain, it displays a physical map with topographical details.

Click the Satellite for a satellite image; with the option to switch Labels (names, borders, roads, business, etc.) on and off, for a combination of satellite image and street map. The "Pegman" symbol offers the switch to Google's street view, the 360-degree, panoramic street-level imagery. To enjoy street views, grab pegman with your cursor and hoover over the map, when street view is available parts of the map will change to blue, drop pegman there and you might have a lot of fun within unimaginable boring landscapes. One World - Nations Online .:. let's care for this planet Made to improve cross-cultural understanding, global awareness, and cultivating a cosmopolitan consciousness.

Question: In which European city is the Brandenburg Gate?
Answer: Berlin