Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [77]
Berliner Dom
Pompous yet majestic, the 1905 neo-Renaissance Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral; Map; 2026 9136; Am Lustgarten; adult/concession/under 14yr without audioguide €5/3/free, with audioguide €8/6/free; 9am-8pm Mon-Sat, noon-8pm Sun Apr-Sep, to 7pm Oct-Mar) was once the royal court church and now does triple duty as house of worship, museum and concert hall. Take a spin around the sombre crypt where dozens of royals are buried in elaborate tombs, then climb up to the outside viewing gallery for glorious city views. The 7269-pipe Sauer organ and the elaborate sarcophagi made for the Great Elector and King Friedrich I and their wives are top draws in the main church hall.
ALEXANDERPLATZ & AROUND
Eastern Berlin’s main commercial hub, Alexanderplatz (Map) – ‘Alex’ for short – was named in honour of Tsar Alexander I on his 1805 visit to Berlin. Today it’s light years away from the low-life district Alfred Döblin called ‘the quivering heart of a cosmopolitan city’ in his 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz.
Despite post-reunification attempts to temper the socialist look created during the 1960s, Alexanderplatz remains an oddly cluttered, soulless square that’s all concrete with no trees. It’s littered with stores, a hotel, a fountain, a monument and a huge railway station, and sliced up by roads and tram tracks. Sitting a bit off to the side is the mega-mall Alexa.
The main sight around here is the Fernsehturm (TV Tower; Map; 242 3333; adult/child under 16yr €10/5.50, VIP ticket €19.50; 9am-midnight Mar-Oct, 10am-midnight Nov-Feb), at 368m the tallest structure in Germany. Come early (or buy a VIP ticket and skip the line) to beat the queue for the lift to the panorama level at 203m, where views are unbeatable on clear days. Pinpoint city landmarks from here or the upstairs cafe, which makes one revolution in 30 minutes. In sunlight, the steel sphere below the antenna produces the reflection of a giant cross – a source of embarrassment for the secular-minded GDR honchos who built the tower in 1969. West Berliners gleefully dubbed the phenomenon ‘the Pope’s revenge’.
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PRUSSIAN POMP, 21 CENTURY STYLE
Nothing of today’s Schlossplatz (Map) evokes memory of the grand palace where the Prussian rulers made their home for 500 years. Despite international protests, the GDR government razed the barely war-damaged structure in 1951 and replaced it with a modern multi-purpose hall called Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic; Map). This was where the GDR parliament hammered out policy and common folk came to hear Harry Belafonte or party on New Year’s Eve.
After the fall of the Wall, the Palast closed instantly because of asbestos contamination. Years of debate resulted in the demolition of the behemoth and the plan to build an exact replica of the Prussian palace shell, but with a modern interior. To be called Humboldt Forum, it will shelter art and artefacts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas that are currently on display at the Museen Dahlem, as well as a library and research facility. For a preview, drop by the Berliner Schloss Infocenter (Map; 2067 3093; www.berliner-schloss.de; Hausvogteiplatz 3; admission free; 9.30am-6pm).
In the meantime, the empty lot is occupied by a big lawn and the Temporäre Kunsthalle (Temporary Art Hall; Map; 2045 3650; www.kunsthalle-berlin.com; Schlossplatz; admission varies; 11am-6pm Sun-Fri, 11am-9pm Sat), which showcases statement-making pieces by international artists living in Berlin.
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To find some open space, wander west of the TV Tower and linger among the flower beds and fountains next to the 13th-century Marienkirche (Church of St Mary; Map; 242 4467; Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 8; admission free;