Historical Quotes
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Events/Tours
Berlin Trip 2012
Pergamon Museum
Pergamon Altar
The Pergamon Altar is a monumental construction built during the reign of King Eumenes II in the first half of the 2nd century BC on one of the terraces of the acropolis of the ancient city of Pergamon in Asia Minor.
The structure is 35.64 meters wide and 33.4 meters deep; the front stairway alone is almost 20 meters wide. The base is decorated with a frieze in high relief showing the battle between the Giants and the Olympian gods known as the Gigantomachy.
In 1878 the German engineer Carl Humann began official excavations on the acropolis of Pergamon, an effort that lasted until 1886. The excavation was undertaken in order to rescue the altar friezes and expose the foundation of the edifice. Later, other ancient structures on the acropolis were brought to light. Upon negotiating with the Turkish government (a participant in the excavation), it was agreed that all frieze fragments found at the time would become the property of the Berlin museums.
istar Gate
A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way was built at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin out of material excavated by Robert Koldewey and finished in the 1930s. It includes the inscription plaque. It stands 47 feet high and 100 feet wide (14 meters by 30 meters). The excavation ran from 1902 to 1914, and, during that time, 45 feet of the foundation of the gate was uncovered.
Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin
Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie (checkpoint C), one of the last symbols of the Cold War, is the place that best summarize the separation between east and west. For nearly 30 years, this crossing point was not only Germany but also a divided island in a sea of political turmoil.
The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 by East German government. Shortly after the lifting of the wall, President John F. Kennedy ordered U.S. forces to build three checkpoints in different parts of the wall through which the diplomatic corps and allied forces could enter West Berlin. Among all these checkpoints Checkpoint Charlie became best known.
Checkpoint Charlie takes its name from the alphabet code used by the U.S. Army. Other checkpoints were Alpha and Bravo (a and b). In 1962, this checkpoint has become the only place where foreigners visited the West Berlin could go east and back again. Control point C is located in the heart of Berlin's Friedrichstadt district and was the scene of many spy movies and books describing the Cold War era.
Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg GateThe Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch, and now one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building. 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. Having suffered considerable damage in World War II, the Brandenburg Gate was fully restored from 2000 to 2002 by the Stiftung Denkmalschutz Berlin (Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation).[1] During the post-war Partition of Germany the gate was isolated and inaccessible immediately next to the Berlin Wall, and the area around the gate featured most prominently in the media coverage of the opening of the wall in 1989.
WWII Bunker
WWII Underground BunkerBerlin was the nerve centre of the Third Reich and therefore one of the main targets for allied bombing during WW II. On this tour our expert guides will lead you in exploring one of the few remaining bunkers, as it was left after the war. There you will learn more about the life of the average Berlin citizen during the air-raids that destroyed up to 80 % of the city’s centre. Travelling through the twisting passages and rooms, you will also see countless artefacts from the war that have been buried for decades. Additionally, by looking into the development of the city's subway and sewerage systems as well its former pneumatic post, we will provide you with an insight the 160 year old underground history of Berlin.
