Music Made Flesh at the Philharmonie Berlin
The Philharmonie Berlin is a concert hall, but it’s also so much more. It is a symbol of how music and architecture can shape a city’s identity. Since its opening in 1963 it has stood at the edge of the Tiergarten like a golden tent of sound, unmistakable in its bold design. Architect Hans Scharoun […]
Rediscovering Belonging at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
At its heart, the Deutsche Oper Berlin is a place of belonging. Since opening in 1912 with the premiere of Beethoven’s Fidelio, this institution has invited Berliners and visitors alike to immerse themselves in music, drama, and to those who are sensitive to such things, to their shared humanity. From the creative energy of the […]
The Allied Museum Berlin
A must-see Berlin attraction that asks deeper questions. A City Built on Stories We travel in search of stories. Stories of nature or tales of evolution and revolution. Stories of triumph and defeat. Stories we can relate to, and stories we can’t but wish we could. Stories drive our lives and frame meaning. Berlin, above […]
Berliner Dom
The Berliner Dom is renowned as the largest Protestant church in Germany, while also serving as a vibrant cultural venue that continues to enchant visitors. And enchantment and awe were very much the point of building the church you see today. Completed in 1905 during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the present-day Berliner Dom […]
From Medieval Roots to Modern Rhythms: Discover Berlin’s Marienkirche
Things to do near Berlin’s Alexanderplatz Today the Marienkirche stands tall and proud in a vast open space. This, however, is a new situation for this medieval masterpiece. Until the destruction of the war and the rebuilding of the city center, the Marienkirche was surrounded by the heart of the oldest part of the city, […]
Sing-Along Bach and Bullet Holes: the Berliner Dom Offers Musical Magic and….War Stories
The Berliner Dom stands grandly as both a historic landmark and a lively cultural venue. Not only is the Dom the largest Protestant church in Germany, it’s also a hub for inspiring events that blend history, music, and culture that can really enrich your stay in the capital. Great Events in 2025 at the Dom […]
SOVIET BERLIN
The Soviet Shadow: Berlin’s Eastern Occupation Zone (1945-1990)Call me strange, but I always found those iconic 1945-era images of the red flag of Stalin’s Soviet Union floating over the ruins of Hitler’s capital to be especially haunting, bringing to mind not just the high tragedy of the era, but also the power that rapid and […]
Cold War Frontlines in the Heart of Europe
The American Zone of Occupation Imagine this: the trendy, even edgy, café you’re sitting in today, in Berlin’s diverse Kreuzberg district, was just a few decades ago within the largest besieged city in world history, West Berlin. The barista then might have been a counter-culture rebel escaping from mandatory military service in West Germany. The […]
Britain’s Cold War Berlin
Here’s an interesting thing to consider. In 1914, Great Britain went to war, alongside her allies France, the Russian Empire and eventually the USA, against Germany and the Empire of Austria-Hungary. Yet, in the preceding century, the British had fought wars against every one of these allies, and never against Germany. The notion that, in […]
The French Sector Eighty Years Later
The French in Berlin after the War It’s no secret that Berlin was divided into four occupation zones, American, British, Soviet, and French, after the war. But, you might ask, why did France get a sector of Berlin at all? Considering France had been defeated and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940, their inclusion might […]
Willy Brandt: The Berlin Mayor Who Shaped History
As you step off the plane at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, named after Willy Brandt, they land on the very runways that once served East Germany’s Schönefeld Airport. It’s good you’re getting such an early introduction to Berlin’s history, characterized as it is by irony and symbolism taken to extremes in some cases. As your plane’s […]
Following in the Footsteps of Scientific Giants
Exploring Berlin’s Scientific Heritage.When you say the word «Berlin» to someone and then ask what the word brings to mind, the most common knee-jerk reaction you’re likely to get is Hitler, Nazis, or war. Others might come out with Communism, Kennedy’s «Ich bin ein Berliner» speech or the famous Wall. A few might even mention […]
Dancing on the Volcano: Lost Landmarks of Weimar Berlin
When you visit a new city, you probably want to see things that actually still exist, right?Yet Berlin, so deeply torn apart by history, is as much a city of ghosts as a city of existing structures. You can really get a sense of what the old city used to be like, and how its […]
Chausseestrasse
Where else but Berlin can you find a road called, when translated into English, Street Street?Chaussee is French, meaning a large road, and Strasse is German for street. This odd name came about from the fact that in the 18th century, French immigrants settled on this sparsely populated area north of the old town, and […]
