Germany is a kaleidoscope of eras, politics and cultures. Part 1. Tour of the capital of the country
“The world is a book. And who didn't travel
on it - I read only one page in it ”
(Saint Augustine)
Germany is a country, coming to which every time you want to discover new pages of its history, the character and traditions of its inhabitants, the incomparable contrast of rural nature and the bustling everyday life of large cities. Germany is like a patchwork quilt, as if woven from different eras, historical events and cultures.
Berlin is the capital of Germany, the largest and most populous city in Germany, the second most populated (after London) and the fifth largest city in the European Union - the best confirmation that Germany is a mosaic of different eras, politics and cultures. In Berlin, modern buildings side by side with Gothic cathedrals, and Art Nouveau works side by side with restored classical palaces.
We started our tour of Berlin with a visit to the Liberator Warrior monument in Berlin's Treptow Park, one of the three Soviet war memorials in Berlin (together with the Pankow and Tiergarten memorials). About 7.000 Soviet soldiers are buried in the memorial, out of a total of 7.000 who died during the storming of Berlin. Every year on May 8, a solemn wreath-laying ceremony is held at the graves of fallen soldiers. The center of the composition is a bronze figure of a Soviet soldier standing on the fragments of a swastika. In one hand, the soldier holds a lowered sword, and the other supports the German girl he saved. The monument is not an abstract monument, it is a monument to Sergeant Nikolai Masalov, who actually saved a German girl.
The capital and largest city of Germany stands on the river Spree. The city-kaleidoscope, in which historical buildings and modern quarters coexist, occupies 883 square meters. km, 3 million 400 thousand people live in it.
The unification of East and West Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which separated the city for 28 years, returned it to its pre-war outlines, the outlines of the times of the Weimar Republic. And the history of this city has more than 800 years: around 1200, on the site of modern Berlin, there were two trading settlements - Cologne and Berlin. The city rights of Cologne are first mentioned in 1237, Berlin - in 1244. In 1307, the cities united and formed a common city government, and by 1400 the population of Berlin was 8.000 people. The historical name "Cologne" is reflected in the name of the Berlin district of Neukö lln. In 1701, as a result of the coronation of Frederick I, Berlin acquired the status of the capital of Prussia, and in 1871 it was proclaimed the capital of the newly formed German Empire.
After the Second World War, in accordance with the decisions of the Yalta Conference, Berlin, although it was in the territory of the Soviet zone of occupation of Germany, was divided by the four victorious powers into occupation sectors. Later, the three sectors of occupation of the allies were transformed into West Berlin, which received the status of a special state entity, but closely connected with the FRG. At the time of the separate existence of the German capital, West Berlin had a reputation as an "intellectual bohemian reservation", where there were so many celebrities that "they no longer interested anyone. " Before the fall of the Wall, West Berlin was like a showcase for capitalism, and therefore in those days the city's lifestyle was characterized by a special feeling of emancipation and informal freedom. Having moved from Germany to West Berlin, it was possible, for example, not to serve in the army.
The Berlin Wall, which was the official border between the GDR and West Berlin, began to be built on August 13.1961, at the height of the Cold War. A concrete fortification 155 km long (43.1 km - within the city), covered with barbed wire and watchtowers with machine guns, passed through the streets and houses, squares and rivers of Berlin, dividing not only the city itself, but also many German families. According to the latest data, during the existence of the wall, 192 people were killed while trying to escape to West Berlin, about 200 were injured and about 3 thousand were arrested. On November 9.1989, as a result of popular uprisings, the border with West Berlin and the FRG was opened, the Berlin Wall was no longer needed, and in 1990 it was finally demolished. Only a few of its fragments remain for memory and for history, next to which there are always fresh flowers.
Now Berlin has again become the official capital of the German state.
