Berlin Reunification

Rebecca and I got into Berlin right on time. There we met Hannah who came from Milan shortly after us. By the time we got to our Airbnb and had dinner it was time for bed to get a fresh start in the morning.

The first thing we did was buy day passes for public transportation as we knew we'd be all over the place. The first stop was the Chapel of Reconciliation. It was built following the fall of the Berlin Wall on the site of a former chapel previously destroyed by East Germany. It is very elegant in its simplicity. The chapel is a clay and aggregate (mainly rubble from old church) mixed central room surrounded by wooden columns on exterior. The chapel was actually located within the death strip of the Berlin Wall. There was a memorial across the street from it and section of the wall was reconstructed to show how it used to be. The whole stretch through this area was rich in history. After a stop for breakfast we were off to our next stop.

Chapel of Reconciliation

We made our way into the city center and stopped at the famous Brandenburg Gate. It was amazing to see such an iconic part of Berlin. Next we walked over to the Reichstag to make reservations for a viewing of the dome in the evening. It took some standing in the cold but we got one. Since there was nothing to do there for the time being we went to the Berlin Philharmonie. It was an older building by Berlin standards dating back to 1963. We showed up just in time to get a tour of entire place. It was a great tour and it stood out even more compared to the Renzo Piano building in Rome.

Brandenburg Gate

It was a bit late in the afternoon but it was time for lunch. We went across the street to the Sony Center which is like a giant outdoor mall. It is a tall space and one used for red carpet events. It was a nice place to eat lunch and people watch. We walked back towards the Gate to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe by architect Peter Eisenman. It is these concrete slabs of varying heights laid out on a grid over sloping ground. There is also an information center underground. The slabs were very oppressive. It felt odd walking through it which I suppose is the point. The underground information center was too much for me so I had to leave it.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Following the Memorial, we went to the Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind. It chronicled the history of Jews in Germany and it was a nice change to that of the memorial. The building is really well designed but certain things stood out that the client added to the building that clashed with the architecture. Overall, I think Libeskind did a great job on most aspects of the building particularly his "voided voids."

Interior of the Jewish Museum

At this point it was time to catch our appointment at the Reichstag. The Reichstag is a government building that houses the German parliament. It has a history dating back to 1893. It went into disuse following a fire that occurred in 1933 that coincided with the Nazi Party coming to power. It wouldn't be used again until 1999. Another historical note of record is this is where the Battle of Berlin and World War II was finally won by the Allied Powers. It ended when the Soviet Union erected the Soviet flag atop the building in a now famous photograph. The only part of the building we got to go into was the dome which was designed by Norman Foster and finished in time for the grand reopening of the Reichstag in 1999. It was beautiful and ultra modern compared to the building it sits on. It gave 360 degree views of all of Berlin.

Reichstag

It was late and food places were scarce so we decided to eat at Hofbräu Berlin which is a franchise location of Hofbräuhaus in Munich. It was just okay. Apparently Germany closes early. It can be really frustrating. But anyway, it turns out today was spent mostly exploring West Berlin. Tomorrow we tackle East Berlin and see if there is a difference in architecture.