“Kiek ma an!” exclaims audience favourite Helga Hahnemann to the visitors in the Friedrichstadt-Palast. Loosely from the Berlin dialect, it means, “Look at this!” and extends much more than merely an invitation to traditional revue theatre. It, indeed, is an apt expression inviting attention to her city as well.
Standing exactly where the Wall once stood, I was motionless for a while. Everything is new, exciting. Now the symbolic unification point of the two parts of Berlin is Brandenburger Tor, Frederick the Great’s 1791 symbol of Prussian imperial splendour. This is a Romanesque triumphal arch, which is always flooded with tourists.
I have come to this city to experience the present. And there is no better place than the Kurfurstendamm or Ku'damm to start with. It is the true heart of the city by day and night. At one end of Ku'damm is the much photographed ruined tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm church, which has been left standing as a memorial to the destruction of the WWII.
On the Ku’damm, boulevardiers stroll 24-hours-a-day along city’s most fashionable promenade, ablaze with up-market shops and restaurants. In the most famous institutions like Café Kranzler or Café Moehring, the bourgeois atmosphere does not seem to have changed too much for a hundred years. Then there is Ka-De-We, Europe’s largest departmental store and which has a food hall that is truly on a heroic scale.
Not that Berlin is by any means altogether elegant: it specializes in the ostentatious as well as the discreet, in a brashness and vulgar seediness as well as in culture and ton. Out for an evening stroll alone you would find rubbing shoulders with art galleries, theatres, concert halls and jazz clubs are some of Europe’s raunchiest night clubs and peep shows, far-from-cultured cabarets and dazzling transtevite revues. Contrast and ironies abound.
“All good things come in pairs”, a Berlin saying has it. But, that often makes it difficult for one to decide whether to visit the Eastern and Western half of the city. Past geopolitical situation necessitated that everything is duplicated, though differing socio-cultural background influenced their different outlook. Now, Should one explore the city centre around Alexandra Platz or the city centre around the Kaiser Wilhelm church? Which commands the finest view – the Television Tower of the east or the Radio tower of the west? Which opera is more attractive – Deutsche Staatsoper or Deutsche Oper Berlin? Should one advise museum buffs to head for the Museum Island or to Dahlem Museum? Which Zoo is more attractive – Tierpark or Zoologischer Garden? Which river is more beautiful – Spree or Havel and which lake is nicer – the Muggeisee or Wannsee?
A fact that was never highlighted by the powerful western media is that the “best bit” of Berlin lies in the Eastern sector of the city. Walking along Unter den Linden, a broad treelined boulevard, towards the heart of the old city at Alexandraplatz takes you past the splendid Deutsche Staatsoper built in the style of a Greek temple, past dignified 18th-century architecture of Humboldt university and the Baroque elegance of the 17th century, Prussian Zughouse (arsenal), now a fine museum of German history, to the New Wache (New Guard House) war memorial where the soldiers change guard, still goose-stepping in Prussian style.
Nearby, in the Platz der Akademie, stands one of the great architechtural glories of the old Berlin: the skillfully refurbished Schauspielhaus (Playhouse) with its ornate stucco work and chandeliers, which now serves as a concert hall. But on the corner of Marx-Engels-Platz, the massively imposing Dom (cathedral) is reflected in the bronze glass cladding of the equally large, but ultra modern Palast der Republic, erstwhile parliament of East Ger many. On the other side of the spree river, stands another most visible landmark of the city: the enormous Fernsehturm (TV Tower), which looks like a giant golf-ball impaled on a billiard cue. This towering structure seems absurdly incongruous beside the 13th century St-Marien-Kirche and the neo-Gothic majesty of the Rotes Rathaus. East Berlin’s Red Town Hall, which got its name from its red brickwork, not its politics.
West Berlin’s only historic site is the charming Schloss Charlottenburg, on the north-west corner of the city. But, it is the best example of royal Prussian architecture in Berlin. Its magnificent royal chamber is well worth a visit.
Tiergarten, a beautifully landscaped urban park, separates the two parts of the Berlin. In the centre of the park, Victoria stands on the top of a tower. Affectionately called “Gold Else”, in 1938 the Goddess of Victory was restored to her original brilliance with a kilo of gold leaf.
At the end of the Tiergarten is the most talked about monument of the city – the Reichstag. The original Italian High renaissance style building has received an architectural facelift and now houses the unified parliament. So in a sense my tour through the city also somewhat like a journey through its history as well.
But, my most pleasant discovery was finding that the Berlin is the greenest capital of Europe. Unknown to most tourists from this subcontinent, a large chunk of Berlin is forests and waterways. To explore the beauty of this natural wonderland one can board any one of these white steamers at a ferry wharf on the Havel or Spree rivers. Along the way you can get on and off to enjoy green parkland, or some distant sights like Spandoau citadel or the huge Soviet War Memorial in the eastern suburb. The most interesting stop is Pfaneninsel or peacock Island. It is a beautiful example of an eighteenth-century formal garden with small pavilions, ponds and chateau. The shores of Muggeisee and Wannsee are also popular for outings on holidays and uninhibited sunbathing by local population.
At a unification celebration, the then Mayor of West Berlin cried out “Berlin Rejoice!” To this day, the city still has reason to rejoice. Berlin is not only elated about the Unification of the city but also as its revival as a major tourist destination. After all, this is the only city in the world that offers all the attraction to them – twice over.
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