Berlin is not only the capital of Germany but a huge city with a great history. Its eastern and western parts greatly differ from each other. So let's explore both of them.
This is eastern Berlin.
It has been in the ideological, economical and cultural dependence on the Soviet Union for almost the entire second half of the 20th century. That resulted in its architecture.
There are virtually no old buildings in eastern Berlin and the Soviet "inheritance" is painted in different colors.
Still, there are many deserted houses.
The Berlin Subway.
Its stations are much like the American ones. Tickets are sold only in vending machines. The price of a trip is about 2 euros, but it all depends on the number of stations. The ticket is also valid in trams and buses (and that's very convenient). There are usually few people in the subway, and trains arrive at quite long intervals. At night you can wait more than 15 minutes for a train.
The construction of the Berlin Wall was started in August 15, 1961. Its length reached 160 km. The space between the eastern and the western sides of the Berlin Wall was called a "death strip". The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Iron Curtain that existed between eastern and western Europe.
An interesting fact is that the Berlin Wall had been dividing eastern and western Germany for 28 years and one day. In 1975, the "third generation wall" was replaced by the fourth one. It was very high and had smooth pipes on its top.
The total length of the Berlin Wall around West Berlin was 155 km. The height of the concrete segment of the wall was 3.6 m. Pictured: a piece of the wall. "God, help me to survive this mortal love."
In 1989, when the famous Brandenburg Gate was opened for entrance, the Berlin Wall had already been partially ruined, covered with pictures, graffiti and inscriptions. Berliners, as well as city's guests, didn't mind of taking a piece of the sometime great construction with themselves as a souvenir.
In October of 1990 the wall was completely ruined in several months. Some of its parts though were decided to save as a symbol of the recent past.
Near the Brandenburg Gate there is the infamous checkpoint Charlie. Today the Museum of the Berlin Wall is located here.
This checkpoint was created right after the city's division with the wall. In October of 1961 it became the place of a so-called tank opposition, the opposition between the USA and USSR. Now it's the most famous checkpoint in Berlin.
Here you can see huge plates with inscriptions in 4 languages which say: You are leaving / entering the American sector.
West Berlin was divided among the Americans, Frenchmen and Englishmen. The money flowing from the West turned Berlin into kind of a shopwindow of a successful capitalist life. Streets, parks and buildings - all were made for striking a socialist neighbor with freedom, material and spiritual wealth and independence.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - the victims of nazism.
Ideas and plans on building this memorial complex appeared in 1988. It was designed by Peter Eisenman and opened in 2005. It is a huge field consisting of more than 2700 gray blocks.
Blocks in the center of the monument are much more higher than a human's height.
View from above.
On the 4th of October of 1990 (the next day after the German reunification) the first meeting of the all-German Bundestag (the parliament of Germany) was held in the Reichstag building.
Later, on the 20th of June of 1991, after a fierce debate it was decided that both government and parliament will return to Berlin from Bonn. The reconstruction of the Reichstag was assigned to the British architect, Lord Norman Foster.
In May of 1995 the Council of Elders of the Bundestag decided to erect a modern glass dome. Norman Foster managed to preserve the historic appearance of the Reichstag, and simultaneously create a modern building opened to the outside world.
Today, the Reichstag building is one of the main tourist attractions of Berlin. The dome of the building and its observation platform on the roof are opened for everybody. It was closed only once - in the fall of 2010 because of the concerns of a possible terror attack.
On the roof.
From the observation platform it's well seen how different the architecture styles of eastern and western Berlin are.
There are many squats in Berlin. Many of them appeared after the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 90's. The population density of former East Berlin was decreased - people moved to the West. Many houses became empty and were occupied by the squatters.
One of the most famous squats is called "Tacheles". It is one of the most important sights of "youth" Berlin and attracts over 400,000 people annually.
All walls are painted and plastered with the works of its residents.
On the ground floor you can find shops where artists are trying to sell their "works".
They say there are no pay toilets in Germany. The owners of cafes and restaurants are obliged to let people use their bathroom for free even if they have not bought anything.
Musicians give concerts right on the sidewalks.
The Berlin TV Tower, 368 m in height, is the tallest building in Germany and the forth tallest building in Europe.
Such pedal cars go around the city every evening. Its passengers drink beer, pedal, sometimes shout and sing. The only sober person is a driver certainly.
In one of the bars a man is drinking something out of his shoe.
The first traffic light in Europe was installed in Berlin in 1924. It was 8.5 m in height.
Berlin prostitutes have something like a uniform, it's a corset, high boots and short shorts. Prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2001. German prostitutes have health insurance, pensions and even their own union.
There are 118 settlements with the name of "Berlin" in the whole world but none of them is at least slightly alike this wonderful city, Germany's capital.
via zyalt
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