On May 1, 2011 I was in for a special treat: a guided bicycle tour of East Berlin. Local expert guide Stefan Danziger from Berlin on Bike took me through the Friedrichshain neighbourhood to the Bornholmerstrasse Bridge, the first former East German border crossing that opened up when the wall came down in 1989. Then we went through the picturesque Volkspark Friedrichshain which even features a fairy tale fountain! Along the way Stefan shared his local knowledge of Berlin and its fascinating history with me. We continued on to the famous Karl-Marx Allee, the former Stalinallee, with its monumental socialist realist buildings. After a tasty lunch on the Boxhagener Square Stefan showed me a really neat cultural and entertainment area that is housed in a series of former railway sheds on Revaler Strasse. Finally he took me to the East Side Gallery, one of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, an international memorial for freedom that features many famous paintings by artists from all over the world. Discovering Berlin by bicycle with local expert Stefan was a real highlight of my trip! After the bike tour I visited the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Strasse, a fantastic building from the 1860s that was the main synagogue of Berlin’s large Jewish community. After being partially destroyed by the Nazis during Kristallnacht in 1938 and following more damage due to air raids in 1943 it was largely demolished after WWII. The street facade and the impressive gold-leaf …
Mit ‘europe’ getaggte Artikel
An East Berlin Cycling Tour, the New Synagogue, Topography of Terror and Checkpoint Charlie
Mittwoch, 10. August 2011Panel Discussion – The Fall of the Berlin Wall – 20 years on
Samstag, 19. März 2011The Fall of the Berlin Wall: 20 years on Mary Elise Sarotte, Peter Millar and Thomas Kielinger discuss the Berlin Wall, its fall, and the implications for Germany, Europe and the international community, 20 years on.
A TRAVEL GUIDE VISIT TO LIBERATED BERLIN IN 1946
Sonntag, 07. November 2010Time was 1946…the crumbling, burnt ruins of Berlin had become a center of tourism, politics and the focal point for a new war…a cold war….up from the ruins of one of Europe’s great cities would come a new world…terminology and a reason to believe in the word freedom…but, in 1946, this was yet years in the future…come and stumble amist in the ruins of a failed empire…like ancient Rome but, 1940’s style…I’m sorry, I do not speak Russian…do you speak French?
Berlin, Germany: Checkpoint Charlie
Donnerstag, 14. Oktober 2010At Berlin’s “Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie” we’ll learn how freedom-seeking Easterners were smuggled past armed guards and into West Berlin before the wall came down in 1989. Located at the former border checkpoint between the Soviet and American sectors, the museum pays tribute to these brave smugglers and their passengers. For more information on the Rick Steves’ Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.
Berlin History 6 – Ruined Visions 2 of 4 – Matt Frei BBC Documentary Series
Mittwoch, 29. September 2010Berlin History 6 – Ruined Visions 2 of 4 – Matt Frei BBC Documentary Series, recorded on 24.11.2009 . Ruined Visions Series in which Matt Frei explores different aspects of Berlin, a city that thrives on diversity. After the wall fell on November 9th 1989, Berlin regained its status as Germanys political and cultural centre. In its 800 year history many different regimes have used the city as a showcase of power. Recorded from BBC on 24.11.2009.