The Workers’ Broadway: the grandeur of Karl-Marx-Allee
Karl-Marx-Allee is an expression of power. It’s also a reflection of the uncertainty and confusion that rumbled along in the corridors of power in the post- Second World War years. The Allee is a triumphant scream of socialist victory written in brick and stone, yet one which played host to a near revolution which sought […]
Karl Marx Allee and Friedrichshain: The Heart of East Berlin
The Eastern Gateway: Berlin’s Old Road to Russia Berlin has always faced east, and even today its heart still beats with an undeniable eastern rhythm. You might think of the German capital as being a quintessentially Western European city, yet Berlin’s soul tells a different story, one that places it as the final frontier of […]
The First Crack: East Berlin’s Forgotten Uprising of 1953
Berlin’s soul has been forged by revolution – from the creative ferment of artists and writers to the clash of ideologies in its streets. While the fall of the Wall in 1989 remains its most celebrated uprising, another pivotal moment in the city’s history unfolded during two sweltering days in June 1953, when East Berliners […]
Tempelhof: From Hitler’s Gateway to Berlin’s Salvation
Several years ago, I lined up my bike on the edge of one of Tempelhof’s airport’s runways, and rather embarrassingly for a middle-aged man, imagined myself firewalling the throttles of an old airplane. Like a child at play, I peddled furiously, not quite achieving take-off speed, and could barely imagine all the momentous events that […]
Tossed Between Darkness and Light: The Berlin Philharmonie
The Berliner Philharmonie, at Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, is one of the world’s great concert halls. Loathed by some, loved by others, its bold modernist design marks a deliberate break with the architectural tradition of the buildings in this area, not far from the Brandenburg Gate. Manfred Brückels, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Yet this celebrated […]
Deutsche Oper Berlin: A Turbulent Century of High Art
When the curtain rose on October 24, 1912, the city of Charlottenburg’s new opera house made an audacious statement. The still independent city was Berlin’s immediate neighbor to the west, and with their new opera house, the proud burghers challenged the centrality of nearby Berlin’s cultural scene, with its own 18th century Opera House on […]
Berlin’s Staatsoper: A Cultural Icon Among the Linden Trees
It was during an air raid on the night of April 9, 1941, that RAF bombs shattered Berlin’s premier opera house. There must have been something darkly poetic about it. A regime which embodied the worst of humanity’s impulses, yet which cloaked itself in the trappings of high culture, had to stand the next morning […]
The Brandenburg Gate And Pariser Platz
If stones could speak, the Brandenburg Gate would tell quite a tale. Standing at the heart of Berlin’s Pariser Platz, this iconic monument has witnessed everything from Napoleon’s triumphant march into the city as its conqueror to the fall of the Berlin Wall over a century and a half later. But while it is marketed […]
Transport in Berlin – Public Transit
Don’t let Berlin’s massive public transit system intimidate you. While the city’s network of S-Bahn (suburban rail) and U-Bahn (underground) lines might look like a colorful plate of spaghetti on the map, it’s actually one of Europe’s most user-friendly systems – once you know the basics. The Transport Providers (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Tram, Bus) First, let’s […]
Potsdamer Platz and Leipziger Platz
Say HI to Potsdamer and Leipziger Platz! Cities are almost living entities, constantly shifting and transforming over the decades and centuries. They grow, shrink, and adapt, with the old giving way—whether torn down, burned down, or bombed out—to make room for the new. Each era breathes fresh cultural energy into the streets, reshaping not just […]
Berlin’s Christmas Markets: A Journey Through History and Tradition
Since it’s the holiday season and a time of good cheer, I thought it would be fitting to share a few words about Berlin’s renowned Christmas markets. As regular readers might expect, this piece goes beyond the surface to explore some of the more fascinating and vibrant aspects of these cherished annual traditions. After all, […]
Off the Beaten Track in Pankow
Come see the sites most visitors miss. If you’re like me, you know the real magic of exploring a city—whether it’s your hometown or a new destination—often occurs away from the usual tourist spots. It’s in those hidden corners, the out-of-the-way gems that only locals seem to know, where the most fascinating stories emerge and […]
Bebelplatz part 2
We’ll continue our exploration of Berlin’s Bebelplatz, home to much of what is best and worst in the city’s history. Let’s pick up with the famous Hotel de Rome. Hotel de Rome: From Banking Hub to Luxury Landmark The stately building in Italian Renaissance style hosting the Hotel de Rome, standing right next to St […]