But despite the influx of a significant number of officials, apparently, the city is not becoming more rigid and stiff, retaining its indescribable spirit of free cosmopolitanism and still remains attractive to young people. The entire eastern center of the city is being rebuilt, skyscrapers of banks, chic shopping centers, offices of large international firms and residential buildings grow surprisingly quickly out of the ground. The city, split in two over the course of decades, is gradually growing together into a single powerful organism, the living pulse of which is felt by everyone who comes here. In Berlin, like in no other city, the past, present and future collide with each other with such force: in architecture, in worldview and in the way of thinking.
And we continue our acquaintance with the city and drive up to the Charlottenburg Palace - the largest palace in Berlin, built at the end of the 17th century in the Baroque style and was the residence of the royal Hohenzollern dynasty. At that time it was located outside Berlin, and today it is located in the district of the German capital of the same name. Behind the palace there is a beautiful garden, and the palace itself is considered a model of baroque architecture in the country, which, however, did not escape the elegant elements of rococo.
The construction of the palace was a whim of Sophia-Charlotte, the wife of the Prussian king Frederick I, and at first the castle was called Litzenburg and was the summer residence of the royal family. Completed in 1699, the palace, decorated with Corinthian pilasters, grew noticeably in the 18th century: two new wings were built on the sides, a beautiful tower with a dome and a greenhouse.
Also, a statue of Fortuna was installed on top of the tower, and the palace itself was renamed Charlottenburg after the death of Charlotte in 1705. In front of the palace there is an equestrian statue of the Great Elector - Friedrich Wilhelm.
It was in this palace that the legendary Amber Room was located, which was donated to Peter I in 1716 and transported to St. Petersburg. Also at this time, a beautiful garden was erected behind the palace, the main attractions of which are the belvedere and the mausoleum, where some members of the royal family are buried.
We head to the famous Alexanderplatz, which the locals affectionately call "Alex". Here in 1805 Friedrich Wilhelm III received Tsar Alexander I with honors, and then by his decree gave the square the name of the Russian monarch. During the existence of the GDR, Alexanderplatz was the "calling card" of the country.
It was in those days that the world-famous television tower was erected on the square - the Berliner Fernzeeturm, which the Berliners jokingly call the "syringe" or "teleasparagus". Built in 1969, it occupies the 7th place in the list of the tallest buildings on the planet: its height is 368 meters. Above the observation deck is the most popular coffee shop in the city called Telecafe, which rotates around the tower, making a full rotation in half an hour. Here you can not only enjoy great coffee, but also an unforgettable view of Berlin and compare the architectural features of East and West Berlin. There is also a beautiful red building on the square - the City Hall (this is where the mayor's office and the Senate assembly hall are located), the Church of St. Marien, a large shopping complex, the highest hotel "ParkInn" in the eastern territory and the metro station of the same name.
There is also a pretty fountain of Neptune, which is the oldest in all of Berlin. The author of this masterpiece is Bernard Begas, who created the fountain as a gift from the citizens to Kaiser Wilhelm II and was inaugurated on November 1.1891 in front of the City Palace. After the demolition of the City Palace, which was destroyed during World War II, in 1951, the fountain was sent to storage. The sculptures were seriously damaged by shells and were restored in the artistic casting workshop in Lauchhammer. In 1969, the Neptune Fountain was installed on a free site in a new location - the sculpture of Neptune now looks at the City Hall. In the hand of the ancient god of the seas, a trident taming the waves is a symbol of power. The god of the sea on a giant shell, surrounded by cheerful children playing with jets of water, is held by four huge mythological tritons.
The inhabitants of the sea remind of the raging and roaring sea: lobsters, crayfish, fish and polyps, as well as turtles, seals, crocodiles and snakes spewing jets of water. Along the edge of the fountain bowl there are four female figures representing the largest rivers in Germany of that time: the Rhine (with a fishing net and a vine), the Vistula (with a log), the Oder (with a goat and skin) and the Elbe (with ears of corn and fruit).
One of the most important decorations of Alexanderplatz is the Urania World Clock. This is not only one of the most complex mechanisms, but also a symbol of peace, freedom and unity for Berlin. When the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989, many were able to see a unique creation and the inscription on it "Time will destroy all walls. " The peculiarity of these watches is that they display the time of all major cities in the world.
