On our last night in Berlin we decided to head down the Oranienburger Strasse not too far from our Mitte base. I knew it had been the heart of the old Jewish settlement in Berlin back in the 19th and 20th centuries and that amongst the hub of restaurants, clubs and bars were some memorials …
The Mauermuseum was one of the highlights of our trip to Berlin last year. “The Wall” is such a huge part of the consciousness of Berliners and indeed many others such as Monsieur and myself who grew up with the concept of the “Iron Curtain”. The iconic museum just by Checkpoint Charlie does a fabulous job …
Not to be outdone by his uncle Frederick The Great, his successor, Frederick William II, decided to build his own legacy for posterity in the form of the rather unoriginally named Neuer Garten (New Garden). This epithet was presumably to distinguish it from the “old” gardens associated with his uncle at Sanssouci. All the Hohenzollern rulers appear …
The name Potsdam is probably most closely associated with the conference held there in the summer of 1945 during the closing stages of the 2nd World War. The leaders of the United States (Truman), the Soviet Union (Stalin) and Great Britain (Churchill then later Attlee) met to work out the future of Europe post war …
Potsdam isn’t just associated with the pomp and elegance of the Hohenzollern rulers. It also has a very different past dating from the Cold War era when it was firmly entrenched behind the Iron Curtain as part of the DDR. So close to West Berlin and yet light years away in so many respects. We …
A little postscript following on from last week’s post about Sanssouci (see here). To the side of the front terrace you come across a curious tomb. Covered with potatoes, this is the final resting place of Frederick The Great! The reason for the potatoes is apparently because Frederick introduced them into Prussia in …
Sanssouci was commissioned by Frederick The Great of Prussia and built between 1745 and 1747. “A crown is just a hat that lets the rain in” he once said! He had modest tastes and wanted a place he could retreat to, far away from the pomp and grandeur of the Berlin Court. The inscription above …
Potsdam, the capital of the state of Brandenburg, is only half an hour or so’s train ride from the centre of Berlin. With its elegant imperial buildings, pretty cobbled streets and laid-back vibe, it is a highly popular attraction, especially at weekends. We were introduced to this lovely city on my first …
Back on track with my Berlin series this week after a few weeks detour to Western Australia! To fit into context you can find my previous Berlin posts here. Although only a 5 minute walk from our hotel by the River Spree, we’d somehow managed to miss seeing the Nikolaiviertel (Nicholas Quarter) on our previous …
Apart from taking a walking tour (see here and here for more details ), another great way to see Berlin is by taking a river cruise. We hadn’t done so on our first trip to the city so were keen to make amends this time. There are a large number of pleasure boats cruising along the Spree and …
Le Chic En Rose 