|
|
Berlin
* Location: north-east Germany, 70km west of Polish border
* Capital again since 1999 of a reunited Germany
* Germany’s cultural/social melting pot
* Venue of the massive summer Love Parade
* Modern western half, still-underdeveloped eastern half
* Embassies and consulates: 81
* Population: 3,400,000 (2004)
World Cup 2006 Matches in Berlin
Tues 13 June 2006 Brazil v Croatia
Thurs 15 June 2006 Sweden v Paraguay
Tues 20 June 2006 Ecuador v Germany
Fri 23 June 2006 Ukraine v Tunisia
Fri 30 June 2006 Quarterfinal
Sun 9 July 2006 Final
Berlin was restored as the German capital in 1990 after what was an often traumatic 45-year break. The optimism of that restoration has by no means led to denial of the trauma. As much as it looks forward, crafting a new face to fit its new direction, it maintains a relationship with its past, acknowledging it in all its glory and misfortune. While untold dedication has been expended on the fastidious restoration of war-damaged monuments, graffiti daubed in the last days of WW2 by triumphant Russian soldiers on the walls of the Reichstag has been preserved 'to remind'. A city like this keeps out a keen eye for what kind of past the future it makes will become.
With more trees than Paris, more bridges than Venice, and an impressive canon of Modernist architecture, the city - over a third of it woodland, parks and waterways - sits on the River Spree in the state of Brandenburg, north-east Germany, near the Polish border. With 3.4 million people, it is Germany’s biggest city - a population that is, however, gradually declining. A truly cosmopolitan place, barely half the citizens of Berlin were born there, one in seven from outside Germany.
During the 1920s Berlin was Europe’s artistic and intellectual pioneering city, attracting the world’s greatest minds and talents. Traditionally anti-authoritarian with a thriving counter-culture, it has remained home to the avant-garde and outrageous, the most exuberant outpouring of it now being the summer Love Parade techno fest in early July with its million-plus partiers. To experience its thriving music and drama scene firsthand, replete with concerts, musicals, raves, cabaret, cinema, and theater proves it has lost nothing of what drove it to the forefront last century.
Book Hostels Online Now
The closest Berlin gets to having a center is in twin form: to the west where Kurfürstendamm (‘Ku’damm’) meets the Zoologischer Garten (‘Zoo’) railway station; and Mitte further east, between Unter den Linden and Alexanderplatz ('Alex') railway stations. But the museum-rich Charlottenburg, the bustling CBD of Tiergarten, left-wing Kreuzberg, and gay Schöneberg, among others, all vie for equal attention.
Getting to Berlin
Air
67 airlines service Berlin connecting it to 167 airports in 53 countries. The city's three airports are Tegel (TXL), in the north-east 8km from the city center, Schönefeld (SXF) in the south-east 18km from the city center, and Tempelhof (THF) centrally located 6km to the south of the city center on the southern edge of Kreuzberg. Tegel, by far the busiest, serves western Europe, Schönefeld caters more for no-frills flights, eastern Europe and Asia, and Tempelhof domestic and some European flights.
Airport information (for all Berlin airports): tel.0180 50 00 186
Train
There are two main stations: Ostbahnhof (East Station) and Zoologischer Garten in the west. Be aware that some trains stop at both stations and that this can cause confusion regarding departure times. Check departure station carefully.
A new central station is being built at Lehrter Bahnhof, north across the river from the Bundeskanzleramt and Reichstag.
Bus/Road
Connections to all parts of Germany via the Autobahn.
Getting Around
Berlin is well served by public transport. The U-Bahn (subway) and S-Bahn (suburban rail) runs from 4am to after midnight. On Friday and Saturday nights both U/S-Bahns run throughout the night and on other nights there is a night bus service. Buses are another option and the double-decker number 100 and 200 buses pass many of Berlin's most famous sights. Bus stops are marked with a large 'H' (Haltestelle). There are a variety of day, group and weekly passes available which are valid for the bus and U/S-Bahn networks.
A climate-neutral World Cup
Click here for the 2006 Fifa World Cup venues
Click here for general information
|