"Urania" is a column 10 meters high, on which there is a cylindrical dial, divided into many parts, above each of which there is the name of the capital of the country, the time of which is shown.
Berlin is called the great "textbook of history in stone". There are more than 130 museums here. The largest museum centers are the Island of Museums, the Museums in Dahlem and the Cultural Center in the Tiergarten...There is even a Mausoleum (it was built in 1810 by Friedrich Wilhelm III). We did not have time to visit everywhere in 2 days and limited ourselves to visiting the Museum Island located not far from the television tower - the place between the two branches of the Spree, where the constellation of the most famous Berlin museums is located. From here you can clearly see the Berlin Cathedral, which, according to the plan, was to become the main church of all European Lutherans.
Contrary to Protestant teachings, the Berlin Cathedral turned out to be very rich and bright, more like a Catholic church.
Six thousand years of human history are presented in five museums. Since 1999, this complex has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Museum Island is the mother of all state museums in Berlin and makes the city one of the most important museum cities in the world. It includes the Bode Museum, the Pergamon Museum, the New Museum and the Old Museum, the Old National Gallery.
In addition, the city has three opera houses, the Old and New National Gallery, eight symphony orchestras, over 150 theaters, stage venues and most of all Bundesliga football teams.
In the middle of the 17th century, Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm ordered trees to be planted along the road leading from the palace to the hunting grounds.
A century later, King Frederick II the Great decided to turn Unter den Linden into an elegant architectural ensemble. Part of his plans were realized. In the next two centuries, the boulevard became the soul of the city and the favorite of Berliners. In 1933, on the personal order of the Fuhrer, all the lindens on the boulevard were cut down - the Nazis needed a wide highway for large-scale marches. Only after the war, Unter den Linden was again planted with trees.
Unter den Linden (German Unter den Linden - “under the lindens”) begins - one of the main and most famous of the boulevards in Berlin, which got its name from the linden trees that adorn it, at the Palace Bridge. Decorated with white Carrara marble sculptures, the bridge was designed in 1818 by the architect K. F. Schinkel.
“In fact, I don’t know a more majestic view than the one that opens from the bridge towards the limes, one magnificent building crowds another here, ” wrote Heinrich Heine, who studied law in Berlin from 1821 to 1823.
In memory of the great ruler, an equestrian statue of Frederick the Great was erected in 1851 in the middle part of the promenade near today's Bebelplatz. The lower part of the pedestal lists the names of prominent personalities of the era of Frederick II, and the middle part is decorated with their bronze figures. The upper part of the pedestal was occupied by allegorical figures - Moderation, Wisdom, Justice and Strength, as well as reliefs that tell about the great deeds of the king.
We drive up to the Gendarmenmarkt (literally "Gendarmes Market") - a square in the center of Berlin, which is considered one of the most beautiful squares in the capital of Germany.
The square acquired its current name in 1799 thanks to the cuirassier regiment of "gendarmes" - the elite Prussian cavalry. Her stables appeared on this site by order of the "soldier king" Friedrich Wilhelm I in 1736. Most of the French Huguenots settled in this historic quarter, to whom the “Great Elector” Friedrich Wilhelm, by the Potsdam Edict of 1685, guaranteed religious freedom and civil rights in full. German-speaking Lutherans attended the German Cathedral (the one in the picture), and French-speaking Calvinists attended the French Cathedral. Although these two churches are not cathedrals in the full sense of the word, since they do not have a bishop's chair, the people have attached these names to them.
Between them is the Concert Hall with a red carpet, and the center of the square is decorated with white marble Schiller. The monument to Schiller in front of the Drama Theater was created by Reinhold Begas.
The first stone in its foundation was solemnly laid on November 10.1859 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the poet. The monument itself was unveiled ten years later. From 1871 to 1936 this part of the Gendarmenmarkt was called Schillerplatz.
