Berlin is located in the north-west of
Germany; it is the capital of the Country and of the homonymous land, it is a city-state, as well as
Hamburg.
Berlin is the largest city in Germany, and including its metropolitan area has about 3.5 million inhabitants.
The German capital, which today is one of the most artistically and culturally lively cities in Europe, during the last century has been greatly affected by the World Wars. In particular, during the Second World War, Berlin was severely damaged by the bombing of the allied troops. After the war, the city has become the symbol of the division of the country into two zones, the west part and east one. The latter was under the control of the Soviet government, and in 1961 was erected the infamous
Berlin Wall, which, until its demolition in 1989, was the emblem of the Cold War.
Despite its past, today Berlin is one of the most interesting European capitals, with all kinds of attractions, like museums, art galleries, theatres and music festivals.
In Berlin there are over 170 museums; here is the famous
Museum Island, located in the northern part of the Spree island (the main river of the city). This cultural and architectural collection of museums is part of the Unesco World Heritage, and consists of 5 different structures: The
Pergamon Museum, which houses some collections of ancient Greek and Middle Eastern art, the
Bode-Museum, inside which you can find many Byzantine artworks, the
Old Museum and the
New Museum, where you can admire the famous bust of Nefertiti, and the
Old National Gallery, with its collection of German artworks.
At the entrance of the Museum Island is the
Pleasure Garden, an ancient square now covered with grass, in which lie both the Old Museum and the
Berlin Cathedral, built here between the nineteenth and the twentieth century.
In the city there are a lot of art galleries; the most famous of them is the
Gemaldegalerie (the picture gallery), which contains many masterpieces of the European art between the thirteenth and the nineteenth centuries. It is located within the complex of the
Kulturforum, which also houses the
New National Gallery and the
National Library.
Berlin is a cosmopolitan and extremely vivid city: its artistic and nightlife centre is
Prenzlauer Berg, a trendy district full of restaurants and pubs, very popular in summer for young Berliners and tourists.
The city is really creative: in fact in 2006 it was appointed Unesco City of Design, and it has more than 1,300 companies including agencies, studios for product and furnityre design. In Berlin you can also find a lot of fashion designers and shops .
The capital is also closely linked to the world of music: in the city there are three big opera houses and Berlin musical trends affect the entire European musical scene today.
Berlin is definitely worth a visit , both for its past and its future; you can go there and take advantage of the
many hotel special offers by Hotelsclick.
Our top hotels in Berlin:
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Hotel Adlon Kempisky Berlin - 5 stars
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Hotel Intercontinental Berlin - 5 stars
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Hotel The Ritz-Carlton Berlin - 5 stars
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Hotel Apart City Berlin - 3 stars
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Hotel Alexander Plaza Berlin - 4 stars
