- Introduction to Berlin’s Unique Gems
- 10 Things to See and Do That We Loved About Berlin
- Take a Free Walking Tour with GuruWalk
- Visit the Ampelmann Shop
- See Where Michael Jackson Famously Introduced His Baby to The World
- Visit the Jewish Synagogue that Survived Krystallnacht – Night of Broken Glass
- Find the Underground Memorial to the Book Burning Night
- Look out for Bullet Holes
- Visit a Carpark Where the Fuhrer’s Bunker Lies Beneath
- Pay Your Respects at The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
- See the Statue of Mother Embracing Her Dead Son
- Admire Street Art Gems and Experience Berlin’s Alternative Culture
- Conclusion: Explore Berlin’s Fascinating Gems
- Useful Links
Introduction to Berlin’s Unique Gems
Discover things to do in Berlin – 10 fascinating gems you need to see. Explore unique treasures and learn about the stories behind them.
The German capital is a fantastic city to visit – full of history, culture and unique places to see. Home to famous sights like the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall, you will also discover some fascinating and unexpected sights. You may be surprised by some of the stories behind the suggestions of things to do on our list.
About Berlin
Berlin is one of our favourite European cities. The previous century has shaped the city dramatically and World War 2 echoes across the east side. The city has undergone much building and renovation since the Soviet days but the Germans have deliberately left war relics as a reminder of their history to deter it happening again. We love the way that the Germans have embraced their past as a lesson learned.
In this blog, learn about Berlin, things to do and discover stories from the city’s history but also its wild side. Berlin has a uniqueness originating from the city being divided and ruled under two polar opposite belief systems and then reunited with the destruction of the Berlin Wall. The textures of culture, art and creativity make Berlin an extraordinary city to visit.
I have included Google Maps Links to help you find all the places I mention – Enjoy!
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10 Things to See and Do That We Loved About Berlin
Take a Free Walking Tour with GuruWalk
The best way to really get to see the sights and learn about Berlin’s history and modern culture is to take a walking tour. GuruWalk offer walking tours with expert guides where you pay what you choose at the the end of the tour. GuruWalk have a multitude of Berlin tours available from World War 2 Sights to Street Art Tours.
Visit the Ampelmann Shop
As you wander around Berlin, you might notice something different about the traffic light man on the pedestrian crossing signals. Ampelmannchen literally translated means ‘little traffic man’. This East German little traffic man is rather cute with a round belly and hat. Karl Peglau, a traffic psychologist, designed Ampelmann.
What makes this little traffic man so special is that he was once unique to the east side of Berlin during Soviet rule. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, this beloved character survived while many other soviet relics were replaced. Thanks to a nostalgic designer who started a rescue committee, Ampelmann was allowed to stay and has now even replaced some of the older signals in the west side.
The flagship store is located where the first traffic light with the original Ampelmann stood, on the street Unter den Linden. You can learn more about the history of the traffic light signal and buy an Ampelmann souvenir here.
Google Maps links to the Ampelmann Store
See Where Michael Jackson Famously Introduced His Baby to The World
Close to the Brandenburg Gate, look out for the Adlon Hotel. This is the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his 6 month old baby out of an hotel upper floor window, with a blanket over his head. He held the struggling baby over the railing to show the adoring fans below.
Google Maps Link to Adlon Hotel
Visit the Jewish Synagogue that Survived Krystallnacht – Night of Broken Glass
During World War 2, an angry mob, influenced by the SA, pillaged Jewish homes and businesses. They went on the rampage, smashing windows of Jewish owned stores and synagogues all over Germany.
However, when the mob reached the New Synagogue, a brave police officer Lieutenant Otto Bellgardt, drew his pistol on the mob and prevented them from destroying the sacred building.
He and his superior Wilhelm Krutzfeld instructed the fire brigade to keep the flames of the surrounding burning neighbourhood away from the synagogue. They cited that they must uphold the law to protect historic buildings and consequently they saved the synagogue.
Thanks to their courage, you can find a small plaque that commemorates the actions of Wilhelm Krutzfeld. The story demonstrates how we should never let popular opinion deny our history and heritage.
Google Maps link for New Synagogue
Find the Underground Memorial to the Book Burning Night
Whilst we are on the theme of the Nazis attempting to destroy history, this brings me to another fascinating gem in Berlin, Bebelplatz. As you walk across Bebelplatz you will see a crowd staring into a glass covered hole in the ground.
Peek inside – there is an empty sunken library; a room of bare shelves. These empty shelves represent all of the 25,000 books burnt by members of the Nazi Student Union in 1933. Books that were declared as un-German and which were written by authors that had been forced to leave the country.
Google Maps Link for Memorial for the Book Burning
Look out for Bullet Holes
Look out for the strange crater marks at the Natural History Museum. The German government deliberately preserved the bullet holes as reminders of the horrors of war. You will see them at the Natural History Museum, Victory Column, under the Friedrechstrasse S-Bahn station, Pergamon Museum and the Bode Museum.
Google Maps link for Natural History Museum
Visit a Carpark Where the Fuhrer’s Bunker Lies Beneath
Underneath what appears to be an ordinary car park, lies the gruesome bunker where Hitler and his wife, Eva, committed suicide by cyanide and gun shot.
Deliberately made into an insignificant plot, the German Government kept the location a secret for a long time to prevent it from becoming a Nazi shrine but now there is a sign explaining the history.
Google Maps Link for the Bunker Location
Pay Your Respects at The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Also known as the Holocaust Memorial, this imposing site was designed by Peter Eisenman. The 2711, concrete slabs that cover 19,000 square metres, stand upright and it feels like an abstract graveyard.
The underground information centre has rooms such as ‘The Room of Families’, and the ‘Room of Names’ and provides information about the victims and locations. You will learn about their fates, with photographs, personal goodbye letters and diaries.
Google Maps link for the Memorial
See the Statue of Mother Embracing Her Dead Son
One of the most touching statues is the Neue Wache. The statue is a memorial to the victims of war and dictatorship. The mother embraces her dead son. There is no indication of who they represent, which nationality, culture or creed. It is a universal symbol of the devastation war inflicts.
Google Maps link for Neue Wache
Admire Street Art Gems and Experience Berlin’s Alternative Culture
Street Art
Berlin has oodles of street art, one hidden gem in particular that you could easily miss is Haus Scwarzenberg. It is a located down an alleyway off Rosenthaler Strasse, near Alexanderplatz. We discovered it by accident and were amazed by the collection. It is owned by a non-profit organisation and has some of the best street art in Berlin (imo).
Google Maps link for Haus Swarzenberg
Alternative Culture
For us, the alternative culture of the east side of Berlin is part of its allure. A characteristic you will notice is the anarchial traits of east Berlin culture. You will find dynamic neighbourhoods with street art, alternative living, rock n’ roll and a punk scene.
Our guide explained, after the Berlin wall came down, the people in the east were expected to just blend in seamlessly and abandon Soviet influence. This was not the reality.
People in the east had grown up under a Soviet government and some were not happy just to give up their culture and beliefs that had been ingrained in them over 40 years. They did not necessarily want to embrace a Capitalist culture.
While we were there, we noticed there is quiet and understated anarchy. Small differences like smoking in bars, punk hairstyles and an alternative music scene make Berlin an exciting and unique city.
Conclusion: Explore Berlin’s Fascinating Gems
These are just handful of our favourite and most memorable Berlin gems, ones that stuck out and are imprinted on our minds. I strongly recommend you visit Berlin and experience it for yourself.
Have you been to Berlin? What gem would you share?
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