In the west and southeast of the city there are extensive forest areas. Almost every street in the city is decorated with trees, one can say that Berlin is the greenest metropolis in Germany. Berlin has more than 2.500 public gardens, parks and recreational areas. Their total area is about 5500 hectares. Parks, forests, rivers, lakes and canals occupy about 30 percent of the city's area. In the center of the city is the Tiergarten park. It is the oldest and largest (210 hectares) parkland in Berlin for over 500 years. In the past, the Tiergarten was a forest area in front of the gates of the city, which the nobility of the city used for horseback riding and hunting, as evidenced by various sculptures.
In fact, the Tiergarten is not as simple as it seems. This is the most historical place ever. And many sculptural compositions remind of this: monuments to Bismarck, Friedrich Wilhelm III, Goethe, Lessing, Wagner and many other prominent German figures.
In the center of the park at the intersection of the East-West Axis and June 17 Streets (the western part of the Unter den Linden street, coming from the Brandenburg Gate and passing through the Tiergarten park), there is a triumphal column in honor of the military victories of Prussia, culminating in the unification of Germany. and the statue of Victory crowning it. This column, 69 m high, built in 1864-1873, is decorated with the barrels of cannons captured from the enemy, and crowned with the figure of the goddess of Victory, 8.3 m high, popularly referred to as the "Golden Elsa". 285 steps lead to this statue, from their height a panorama of Berlin opens.
On the 50th step, you can take a break and admire the glass mosaic created in the workshop of the Venetian artist Salviati.
It was a great pleasure to walk along the Nikolaiviertel (Nikolaev Quarter) - the oldest residential quarter of Berlin, which has existed since the 13th century. It is located on the territory of the former East Berlin. This quarter was badly damaged during the last war, but due to its historical value, it was recreated in the form in which it existed before the war.
The Church of St. Nicholas, which gave the name to this quarter, is the oldest in Berlin. Built in 1220-1230, it was a three-nave cruciform basilica made of natural stone and dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. During the Second World War, only the outer walls of the Church of St. Nicholas remained. The restoration of the church with two towers according to old drawings and plans began in 1981. Currently, the church serves as a museum and a concert hall.
The magnificent acoustics of the Church of St. Nicholas is highly appreciated by connoisseurs. During the reconstruction in 1981, chimes of 41 bells were installed in the tower. It skillfully included architectural structures that were of great importance for Berlin, but which had previously stood in a completely different place. So, for example, the Zum Nussbaum Hotel, as well as a copy of the Judicial Chamber - the original was in the Babelsberg park in Potsdam. The original sculpture "Saint George the Dragon Slayer" used to stand at the Stadtschloss castle.
Walking through the Nikolaevsky quarter, we were touched by the Berentswinger-Brunnen fountain and a pretty water column. Even sewer hatches surprised with their originality.
The next morning, we booked an excursion to the Reichstag, which is open to the public free of charge, but prior registration and a passport are required.
On the way to the Reichstag we pass such an interesting building, located on the northern edge of the Tiergarten park. This interesting building was created in 1957 by the American architect Hugh Stubbins as a Congress Hall and was a gift from the United States to West Berlin. Now the former Assembly Hall has been renamed the House of World Culture, but Berliners call it the "pregnant oyster". The very unusual roof of the structure was initially supported by only two pillars, but in 1980 one of the pillars could not withstand the load and the roof collapsed. During the renovation of the building, the roof fixings were changed. There is a large pond in front of the building.
We are approaching the Reichstag (German: Reichstag from Reich "state" and tagen "to sit") - a building, the mere mention of which terrified the inhabitants of almost the entire planet. However, in this building, opened in 1894, until 1933, the eponymous state body of Germany, the Reichstag of the German Empire and the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic, met.
On the facade of the building we are greeted with the words "To the German people".
The heavily damaged and partially restored Reichstag has been the seat of the German Bundestag since 1970. After Berlin again became the capital of a reunified Germany in 1991, the building was rebuilt and expanded. In 1999, the Reichstag was solemnly opened and the German Bundestag sits again in it.
