Experience the beauty of Berlin Germany. This fantastic location is packed with historical sites. The highlight of our vacation in the Berlin area were the attractions of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, Nikolaiviertel and the Altes Museum.
We started our site-seeing excursion by visiting Brandenburg Gate at the end of Untre den Linden. The Brandenburg Gate was the main entrance to Berlin during the time of the Berlin Wall and is the only gate remaining from that time period. The immense size of the gate definitely made me thankful that it was a piece of history rather than the only way into the area.
We then ventured on to see the Berlin Wall. This infamous wall, that fell in 1989, divided East and West Berlin. During 1961, a barbed wire fence separated the two areas. Eventually, the barbed wire fence was replaced by stone. The remnants of the stone wall that still exist are worth seeing.
The Holocaust Memorial sent a wave of sadness through my veins. The memorial is open 24 hours a day and consists of a repetition of stone slabs memorializing those individuals who died in the Holocaust. Each of the stone slabs is an individualized monolith. The stones and the walkways undulate throughout the memorial. A feeling of immense remorse and awe was felt while walking the paths of the memorial. The silence that fell by all who were visiting the memorial indicated we were not the only ones who grasped the magnitude of the Holocaust.
Step back in time and get a true sense of the old Berlin when visiting Nikolaiviertel. Nikolaiviertel is the oldest section of Berlin which includes buildings built from the 14th Century forward. While visiting Nikolaiviertel, we stopped at Nikolaikirche Church built in the 13th century. This is a must see if you visit the area. It is amazing the architectural differences between then and now.
Make sure to visit Museum Island, specifically the Altes Museum if you love art. This museum house a plethora of artistic history within it’s’ walls. The collection of statues, paintings, armor and weapons, just to name a few, are breathtaking. The whole experience was a visual overload. I highly recommend allowing two days to visit the island.
There are so many good attractions in Berlin. Make sure to plan your site-seeing prior to visiting the area. Be open to suggestions from tourists or locals when in the area. The locals are very friendly and willing to share site-seeing tips with tourists.