Historic Sights of Berlin
Berlin brims over with sights.
The capital city is full of history – a history which is unique in Germany. Just thinking of the former division of the city in East Berlin and West Berlin through the Berlin Wall makes it clear, that the history of the city is more than just extraordinary.
Everyone who spent some time in Berlin, should not miss the most important historic sights. For this reason, we picked three significant places of interest near our hostels, that we would like to introduce to you.
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie belongs to the part of German history, that is of great importance for the German Separation. Checkpoint Charlie marks the spot, where East and West Berlin were connected during the Separation of the country.
This is the place, where in 1961 a Checkpoint was built. Only selected people like allied members of military, the embassy or political functionaries could pass this point. Many times, Checkpoint Charlie was a staging ground for desperate attempts to escape, which often turned out very tragically.
Today Checkpoint Charlie is one of the most popular sights in Berlin. In 2000, a facsimile version of the first Kontroll-Baracke (control hut) was built, which can be visited to this day. Adjacent to Checkpoint you find the Mauermuseum (Wall Museum), which shows pictures of the former separation Germanys.
Siegessäule
The Siegessäule (victory column) stands for a part of the history Germanys, which dates back several centuries.
In the 19th century, Germany was at war with several nations, including Denmark, France and Austria. When Germany won the war against Denmark in 1864, the idea of building a victory column was born. In the following years, Germany won two more wars: the German-Austrian war and the German-French war.
The way for the construction of the Siegessäule was free. In 1873, the Siegessäule was dedicated and reminds with its originally three segments and the bronze statue Viktoria of these three victories.
Today the Siegessäule can be visited. Inside spiral stairs lead upstairs to a viewing platform, from which you have an amazing view on the surrounding city: the Tiergarten, the Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburger Tor. Till this day, the column is placed under a preservation order.
By the way, the inhabitants of Berlin call the Siegessäule facetiously „die Goldelse“ („golden chick“).
Museum Island
On the Museum Island in Berlin you find all kinds of museums. Those of you who are interested in art history, should visit the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery). Here you can see a collection of historic pieces from the age of Enlightenment to impressionism and even French art.
Right next to the Alte Nationalgalerie the Neue Museum (New Museum) is located. It accommodates the Ägyptische Museum and the Papyrussammlung (Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection) as well as the Museum für Vor- & Frühgeschichte (Museum of Prehistory and Early History) and selected objects from the Collection of Classical Antiquities.
The Alte Museum (Old Museum), which includes a big green front garden, is the first museum built in Berlin and therefore the origin of the Museum Island. Moreover, this building is one of the most important buildings of neo-classical architecture. The Alte Museum shows the Collection of Classical Antiquities of the Staatlichen Museen of Berlin.
Another museum of the Museum Island is the Pergamommuseum, which is the honeypot of the island. Here you find the Islamische Museum (Museum of Islamic Art), parts of the Antiken Sammlung (Collection of Classical Antiquities) as well as the Vorderasiatische Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East).
Further museums of the island are:
– The Bode – Museum
– The James-Simon-Gallery
– The Archäologisches Zentrum
– The Museumshöfe.
A visit on „the Island“ is worth it, because the Museum Island offers fascinating art and cultural history from the distant past. We highly recommend to book tickets online to avoid a long waiting time.
As you see, Berlin offers a lot of historic valuable sights.
Of course, there are numerous other museums and sights. Do not hesitate and ask our staff at the hostel, we are happy to advise you!