Near the checkpoint to the Reichstag, where we are carefully examined and documents are checked, we pay attention to metal plates with carved names - this is the memory of the Reichstag deputies who became victims of the Nazis.
We enter the Reichstag, where we are taken up by a large elevator to the roof terrace. From here you can get into a spectacular glass dome, the diameter of which is 40 m. It was at this place on May 1.1945 that the Banner of Victory was hoisted - the assault flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov II degree of the Idritsa Rifle Division.
The head of the German parliament has no possibility of manipulation, since his "eye" is controlled by two secretaries of the meetings. They sit to the right and left of the head and represent both the coalition and the opposition respectively. In cases where there are a large number of deputies in the hall and it is impossible to determine the result of the vote “by eye”, or when one of the secretaries does not agree with the assessment of the head, a sound siren is turned on in all the premises of the Bundestag, which calls all the deputies to vote using the “ram” method. jump. " “Lamb's jump” is that all deputies first leave the plenary session hall, then to enter it through three doors, each of which contains the inscription “For”, “Against” or “Abstained”. As the deputies pass through the doors, they are counted by the secretaries, while the head of parliament oversees the process.
This method of voting is rarely used, on average twice a year.
In the Reichstag building, a trunk-shaped cone with its 360 mirrors located in the center of the glass dome provides daylight to the plenary hall.
We climb up the spiral staircase, from here you can clearly see the base of the dome and the expositions and photographs of the post-war Reichstag placed around the cone, as well as a beautiful panoramic panorama of Berlin.
Before us is the Spree River and the Bahnhoff Friedrichstrasse station, opened in 1882, which in 1961-1990 was the border station between East and West. Also visible are two of Berlin's nearly 1.700 bridges, the number of which Berlin ranks among the top in Europe. By the way, Berlin is located on the water. Five rivers flow through the city, six channels serve as transport links, 50 lakes invite you to relax and swim.
From here you can clearly see the building of the department of the Federal Chancellor of Germany, which the Berliners called the "washing machine".
Near the Reichstag is one of the biggest attractions in Berlin - the Brandenburg Gate, built in 1791 by order of King Frederick William II of Prussia. Over the two centuries of their existence, they have witnessed many historical events. In the 1930s, the gate gained notoriety due to Nazi torchlight processions. On August 13.1961, a wall blocked the passage through the gate and for many years they served as a symbol of the divided Germany and Berlin, and after 1989 they became the embodiment of the country's reunification. Three years after the construction of the Brandenburg Gate, a quadriga of horses was installed on them. By design, it should represent the "triumph of the world. " 12 years later, the peace was broken not only here.
After the entry of French troops into Berlin in 1806, Napoleon ordered the delivery of the quadriga to Paris. From there, she returned back in 1814 after the victory over Napoleon and was again installed on the Brandenburg Gate. Now the Brandenburg Gate is again decorated with a restored quadriga, which is ruled by the goddess of Victory Victoria, an eagle and a Prussian iron cross.
Then we go and see the Memorial to the Annihilated Jews of Europe, which was opened in 2005, not far from the Brandenburg Gate. On a huge square (the size of two football fields), a grandiose monument to the victims of the Holocaust. It is a stone labyrinth consisting of 2711 concrete slabs of different heights. It is quite difficult to find a way out of this stone forest, which, according to the author's plan, the American architect Peter Eisenman, should create a feeling of being lost.
Flowers and lighted candles are often left on the stone slabs of this peculiar monument.
We are heading towards the center of West Berlin, the Kurfü rsterdam or Kudam, as the Berliners call it, one of the favorite places for a walk for Berlin residents and visitors.
A vivid impression is made on tourists by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedechtniskirche. In the middle of the 20th century, this Protestant church was destined to become a memorial of destruction and creation. On November 23.1943, a sermon was going on in the church on the theme “Everything passes! ”, and a few hours later the temple was destroyed as a result of an Allied bombing raid. When a plan arose after the war to build a new building on the site of the destroyed church, only one of the many Berlin newspapers received more than 47.000 angry letters of protest. The resistance was successful.
