A
place with a very special past, Berlin is now an open city
that never sits still. From the time it was founded as a small
fishing village to the time it grew into the focal point of
the Prussian Court, it has always been on the must-see list
in European history. Today, as the new capital city of a reunited
Germany, Berlin is undergoing growth and expansion that is
singling it out as one of the world's most important cities
once more.
The foundations of this well-deserved fame as the European
cultural centre are endorsed by the so-called "island of museums",
three opera houses, the Philharmonic Orchestra, theatres and
cinemas, the International Film Festival, three universities,
four schools of Fine Arts and 250 extra-university research
centres. After 90% of this city was destroyed by the bombs
during World War II, it was divided into two. The Allies took
the western part, traditional areas filled with bars, stores
and hotels, while the Soviets took over the eastern side,
where suburbs of the old imperial city were to be found.
The
most typical symbol of old West Berlin is the square made
up of the zoo and the ruins of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
(Church in Memory of Emperor William), destroyed by
an English bombing raid in 1943 and a present-day peace monument.
Toward the east is the Brandenburg Gate which leads to the
Reichstag (Parliament) Building and to what used to be the
Berlin Wall. In the former eastern sector, is the most important
avenue, Unter den Linden , stretching from the Brandenburg
Gate to the place where most sights can be found, such as
the German History Museum, the Deutscher Dom (German
cathedral), the Hugenottenmuseum (Hugenot Museum)
and the Altes Museum (Old Museum).
