The Gendarmenmarkt is a grand square in Berlin’s Friedrichstadt. It brings together three striking landmarks: the Konzerthaus concert hall with a statue of poet Friedrich Schiller out front, the Neue Kirche (New Church), and the Französischer Dom (French Cathedral). The ensemble forms one of the city’s most elegant urban stages.
Berlin’s Deutscher Dom on the Gendarmenmarkt is often confused with the larger Berliner Dom, but they are different buildings. Completed in 1708, the Deutscher Dom holds no religious services today. Since 1992 it has presented a permanent exhibition on the history of German parliamentary democracy, titled “Paths, Losing Track and Detours.” The displays trace how representation and lawmaking evolved in Germany, with all the progress and setbacks along the way.
Opposite stands the Französischer Dom, home to the Huguenot Museum (Hugenottenmuseum) since 1929. The cathedral was designed to resemble the main Huguenot church in Charenton, France, which was destroyed in 1688. Here, the story of the French Protestants who came to Berlin after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes unfolds through documents, portraits, and everyday objects. The cathedral was noted as closed until 2019.
The museum highlights how Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm welcomed Huguenot settlers, many of whom were skilled artisans and professionals. Their arrival reshaped the city’s economy and culture. In one vivid scene, an artwork in room nine shows Crown Princess Dorothea reacting to a lavish gift of jewels from Pierre Fromery with the words, “But he’s a refugee!” The moment challenges old assumptions about refugees as poor and powerless, revealing the resources and talents many brought with them.
The Huguenot presence also left its mark on local speech. Berliners adopted expressions with French roots, and some became staples of the Berlin dialect. Words like Kinkerlitzchen (linked to the French “quincaillerie,” meaning small hardware or knick-knacks) and Muckefuck (possibly from “mocca faux,” or artificial coffee, though the origin is debated) show this blend of languages in daily life.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Kirche,_Berlin
Features many objects and even whole rooms in Wilhelminian style. Only accessible by guided tour (English tours can be arranged).
The oldest museum of its kind in Germany which, despite great losses during the World War II, still possesses one of the world's primary collections of European applied art. There are two sections to the collection: one located at the Kulturforum in Tiergarten, the other at Köpenick Palace.
This museum describes the procedures applied by the East German secret police. Every Friday to Monday, there is a guided tour in English at 15:00 (5€).
An eerie memorial to victims of the Nazi regime built on the place of a former execution room, where nearly 2900 people where put to death between 1933 and 1945.
Not far away from Schloss Tegel (at the "große Malche") you can take a look at the oldest tree in Berlin, an oak which has been growing there since about 1192 (so it's actually older than Berlin itself). The name ("fat Mary") allegedly stems from the brother Humboldt who named the tree after their overweight cook.
With the Kreuzberg, a hill in Kreuzberg 61, the Prussian National Monument by Schinkel and a waterfall. Superb panoramic views across south Berlin.
It was the only border crossing between East and West Berlin that permitted foreigners passage. Residents of East and West Berlin were not allowed to use it. This contributed to Checkpoint Charlie's mythological status as a meeting place for spies and other shady individuals. Checkpoint Charlie gained its name from the phonetic alphabet; checkpoints "Alpha" and "Bravo" were at the autobahn checkpoints Helmstedt and Dreilinden respectively. Checkpoint Charlie's atmosphere was not improved at all on 27 Oct 1961 when the two Cold War superpowers chose to face each other down for a day. Soviet and American tanks stood approximately 200 m apart, making an already tense situation worse. Now the remains of the Berlin Wall have been moved to permit building, including construction of the American Business Center and other institutions.At the intersection of Zimmerstraße and Friedrichstraße (U-Bahn Kochstraße U6) is the famous "You Are Leaving the American Sector" sign. The actual guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie is now housed at the Allied Museum on Clayallee. For a more interesting exhibit go to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. This is a private museum with kitschy memorabilia from the Wall and the devices GDR residents used to escape the East (including a tiny submarine!). There are also people who set up booths here offering to stamp your passport with souvenir stamps in exchange for a small fee. You are highly advised not to put these stamps in your passport, as these are not official stamps and could invalidate it. Instead, bring along an expired passport or a small booklet to put the stamps in.
This heritage-protected 120-m-long pedestrian tunnel below the river Spree was the first ferro-concrete tunnel in Germany that has been built using pneumatic caissons. Two beaches can be accessed via the tunnel which are not far from its south entrance.
The city's Protestant cathedral and the burial place of the Prussian kings. You can climb to the top and get a view of the city.
Designed by Hans Poelzig in 1929, it is the first self-contained broadcasting house in the world and it is still in use today.
The zoo in the former East Berlin is more spacious than its West Berlin counterpart, the historic Berlin Zoo and has been open for some 50 years. The Tierpark has nearly as many animals, but fewer reptiles and aquatic animals. It appears rather like a park with animals than a classic zoo, in fact it is one of the biggest zoos in Europe. There is an old castle from the late 17th century in the northeast of the Tierpark (Schloss Friedrichsfelde).
Built in 1542. An impressive traditional country estate with stately architecture, it is an enclave of untouched regional cultural history and architectonic epochs. The 80-hectare mixed forest also provides a wide network of paths for walking and rambling.
Specializes in 19th-century painting and sculpture; Monet, Manet, Cézanne, C. David Friedrich and other important 18th- and 19th-century artists are well-represented.