The ruins of the once 68-meter tower have been preserved on a specially constructed platform. Around the ruins, the architect Egon Ayerman created a new chapel.
Tourists have nicknamed the restored and renovated Gedä chtniskirche the "Blue Church" because of the church's windows glowing blue. The secret of the glow lies in the architecture: light sources between two walls, located at a distance of 2.70 m from each other, illuminate the panes inserted into countless concrete "honeycombs", painting the panes in a mysterious blue color. Sharp-tongued Berliners dubbed the old church "hollow tooth". The Berliners nicknamed the ensemble of the new church and tower "powder box and lipstick. " Every hour from the height of the “hollow tooth” a bell ringing sounds. Above the altar of the chapel hovers the figure of the ascended Christ, created by Karl Hemmeter, 4.60 m high and weighing almost 6 centners, made of an alloy of copper and zinc.
In the 1960s, along with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, it became a symbol of West Berlin. It is under state protection as a historical monument.
On Breitscheidplatz, between the Europe Center building and the Gedechtniskirche church, there is a relatively new landmark for Berlin - a fountain in the form of a globe, wittily nicknamed by the Berliners "meatballs in water". The authors of this fountain and sculptural composition, built in 1983, are prof. Joachim Schmettau and Suzanne Weland. The architects Reith and Krusnik helped to carry out this project. The diameter of the pool is 18 m, the height of the ball is 4.5 m. The fountain is made of granite and bronze and decorated with rich ornaments. The photographs show how naturally this sculptural composition blended into the panorama of the big city.
The most attractive sight in the Europa Center is the Liquid Time Clock, a man-made creation of the Parisian physicist Bernard Gitton.
"Clock of Leaking Time" in the western courtyard of the "Europe Center". Water clock, clepsydra - a device known since the time of the Assyro-Babylonians and ancient Egypt for measuring time intervals in the form of a cylindrical vessel with an outflowing stream of water. Large balls show hours, discs show minutes.
Despite the severity of the Berlin past, one of the main attractions of the capital are zoos. There are two of them in Berlin: the Berlin Zoological Garden and the Friedrichsfelde Zoo. Founded in 1844 in the southwestern part of the Tiergarten, Berlin Zoo is the oldest zoo in Germany, and its collection is the most extensive in terms of the number of animal species represented (1.000 animals and 1.500 species). The second zoo was founded in the GDR in 1954 and is the largest zoo in Europe, covering 160 hectares. We visited the oldest of them, located opposite the "Europe-Center".
In the 1980s, the unusual gates of the zoo, destroyed during the war, built at the very end of the 19th century, were recreated. On the side of the Hardenbergplatz are the "Lion's Gate", and on the other side the entrance to the zoo is decorated with the colorful "Elephant's Gate".
Unlike many other zoos, feeding and caring for animals here takes place directly during the opening hours of the park, while animal keepers often turn these procedures into a real show. “Freedom - freedom” - this is how the king of animals lives in this zoo. Well, high mansions were built for giraffes.
On the territory of the zoo there are a large number of reservoirs inhabited by river and sea inhabitants. “How is the water, comrade? ".
For marine life, a spacious aquarium and such expanses of water are provided.
The zoo is very popular among Berliners. Animals are the real masters here.
Nearly every one of its nearly 14.000 inhabitants is featured on special TV shows, and events such as the birth and illness of an animal are featured on the news.
The hallmark of Berlin is, of course, the world-famous Brandenburg Gate, the Victory Column and the zoo, but in addition to them, Berlin has another bright symbol that expresses the openness and tolerance of the German capital - the Berlin bear. They are found at every turn in the form of soft toys, souvenirs, etc. What kind of bears have we not seen on its streets!
Finishing our tour of Berlin, we note that Berlin is the most atypical German city, a special spirit of freedom hovers in it. An amazing combination of seemingly incompatible epochs is very clearly seen here: the past, the present and the future are harmoniously intertwined into a single kaleidoscope of architecture, culture, population, history.
