British Sector

In this sector are located the greatest number of tourist attractions—monuments, palaces, parks, museums, theaters, concert halls, exhibition centers, international restaurants, shopping complexes—all flanking Berlin's grand East-West Axis boulevard.

Siegessäule ►

Victory Column is located in Tiergarten, an expansive park near the center of Berlin. The "Victory Goddess" at the top is an 8-meter high gold-plated bronze casting by Drake.  Just beneath the figure is an open observation platform, from which one can see for several kilometers in any direction—Brandenburg Gate to the east, the Hansa Quarter in the northwest, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Church and Europa Center to the south.

Victory Column stands in the Strasse des 17. Juni (17th of June Street), which bisects Tiergarten. The street name honors East German citizens killed during Soviet military intervention against a popular protest in June 1953.

◄ Sowjet-Ehrenmal

The Soviet World War II Memorial stands just west of Brandenburg Gate, and is flanked by the first two Soviet tanks to enter the German capital in the final assault.  Two armed Russian guards are bussed in from the Soviet Sector for each shift.

◄ Schloss Bellevue

Bellevue Palace is the residence of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic when he visits Berlin.

◄ Kongresshalle

Architectural examples strewn through Tiergarten are a mix of traditional and avant-garde.  This public auditorium, nicknamed "Betonauster" (Concrete Oyster), with its sweeping reverse-curve roof, is clearly on the cutting edge for its period.  (Its daring saddle form collapsed not long after the author left Berlin.)

◄ Philharmonie

Home of several musical ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the orchestra hall is unusual inside and out.  The performance stage is situated low and in the center, surrounded by the audience.  This interior scheme, and the external appearance of a tent, inspired the building's whimsical nickname "Circus Karajani," alluding to music director Herbert von Karajan.

◄ Reichstagsgebäude

Gutted by fire in 1933, the German Parliament building is here under reconstruction.  The inscription over the main entrance reads, "DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE" (To the German People).  The Reichstag building stands in the eastern part of Tiergarten adjacent to the Wall.

◄ Zoologischer Garten

Following modern practice, the Berlin Zoo attempts to display animals in something approximating their natural habitat.  In the case of these American bison, however, the policy seems to have crossed the line into caricature.

◄ Europa Zentrum

Where but in Berlin might one find a shopping mall—centered around an ice rink—in the middle of downtown?  And did we forget to mention the additional shops in tunnels underneath the street?

Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche ►

Only a few steps beyond Kurfürstendamm's dazzle, the war-shattered shell of the old Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church solemnly broods in twilight silhouette beside its waffle-sided resurrection.

 

 

Kurfürstendamm ▼

As daylight fades, the Ku-Damm flares!  Viewed from the Europa Zentrum, Kurfürstendamm is a triumphant vision of capitalist prosperity in the grim heart of the communist bloc.  Glowing a mysterious blue in the foreground is the new tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church.

Ernst Reuter Platz ►

East-West Axis: Straße des 17.Juni - Bismarckstraße

The Telefunken building creates a monolith of light behind the fountains of Ernst Reuter Platz.  Reflections glance off the author's Mercedes, parked in the foreground.

Ernst Reuter served as Mayor of West Berlin beginning in 1948.

◄ Theodor Heuss Platz

As the Cold War continues its glacial pace, this unassuming but steadfast little flame bespeaks hope for the eventual reunification of Germany.  Had anyone at this time dared prophesy that it would happen in only twenty more years, he would have been dismissed as a dreamer.

Theodor Heuss was President of the Parliament of the German Federal Republic from 1949 until 1959.

◄ Deutsche Oper

In contrast to the many splendorous performances on the inside, the heavily levitating exterior of the German Opera is the epitome of plainness, set off only by its daring black metal sculpture, nicknamed "Schaulich am Stift" (Ugly on a Stick) by passers-by.

Funkturm ►

Scaled down and styled along the lines of Paris's Eiffel Tower, Berlin's Funkturm features an observation deck and a restaurant.  It is located adjacent to the Deutschlandhalle exhibition complex, and features a bowl-shaped garden to the rear.

▲ Schloss Charlottenburg

Surrounded by gardens, the Baroque / Neo-Classical splendor that is Charlottenburg Palace is nowadays one of West Berlin's major art museums.

▼ Teufelsberg

Berlin lies in a broad river valley, and is for the most part fairly flat.  One of the few hills of any consequence stands, quite curiously, in the middle of Grunewald forest.  Dubbed "Teufelsberg" (Devil's Mountain), it is entirely man-made from wartime rubble, trucked from all over the city and bulldozed into a huge heap.  And by "huge," I mean something big enough on which to build a modest ski slope!

Photo by Andy Fraser, courtesy USASA FSB Reunion

At its summit, T-Berg has one other feature of note:  the military installation where I worked.  The compound is surrounded by a high double fence adorned with signs listing the grave penalties for photographing the place.  However, I was recently lucky enough to acquire an aerial photo—evidently taken by someone not near enough to read the signs.  Even this partial shot of T-Berg, casting its shadow upon the landscape below, manages to capture something of its enormity.

If you're interested in such things, click here for a somewhat more detailed peek at this installation.

 

It has recently been rumored that, since the demise of what one of our former leaders termed the "Evil Empire," the military functions of the Teufelsberg site are no longer necessary, and there are plans to turn the place into a restaurant.  The food must have improved quite a bit since I worked there!

Grunewald Turm ►

This tower is spotted on a low hill (Karlsberg) along the eastern bank of the Havel River.  I've been told by a Berlin news commentator that it was built as a memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm II.  (Thus it is also known as Kaiser-Wilhelm Turm—not to be confused with the famous church downtown, pictured a few frames above, near the end of the "Tiergarten" grouping.)

The tower is a bit out of the way for a vanity structure, however, prompting speculation about whether it might also have served some practical purpose, such as a beacon for river navigation or a fire-watch facility for the surrounding Grunewald forest.  It currently plays the role of a vantage point for any sightseers hardy enough to climb its stairs.

◄ Grunewald

What was left of Berlin's western forest after World War II was ravaged by Berliners in desperate need of firewood.  It was subsequently restored by the occupying powers, in typical military fashion—all the trees lined up in neat rows and columns.  Strolling through, one almost expects to hear them marching, like the ents from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings...

Here we see a small slice of the restored forest, looking northward from Grunewald Turm along the Havel River.

◄ Spandauer Gefängnis

In the 1960s, Spandau Prison has only one inmate:  Rudolf Hess, once Adolf Hitler's Vice Chancellor.