Berlin, the capital of Germany, is the site of fantastic recreation. Huge international corporations, influential conferences, congresses and conventions, universities and research institutes are hosted in Berlin. The city has a modern spirit and is also one of the most visited metropolises in Europe. It is a famous place of international film projects, festivals, performances, nightlife venues, art exhibitions, sport competitions and championships. The city's hospitality industry offers numerous opportunities. You can choose a nice hotel to stay from over 300 Berlin hotels, hostels and other options.
It was founded more than 7 centuries ago, and since that time it has never disappeared from the political and economic maps of Europe. According to its population, Berlin takes the proud second place among the countries of the European Union, and is an example of multicultural friendship, with people from more than 190 nations living and working together.
Destroyed by severe bombings in 1945, Berlin survived and received a new life. Its sights are numerous and multifarious. The center of the city is home to the numerous clothes boutiques, clubs, bars and cafes. One can stroll down the best street in Berlin, Unter den Linden, leading from the Brandenburg Gate to the place of the former Berlin’s palace, Berliner Stadtschloss. The largest surviving historical palace in Berlin is Schloss Charlottenburg.
The Brandenburg Gate is a symbolic place in Berlin and Germany. For a long time it had given a rare opportunity to East and West Berliners to meet after the construction of the Berlin Wall which divided the heart of Germany into parts until the end of the 1980-s.
The Reichstag, an icon of German power, was badly damaged in the 1950s, but the building was restored as the seat of the German Parliament.
The Berlin Cathedral is one of the largest Protestant churches where the remains of German royal families are buried. St. Hedwig’s Cathedral is the most renowned place for people of Roman Catholic religion.
The center of Berlin is dominated by one of the tallest constructions in Europe, the TV tower Fernsehturm (368 m), located on the square Alexanderplatz. Magnificent views of the city are available from its 204 m high observation floor.
Not far from this place one can find the City Hall – Rotes Rathaus – with its red-brick walls, gorgeous architecture and breathtaking fountains on mythological scenes.
The center of the city locates memorials dedicated to some of the recent pages of German history and commemorating the victims of Holocaust, the murdered Jews of Europe.
One of the newest districts in Berlin is Potsdamer Platz built in 1995. It is neighboured by exquisite art galleries (Gemäldegalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie) and the city’s philharmonic society (Berliner Philharmonie).
Another well-known square in Berlin is the Gendarmenmarkt, although it is much older than Potsdamer Platz and goes back to the occupation of the city by Napoleon. Next to it the tourists can see marvelous cathedrals: the German Cathedral and the Französischer Dom. In between the two cathedrals, there is the Concert Hall (Konzerthaus) of Berlin where the Berlin Symphony Orchestra performs.
The largest open-air exhibition in Berlin is painted on the remaining part of the Berlin Wall, and it belongs to the popular East Side Gallery.
Berlin has a lot of parks, and the largest and the best one for family barbecues is Tiergarten park. Schlossgarten Charlottenburg belongs to the area of the Charlottenburg Palace and is often visited alongside with its historical venue. Viktoriapark (Kreuzberg) offers panoramic views of south Berlin. Chinese, Japanese, Korean gardens and fountains can be visited in the park the World's Garden (Gärten der Welt) in Marzahn.
Thousands of tourists and Berliners spend their weekends on the famous Wannsee, Nikolassee and Mügelsee lakes, attend superb street festivals, costumed parades and demonstrations and wait for the annual Karneval der Kulturen, the holiday of various ethnic groups with traditional music, costumes and dances.
Extracts from German Directory of Hotels.