Second day at Berlin.
Business meetings are over for today.
Colleagues are going to diner, I'm going to walk through Berlin.
I got out of the hotel and went through Tiergarten park to the Victory Column.
Tiergarten, the former royal hunting ground is Located in the heart of Berlin, it is a huge (210 hectares) city-centre park. The name Tiergarten literally means "animal garden", (in many German cities Tiergarten means the Zoo). Today the area includes the Regierungsviertel, Potsdamer Platz and the Kulturforum as well as the Diplomatenviertel. At the southwest end of Tiergarten there is a Zoo with over 14,000 animals.
The central part of the park is the Victory Column (Siegessäule), A 230-meter high monument, which celebrated the victory over France in 1871.
On the pillar is the golden statue of the goddess Victoria, and below it there is a platform with a beautiful view of the surrounding park and Berlin.
On the entrance I see the many models of monumental buildings.
I'm starting to climb a 230-meter high monument. honestly, great stupidity when you have no condition. Halfway up to the top I see the bench. I sat down and rested. I continue to the top.
I came to the top and immediately forgot the pain.
From the top you have a wonderful view of the whole park and most of Belin.
Unfortunately the weather is cloudy and the visibility is bad.
I walk down and head to Spreeweg Street. On the way there is Bellevue Palace.
The immaculately-looking white neoclassical palace on the Spreeweg, just off the Tiergarten's northwestern corner is the official residence of the German Federal President – Bundespräsident.
I'm turning to John Foster Dulles Allee. At John Foster Dulles Allee is The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of the Cultures of the World) also known as the "Pregnant Oyster" because it's highly original parabolic roof.
It is an arts venue, exhibition and cultural centre which has been operating since 1989. Situated in the Tiergarten area, between the park's green meadows and the banks of the Spree, its varied all-year-round programme includes exhibitions, talks, lectures and seminars, concerts and festivals.
"Pregnant Oyster"
I'm heading towards the Reichstag building.
In 1933 Reichstag was destroyed in fire. Until the end of World War II, the Reichstag was not used for parliamentary sessions, and was not renewed after the fire. The building was further damaged during allied attacks. Graffiti and messages made by soldiers of the Red Army painted on the walls of the Reichstag were partially preserved after restoration.
In 1961, partial renovation was started that lasted for three years, but the dome was removed. In 1990 there was an official ceremony of the German unification, and a year later it was decided that the German parliament would return there, which was finally realized in 1999 when it was undergoing a reconstruction led by architect Norman Foster. The glass dome is restored to the top.
Model of Reichstag from the Victory Column:
I continue my tour ...
to be continued...