Lee & I went to Berlin in the (northern hemisphere) autumn of 2006 for 5 days. I've been there many times before, but this time I had a digital camera, and so I could get some half decent photos. However I had taken some pictures before in summer 1999, with a disposal camera, and I've included some of these pics as well.

Berlin drips history, more than any other place that I been to. I think that's because history is still happening there. So I've decided to put the photos I've taken in historical order.



Tiergarten  Animal Park  (17th Century)
Established as the private hunting ground for Elector Friedrich Wilhelm (a sort of prince), this huge park (167 hectares) sits smack bang in the middle of Berlin. None of the trees are over 60 years old, as at the end of World War II the beleaguered citizens of Berlin chopped all the trees down for firewood.



A view over Tiergarten. Notice the domed Reichstag building to the right, and the Fernsehturm (television tower) to the very right.



Unter den Linden  Under the Limes  (17th Century)
This is one of the most important roads in Berlin, and goes from Tiergarten through the Mitte (middle) district, connecting West and East Berlin. They were putting up the Christmas lights the day we walked past, presumably in lime trees.



Deutcher Dom  German Cathedral  (1708)
This sits opposites another very similar building, Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) on the square of Gendarmenmarket.



Schloss Sanssouci  Castle Without Worries  (1741)
We did a day trip to Potsdam, a small city just outside of Berlin, which can be reached using Berlin's S-Bahn (city trains) system. Potsdam used to be the seat of the Prussian kings and the surrounding parks are dotted with elaborate palaces. The above pic of the palace is taken from a postcard. The other pics are of the surrounding gardens.






Neues Palais  New Palace  (1769)
This was the most over the top building we saw in Potsdam. The above pic is 2 photos that I've joined together to try to give you some idea of the extent of the building. The picture below is a close-up of some of the detail on the front of that building.



The next picture is of the kitchens and servants' quarters. And that just the front door. This building is directly opposite the Neues Palais.





Brandenburger Tor  Brandenburg Gate  (1791)
The iconic symbol of Berlin. This is where Unter den Linden meets Tiergarten. The only remaining gate of 18. It has Nike, the goddess of victory, riding a chariot drawn by four horses. It has represented at various times Victory, Peace, Division and Reunification.



Humboldt Universität  Humboldt University  (1810)
A venerable institution with alumni such as the Brothers Grimm, Karl Marx and Albert Einstein. The square onto which it faces, Bebelplatz, was the site of the Nazis' book burning in Berlin.



Altes Museum  Old Museum  (1810)
The first of many museums to be built on Berlin's Museumsinsel (museum island). Notice the stone eagles lining the edge of the roof.