City – Ostberliner

Neue Nationalgalerie

The museum building and its sculpture gardens were designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and opened in 1968. The building is considered an icon of modern architecture.

Mies van der Rohe reverted to two of his older architectural designs that remained unrealized. One was the administration building of the rum producer Bacardi in Santiago de Cuba, the other the building of the Museum Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt. Mies‘ solution, with its latent classicism, is a modern transposition of the ancient podium stamp and built on a 105 x 110-meter granite terrace with a 1260 ton steel roof structure.

In 2012, it was announced that British architect David Chipperfield will oversee a major renovation of the building. The reopening took place on August 22, 2021. In Berlin vernacular the house is called „The Gas Station“.

Department Store Jonas & Co

Designed in the „Neue Sachlichkeit“ (New Objectivity) in 1928 as a seven-story department store with a rooftop restaurant by Jewish owners.
The concept was groundbreaking for the time: customers paid a quarter of the purchase price, received a receipt, and could pay off the rest in four monthly installments. The option of buying in installments was particularly convenient for the financially weak population in the nearby „Scheunenviertel“ (Barn Quarter) and the tenement buildings on Prenzlauer Allee.

In 1933, after the expropriation of the Jewish owners, the building was rented to the Reich Youth Leadership and served as the headquarters of the organization.
In 1945, it became the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. In the late 1950s, the building was converted into the Institute of Marxism-Leninism. The extensive party archives were stored in the basement.
In 2007, a German-British investor group acquired the building and in 2010 opened „Soho House“ as an up-and-coming creative membership club in Berlin’s Mitte district. The original concept of the builders remains history. An architectural history that should be made into a film.

Alte Nationalgalerie

Old National Gallery in Berlin. The Museum Island Master Plan will be completed in 2020 and will connect all five museums, all of which have been completely renovated in the last two decades (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
In the spy film „The Torn Curtain“ (1966) by director Alfred Hitchcock, the museum served as a backdrop for some essential scenes, but only as a dummy, as no filming permit was granted.

Volksbühne

Volksbühne Berlin. Old theater (1892) well known for its ambitious performances. In 2003, Marilyn Manson shot his video „mObscene“ at the Volksbühne (remixed together with Rammstein).

Reichstag Kuppel

In 1992, Norman Foster won the architectural competition to rebuild the building. The large glass dome at the very top of the Reichstag offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape and a breathtaking view from above into the German parliament. A free visit to the dome is available via online registration. Well, you won’t see Angela, the dome is closed during plenary sessions.

Reichstag

Neues Museum

The museum was severely damaged during the Second World War. In 1997, planning for its reconstruction resumed and the English architect David Chipperfield was officially commissioned with the project. Reopened in 2009.

Strausberger Platz

The Strausberger Platz is a large urban square in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain. The square was the starting point for the East German uprising of 1953. A large fountain has stood on a lawn in the middle of the roundabout since 1966. In the Middle Ages, this was the place of execution (f.e. Hans Kohlhase was executed in 1540).

Alexanderplatz

Historic GDR panel building at Alexanderplatz.

Kino International

The cinema was opened on November 15, 1963 in the presence of the Chairman of the Council of State Walter Ulbricht and was the most important premiere cinema of the former GDR until 1989. It is popular among Berlin moviegoers as a cinema with tradition and a special atmosphere.

Café Moskau

Café Moscow (originally Restaurant Moscow) was opened in 1964 with a total of 600 seats. At the opening, the life-size Sputnik, a gift from the ambassador of the USSR, was installed. One of the legendary party venues in Berlin between 2000-2007 (WMF, GMF).

Gendarmenmarkt

Lion statue with an angel on the Gendarmenmarkt. This square is commonly considered the „most beautiful square in Berlin“ and is home to one of Berlin’s most popular Christmas markets.

The square is to be redeveloped in 2022 to 2024 according to the historical model.

Kollhoff Tower

Kollhoff-Tower at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. Great viewing platform on the top floor.

Reichstag

Potsdamer Platz

Rollschuhbahn

The old roller skating rink at the „Poststadion“ in Berlin (built in the 1950s).

Poststadion

The entrance to the old „Poststadion“ in Berlin (1929). During the 1936 Summer Olympics, several soccer matches were played at the Post Stadium. On August 7, underdog Norway knocked Germany out of the tournament by winning 2-0 in the quarterfinals in front of 55,000 spectators. The Post Stadium was the largest stadium in Germany at the time.

Moltkebrücke

Near the Reichstag building in Berlin. In the last days of the Battle of Berlin, the bridge acquired strategic importance when units of the Red Army led the attack on the Reichstag building, unaware that the Reichstag had not been used as such for years. In fact, from 1943 to 1945, it housed a sick bay, an air raid shelter, and the gynecological ward of the nearby Charité hospital. About 60-100 children were born in the Reichstag building.

Altes Polizeipräsidium

Built in 1932 as Karstadt headquarters (reinforced concrete skeleton structure), the „Thousand Windows“ building proved too large for a department store and was taken over by the Reich Ministry of Finance in 1934. From 1948 it was the headquarters of the Berlin Police and was used by the GDR People’s Police and as a prison until the fall of the Wall in 1989.
1990 Filming for „The Lives of Others“.

