Excursion tour in Berlin. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces
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Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Brandenburg Gate is the only surviving city gate in Berlin. » Decoration of Brandenburg Gate was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow. He also designed six-meter quadriga controlled by the goddess Victory.
» After winning Berlin, Napoleon ordered the chariot to dismantle and carry him to Paris. After the victory over Napoleon, goddess Victoria returned to Berlin and got the Iron Cross.
» During World War II, the Brandenburg Gate was badly damaged and only a horse's head has survived of the original quadriga, but the 5,000 plaster casts of the monument helped in the restoration of the Brandenburg Gate.
» New Year is usually celebrated under Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
» On New Year's Eve from 1989 to 1990 hundreds of residents climbed the Brandenburg Gate, and, in spite of prohibitions, daubed it with various inscriptions.
Berlin Cathedral, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Berlin Cathedral had never been a cathedral in the truest sense of the word, because Berlin has never been the seat of the Bishop of the Catholic Church. » Initially this richly decorated building of the Silesian granite with a dome reached 114 meters. In 1945, the bomb hit the dome. The building hasn’t been demolished and almost 50 years it stood decapitated.
» There is the open crypt of the Hohenzollern dynasty, which represented 70 of the 89 surviving burials. The magnificent sarcophagus of the Great Elector and his wife Dorothea is among them. Prussian kings and princes are buried in the crypt.
» The pipe organ for the cathedral was built by the famous German organ master of the Romantic period, Wilhelm Sauer.
» Lustgarten Park is laid before the cathedral; its name is translated as the Park of Desires.
Zionskirche, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Zionskirche is the Protestant church known largely due to the fact that Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the theologian and the member of the anti-Nazi conspiracy, was its pastor. » The name of the temple is directly associated with the name of the south-west of the hill in Jerusalem, on which stood the fortress city. This hill is also known as Mount Zion; that’s the symbol of Jerusalem and the whole Holy Land.
» King William I of Prussia established a Fund for financial support for the construction of new churches as gratitude to God for the fact that he managed to avoid assassination. This fund of 10,000 thalers was allocated for the construction of Zionskirche.
» During World War II Zionskirche was severely damaged; almost all church floors, altar and windows in the chancel were destroyed.
» In summer months Zionskirche is open to visitors. On Sundays in the afternoon, you can climb the tower, where there is an observation deck at a height of 22 meters with a good view of Berlin in three directions. Vaulted ceilings over the main space of the church are clearly seen from the top.
Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the largest and the most modern train station in Europe and the main train station in Berlin. » Daily there are 225 long-distance trains, 325 local trains and more than 600 urban trains.
» Lehrter station, which was destroyed during World War II, was previously at that place.
» Architecture of the station building is the masterpiece of German engineering. It was built by architect Meinhard von Gerkan. The photovoltaic power plant was integrated in the glass surface of the dome.
» Prior to 2006 there were several stations in Berlin, but each of them was responsible only for a specific destination. Currently, Berlin Hauptbahnhof takes trains traveling from anywhere both around Germany and across Europe.
Victory Column, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Victory Column was constructed on the order of William I, in honor of the military victories of Prussia. » The Column height is 69 meters. It’s decorated with barrels of guns captured from the enemy, and is surmounted by the figure of the goddess Victoria, popularly referred to as the Golden Elsa.
» Initially Victory Column has been constructed at the Royal Plaza in front of the Reichstag, but later it was moved to the area of Big Star, where you can see it now.
» At a height of 48 meters there is an observation deck offering magnificent panorama of the city.
» Inside the tower there is a small historical museum.
Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Charlottenburg Palace was presented as a gift to Queen Sophia Charlotte by her husband, Frederick III. » During World War II, the Charlottenburg Palace suffered so much, that the city authorities decided to blow up the ruins. It seemed impossible to refurbish the building due to catastrophic lack of funds in post-war Germany. However, the director of Charlottenburg made the abolition of that decision.
» The main entrance to the castle is a 48-meter dome topped by a gilded statue of Fortune.
» The main wing of the Charlottenburg Palace houses the apartment of Friedrich. Of particular interest is the reception room that is a huge room with high arches, niches and reliefs. At the end of the west wing there is a porcelain room boasting a fine collection of Chinese porcelain.
» In the west wing of the palace there is a large greenhouse built in 1709-1712. In winter, it exhibited rare plants, and in the summer months its yard hosted celebrations.
» The park has the mausoleum, the royal tomb of Queen Louise built in 1810. The husband of Queen Frederick William III and other members of the royal and imperial family are also buried there.
Bode Museum, Berlin
Location on the map: Facts:
» Bode Museum is the Museum of Art included in the ensemble of the Museum Island in Berlin. It houses the sculpture collection, the Museum of Byzantine Art and the Mint Cabinet. » Sculpture collection of Bode museum holds works of art from the Middle Ages until the end of the18th century. There are exhibits from German-speaking countries, as well as France, Holland, Italy and Spain. The collection of Italian art belongs to the early period of the Italian Renaissance.
» The museum also exhibits works of art and artefacts of the Western Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire dating back to 3-15th centuries.
» The Mint Cabinet houses one of the largest collections, which reflect the history of the monetary minting and circulation of money.
» The museum also houses a collection of sketches, works of Italian sculpture of various schools, children's gallery, a shop and a cafe.
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