Don't miss these Germany attractions
Berliner Dom
This bulky multi-domed cathedral, one of Berlin's most recognizable landmarks, proves that Protestants can be as excessive as Catholics. This building was built during the reign of Kaiser Willhelm II, it recently emerged from 20 years of restoration after being damaged in a 1944 air raid. The interior features some Protestant icons and the tower offers a beautiful view of Berlin.
Potsdamer Platz
The Potsdamer Platz was designed with the primary purpose of moving troops. After reunification, the Potsdamer Platz was chosen to become the commercial center of united Berlin and promptly achieved infamy as the city's largest construction site. Today its wildly postmodern architectural designs are both sickening and inspiring. The central complex, overlooking Potsdamer street, includes the huge Deutsche Bahn headquarters and the cosmopolitan Sony Center, and a glass recreation of Mt. Fuji.
Olympia-Stadion
This Olympic stadium is one of the most prominent legacies of the Nazi architectural aesthetic. It was erected for the 1936 Olympic Games, in which Jesse Owens, an African-American, trounced Nazi racial theories by winning four gold medals.
Haus Am Checkpoint Charlie
This eccentric museum at the famous border-crossing has become one of Berlin's most popular attractions. It is a clutter of artwork, newspaper clippings, and the devices used to breach the wall. It showcases some exhibits that details how woman curled up in loudspeakers, men attempted to crawl through spiked gates and student groups dug tunnels with their bare hands, all in an attempt to reach the West.
East Side Gallery
The longest remaining portion of the wall, this 1.3km stretch is the world's largest open-air gallery, unsupervised and open at all hours. The murals are not remnants of Cold War graffiti but rather the efforts of an international group of artists who gathered in 1989 to celebrate the fall of the wall. It was thought that the wall would be destroyed and the paintings lost, but in 2000, with the wall still standing, many of the same artists repainted their work, covering the scribbling of the tourists, unfortunately the new paintings are being covered in graffiti again.
