A case of Ostalgie and the first time visitor to Berlin

As you’ve probably come to realise, Berlin is one of my favourite cities.  Having visited twice before, it was therefore high time that I took Mr Lighty to Berlin.  Over the years we have developed something of a fascination with the history of the Deutsche Demokratik Republik (DDR) and former socialist countries; I’ve been lucky enough to visit quite a few ex-socialist countries, but Mr Lighty has only previously been to the Czech Republic.  It was lovely, therefore, to visit Berlin a third time with a first-time visitor and experience the city through their eyes – as well as indulge in a bit of Ostalgie.

DDR Luxury
For a short break where we were looking to soak up much of the communist history of Germany’s capital city, where better to stay than one of the country’s former most luxurious hotels of the DDR?  The Park Inn Hotel was built originally as the Stadt Hotel Berlin, which was used to house Comecon representatives in its time, and was the premier 4-star hotel of former East Berlin - it was even noted for having unusually fast lifts for the period!  Its location cannot be beaten, either, being centrally located at Alexanderplatz, overlooking the communist TV Tower (which is a very interesting visit in itself), and indeed, on our second day in the city, we made all of our visits on foot, walking a circular route from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate, up to the Reichstag and down again past Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, Gendarmenmarkt and on to Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral.  It was lovely to experience the first sighting of the Brandenburg Gate and enjoy the Reichstag audio tour with Mr Lighty; two iconic Berlin landmarks, which for the first time visitor are a must.  Checkpoint Charlie, another must on Mr Lighty’s list, has become horribly touristy unfortunately, but the city can’t have everything!

The Park Inn Hotel at Alexanderplatz...  

...and the East German-built TV tower 
as viewed from our hotel window.

A step back in time
One of the first stops on our tour of all things East German was the DDR Museum.  This museum is dedicated to original artefacts from the period before German reunification.  With the likes of a recreated East German flat and a Trabant car, there’s plenty to engage the visitor within the hands-on museum.  It was really interesting to read about the products available (or not available, as the case often was) in the DDR, and to see how East Germany lived, but I did feel that it made the era feel like it was ‘fun’; yet I’m sure that if you lived in East Berlin at the time, it wasn’t fun in the slightest.  

Mr Lighty in a Trabant in the DDR Museum

A much more authentic experience, if you like, was our visit to the Stasi Headquarters.  The headquarters of the Staatsicherheit, or secret East German police, was ‘Haus 1’ (House 1), a highly secure compound which was the centre of the fight against enemies of the DDR from 1960 onwards, and was built as the seat of the offices of the Minister of State Security and the head of the Stasi, Erich Mielke.  In a bid to make that period of time more open and accessible to people, Haus 1 has now been opened to the public.  You have the sense that it has been left exactly as it was in Mielke’s time.  In fact, Mr Lighty didn’t take to the museum well – I’d never seen him so creeped out by anything!!  I’m pretty sure the museum’s tea room was the original canteen from the DDR;  complete with 1980s retro chairs and little more than a tea urn (although at €1.20 for a coffee including a biscuit, who’s complaining?), and I’d never seen a coffee drunk quicker than I did from Mr Lighty that day – he couldn’t get out of there fast enough!  There was definitely a sense of foreboding in the museum, and coupled with the Stasi records exhibition on Zimmerstrasse, it must have been terrifying to have lived through a period where your every move was watched and recorded.  Indeed, since the archives were opened to the public 20 years ago, there have been approximately 2.8 million requests from people wanting to read what Stasi spies wrote about them.

Haus 1, the Stasi Headquarters

'Enjoying' a cup of coffee in the Stasi Museum!

A foray into the West
Of course, Berlin isn’t just about East German history, and our trip also included excellent visits to the Olympic Stadium, and Berlin Zoo, both of which I hadn’t visited previously but was very impressed by.  The Olympic Stadium’s exhibition on its history, with particular reference to the National Socialist era, is well worth a visit, and although Berlin is a city which has been through a lot of traumatic history in recent years, it is also a city which is trying to be open and honest with the world to prevent it from happening again.  After three visits to this fascinating city, there’s still so much to see and do – the zoo being a case in point, as we simply didn’t have enough time to do it justice, having to get back to our hotel and on to the airport for our flight home that evening.  The one disappointment of this trip was the fact that we couldn’t do the Trabi tour I’d been so looking forward to doing, as we didn’t have the foresight to pre-book – we’ll just have to use it as an excuse to go back!   And with so much to see and do, I’m sure after Mr Lighty’s first experience of the city, he’ll be glad to join me.

Enjoying the view over the Olympic Stadium from the Bell Tower

How Berlin's hidden treasures make it Europe’s answer to New York!

