East side Gallery Berlin
Berlin is Europe’s party capital and boasts one of the best collections of museums in the continent, making it a must-visit city for many travellers around Europe. A lot of people, though, will only have a couple of days to spend there so here is a summary of the 3 things you simply must see during a quick visit!
Museumsinsel
Berlin is known for having a lot of museums and if you want to fit in as many as possible then the Museum Island – or Museumsinsel as it is known to locals – is the best way to spend an interesting afternoon.
This island of five museums has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999 and is a marvel in itself. Located right in Berlin’s centre, in the middle of the River Spree, the Museumsinsel attracts thousands of tourists each year who want to make the most of the fact that the distance to travel between museums is sometimes just a few metres.
The Museumsinsel is the proud host of the Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum and Bode Museum. Each of these has very different exhibitions on offer so you can learn about a bit of everything, from archaeology to sculpture and antiques to paintings!
East Side Gallery
This stretch of the Berlin Wall is one of the most famous pieces of outdoor artwork in the city. It is 1.3 kilometres long and has 105 paintings from a huge range of international artists.
The paintings are supposed to represent the feeling of hope and freedom that was tangible when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, paving the way for East Germans to unite with those from the West. Although the wall has been vandalised and covered with graffiti over the years, it is still a beautiful stretch of artwork and more importantly, an international monument to freedom.
When visiting, the best advice is to start from ‘Ostbahnhof‘ train station and walk until you reach the Oberbaumbrücke Bridge. Here you’ll come across the next station and there is also a souvenir shop if you’d like to take home a memory of the famous open-air gallery.
The East Side Gallery is found in the Friedrichshain area of the city, so with a holiday apartment in Friedrichshain you’ll be even closer to this iconic piece of history.
Holocaust Memorial
Any visit to Berlin, even a brief one, should include a visit to the Holocaust Memorial – more formally called the The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
It goes without saying that the terrible events of the Holocaust should never be forgotten and here they certainly are not. 2711 concrete blocks make up the memorial with each block a different shape or size, symbolising that all of the 6 million Jews killed were individuals.
Indoors you’ll find exhibitions and more information, making this a thoroughly thought-provoking and worthwhile day out.
Now that you have all you need to make the most of your brief stop in Berlin, start planning your visit today!
Picture by Flickr user ‘zac mc’