Marx Engels Monument

The Marx-Engels Monument was part of the former Marx-Engels Forum, a public park near Alexanderplatz. The park was created by the authorities of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1986.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the authors of the 1848 Communist Manifesto, are considered two of the most influential figures of the socialist movement.
The inscription „We are (not) guilty“ spray-painted on the base of the monument after the fall of the Berlin Wall has since been removed.

GDR state border sign.

The national emblem of the GDR. The wreath of wheat ears is looped in the lower part with a black-red-gold ribbon. The hammer symbolizes the working class, the ear wreath the class of peasants and the compass the social class of the intelligentsia (academics).

Moscow-VDNKh

The main entrance to the VDNKh, the „Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy“. The exhibition was founded in 1935 and from 2005 was expanded as a trade fair venue and also serves as a recreational park, one of the largest in the world (2,375,000 square meters).

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro was built in 1935. Park Pobedy station is 84 meters below the surface and has the longest escalator in the world (126 m, 740 steps).

Moscow Condominiums

Russia’s growing new middle class loves condominiums in high-rise buildings. Around 90 percent of Russians live in a condominium or house.

Rheinberger Gefängnis

The prison went into operation in 1916 with twelve single and two communal cells and an apartment for the prison warden. After the war, empty cells were also rented for war refugees. Until the 1980s, the building also served juvenile detention. In 2012, the building was demolished.

Schlossplatz

For a few years the most beautiful lawn in Berlin. The former square of the People’s Chamber of the GDR (Palace of the Republic) was demolished in 2006. In a year, the reconstruction of the „old“ Berlin Palace will be completed (early 2021).

Bundestag

Volksbühne

Volksbühne Berlin. Old theater (1892) well known for its sophisticated performances. In 2003, Marilyn Manson shot his video „mObscene“ at the Volksbühne (remixed together with Rammstein).

Haus des Lehrers

On a part of a large picture frieze (7×125 m) at the „Haus des Lehrers“ at Alexanderplatz, designed by Walter Womacka (1964). In Berlin you can still find some communist propaganda wall mosaics of the former GDR. Compared to today’s billboards, which can be found everywhere in the city, they look quite innocent.

Passerelle ICC

Opened in 1979, the pedestrian tunnel at the ICC, a typical West Berlin architectural icon, has often served as a Hollywood backdrop (e.g. The Bourne Supremacy, The Tribute to Panem 2).

Street Artist Blu

The graffiti „Mask Picture“ by the Italian street artist Blu was created in 2008 (Berlin-Kreuzberg) and was painted over in black in 2014.

Street Artist Blu

The graffiti „Handcuffed Man“ by the Italian street artist Blu was created in 2007 (Berlin-Kreuzberg) and was painted over in black in 2014.

Friedrichsfelde

Opened in 1955, the zoo is located in the old park of Friedrichsfelde Palace, in the former eastern part of Berlin, and is one of the two zoological gardens in Berlin.

Volksbühne „Räuberrad“

The metal sculpture by Swiss designer Rainer Haußmann was designed for a production of „The Robbers“ by Frank Castorf and was installed in 1994. The wheel became the logo of the Volksbühne. Frank Castorf left the „Volksbühne“ in 2017 after 25 years of directorship.

Neues Museum

The museum was severely damaged during the Second World War. In 1997, planning for its reconstruction resumed and was resumed and the English architect David Chipperfield was officially commissioned with the project. Reopened in 2009.

Fernsehturm

Thunderstorm in Berlin

Thunderstorm in Berlin. There is so much beauty in a thunderstorm.

Sommerbad Poststadion

The Post Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in the locality of Moabit in the district of Berlin-Mitte. The stadium was built in 1929 for the sports club of the German Reichspost. In 2002, the outdoor pool was closed and from May 2006 to 2012 it was the tent site of the Tentstation, the outdoor pool was used as a basketball court.

Moscow-VDNKh

Central Pavilion of the „Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy“. The exhibition was established in 1935 and was expanded as a trade fair venue from 2005 and also serves as a recreation park, one of the largest in the world (2,375,000 square meters).

Moscow 850

Moscow-850 is a Ferris wheel in the amusement park „Moscow-850“ on the territory of VDNKh (Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy), built for the 850th anniversary of Moscow in 1997, and dismantled in 2016.

Salut Hotel Moscow

Salut Hotel offers 1090 rooms and 9 restaurants. Half a dozen stretch limousines are always available for rent in the entrance area.

The Seven Sisters in Moscow

The Seven Sisters are a group of seven skyscrapers in Moscow designed in the Stalinist style. They were built from 1947 to 1953 in an elaborate combination of Russian Baroque and Gothic styles.

Porto

The tram in Porto has been running since 1872, and I recommend taking line 1 along the Douro. Porto is less crowded by tourists than Lisbon and just cozy and has excellent and inexpensive restaurants.

Hilton Beach

Hilton Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Tel Aviv. It is located directly below the Hilton Hotel. A typical city beach. Music from the DJ at the bar – perfect for a swim at sunset or to hang out all day.