Berlin Attractions

The Pergamon Museum is situated on the Museum Island in Berlin. The site was was constructed over 20 years, from 1910 to 1930. The Pergamon houses original-sized, reconstructed monumental buildings such as the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, all consisting of parts transported from Turkey. The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art. The museum is visited by approximately 850,000 people every year, making it the most visited art museum in Germany (2006).

Sanssouci Palace is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart (Palace of Versailles), it too is notable for the numerous temples and park. The palace was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfil King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court.

The Reichstag building (German Parliament), located in the centre of Berlin, is a historical and impressive building constructed to house the German parliament. It was opened in 1894 and housed the parliament until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire. After World War II, the Reichstag building fell into disuse as the parliament of the German Democratic Republic met in the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin and the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn. In 1999, the parliament moved permanently back to the Reichstag building in Berlin which had undergone considerable renovation. It now features a new glass dome symbolising the transparency of the democratic process. Visitors can walk along the different levels of the dome to watch the government in session below them.

The Jewish Museum in Berlin explores jewish history tracing back from Roman times through to the present day with particular emphasis on the holocaust. It consists of two buildings, one is the old Kollegienhaus (a former courthouse, built in the 18th century), the second building was specifically built for the museum. This was one of the first buildings in Berlin designed after German reunification. The museum opened to the public in 2001. One of the most moving and emotional areas of the museum is the Holocaust Tower in which visitors enter a cold, concrete void where the only source of light, sound and air comes from small shafts at the top representing the environment, isolation and fear of the Nazi extermination camps.

Checkpoint Charlie was the name given to the famous crossing point of the Berlin Wall. Since the demolition of the wall, the checkpoint has been converted to a museum. On display are the photos and related documents of successful escape attempts from East Germany, and also the escape apparatus: hot-air balloons, getaway cars, chairlifts, and a mini-U-Boat. The museum also details the history of the Berlin Wall to which a piece still stands a short distance from the museum, complete with graffiti on the western side. Alongside the museum props is a cinema showing films of the Third Reich and the Cold War era.

The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located W of the city centre and is modelled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Gate is crowned by a statue of a horse-drawn chariot, symbolising Victory. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791. Today, it is considered one of Europe's most famous landmarks and was re-opened to the public in 1989 following the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin Zoological Garden is the oldest and best known zoo in Germany. Opened in 1844 it covers 34 hectares (84 acres) and is located in Berlin's Tiergarten. With more than 1,500 different species and around 17,000 animals the zoo presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world. The zoo and its aquarium had almost 3 million visitors in 2010. It is considered to be the most visited zoo in Europe and one of the most popular worldwide. Regular animal feedings are among its most famous attractions. Globally known animals like Knut, the polar bear, and Bao Bao, the Giant Panda contribute to the zoo's public image. The zoo collaborates with many universities, research institutes, and other zoos around the world. It maintains and promotes European breeding programmes, helps safeguard several endangered species, and participates in several species reintroduction pro...

The Berliner Funkturm or Funkturm Berlin (Radio Tower Berlin) is a transmitting tower in Berlin, built between 1924 and 1926 by Heinrich Straumer. The 150 meter high lattice tower with open-air observation deck 124 meters above ground has the only observation tower on insulators! The tower is located in the Western fair district, out of city center. It is nicknamed "der lange Lulatsch" ("the lanky lad") and is one of the best-known points of interest in the city of Berlin. It stands in the Berlin trade fair ground in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough. On September 3, 1926, the radio tower was inaugurated on the occasion of the 3. Große Deutsche Funkausstellung (Great German Radio Exhibition). The tower is now a protected monument.

The Berlin Victory Column (Siegessäule) is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), giving the statue a new purpose. Different from the original plans, these later victories in the so-called unification wars inspired the addition of the bronze sculpture of Victoria, 8.3 meters high and weighing 35 tonnes, designed by Friedrich Drake. Berliners, with their fondness for giving nicknames to buildings, call the statue Goldelse, meaning something like "Golden Lizzy". The Victory Column is a major tourist attraction to the city of Berlin and opens daily: 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (April – October), and ...