Berlin, Berlin – so good they named it.....once!  Yes, ok, it doesn’t quite have the same ring to its name as New York, but seriously, Berlin is one of Europe’s most fabulous cities.  For me, Berlin is Europe’s equivalent of New York.  It’s got that buzz about it: there’s always something going on, the city’s landscape is a constantly changing melting pot of architectural styles and there’s the shadow of the city’s recent history, too.  Just like New York, Berlin is the kind of city that you could go back to again and again and yet see something different each time. 

So how to condense this wonderful city into just one blog post?  Well, pick out some of its many unsung highlights of course! Your first visit will be all about soaking up the atmosphere and seeing the main sights, but I can guarantee that you’ll want to go back again.  Therefore, here are just a few ideas for visits you might want to make on your second, or even third, visit to the city;

Kaffee und Kuchen at the Reichstag

OK, so the Reichstag is somewhere that you’ll definitely want to visit on your first trip to Berlin; its amazing Lord Norman Foster designed glass dome perched high on its roof was enough to make me fall in love with it on my first visit.  But if you’ve already done the Reichstag, how can you do it again and make it different?  Well, one idea is to go once in the daytime and again in the night time; I can promise you that the view will be quite different, yet equally spectacular, both times!  But another way of differentiating your trip and making is a bit different is to take Kaffee und Kuchen on the roof!  Just like a German version of high tea, you’ll be led into elegant surroundings and served elegant cake to match; there’s even gluten free cake for those who need it!  What could be more wonderful than looking out over Berlin with a slice of cake and a cup of coffee in hand?  Fabulous!

Kaffee und Kuchen in the Reichstag!

The Secret Nuclear Bunker at the Story of Berlin Museum

There’s evidence of Berlin’s recent cold war history all over the city.  You may be walking away from the totally modern Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz when you come across a section of the Berlin Wall, or you may see one of the many mosaic murals which are a left over piece of communist history, and of course, there’s also the imposing Fernsehrturm to remind us of the hold that the Soviets had over the east of the city.  But if you want to experience the cold war from a Western Sector point of view, a visit to the Nuclear Bunker which forms part of the Story of Berlin Museum could be just the ticket.  Cold, dark, damp and rather eerie, you’ll be led down the stairs to this underground hiding place – built to house West Berliners if the city ever came under nuclear attack – and led around the complex with an English speaking guide.  Very interesting, but not somewhere you’d want to spend your whole holiday, that’s for sure!

Inside the very dark Nuclear Bunker!

Schloss Cecilienhof, Potsdam

Technically not in Berlin, and also technically not so-secret, the Cecilienhof Palace in nearby Potsdam is often overshadowed by Sans Souci Palace, also in Potsdam.  But this shouldn’t necessarily be the case; if you have the time to visit both, it’s certainly worth doing so.  Built between 1914 and 1917 and designed to look like an English Tudor country house by Paul Schultze-Naumburg, the palace was commissioned by Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany for his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife, the Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  The palace was the location of the Potsdam Conference between 17^th July and 2^nd August 1945, attended by Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Harry S. Truman, whereby the terms for the Japanese surrender during World War II were issued under the Potsdam Declaration.  Yet another example of Berlin’s recent history coming to life in this interesting visit!

Schloss Cecilienhof

The Jewish Museum

Incredibly interesting, the Jewish Museum was designed by American architect, Daniel Libeskind, meaning that not only is the museum itself an informative and fascinating visit, but the architecture of the museum is also worth taking the time to appreciate.  The Museum covers two millennia of Jewish history, and the design of the museum incorporates the very moving Holocaust Tower and the Garden of Exile; certainly architecture to make you think.

The Daniel Libeskind designed Jewish Museum with its Holocaust Tower

East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is somewhere that you may wish to see this on your first visit to the city, admittedly, but if you don’t, be sure to see it on your second visit.  The East Side Gallery is a 1.3km long section of the Berlin Wall.  It is covered by approximately 106 paintings and works of graffiti by artists from around the world, making it the largest outside gallery in the world, and showing itself as a symbol for freedom.  A reminder therefore of the city’s past, and a hopeful look towards its future.

The East Side Gallery

It’s easy to see that Berlin is a place of great variety, history and places of interest.  The above is just a taster of the city; I’m sure that you’ll also want to experience the better known sights, such as the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial and the Sony Centre, as well as the wonderful shopping and dining opportunities that the city has to offer.  But if you’ve got some spare time, or are back for a second visit, it’s worth checking out the city’s hidden gems – I know there’s plenty more that I need to see; better get round to booking that return trip!