Page 98 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Germany

96  BERLIN AREA B Y AREA WESTERN CENTRE  97

t Potsdamer Platz o Museum für
Naturkunde
In the short space of a few years, a modern financial and business district sprang up on the Natural History Museum
vast empty wasteland surrounding the Potsdamer Platz . It boasts splendid Invalidenstraße 43. Map 1 E2.
constructions designed by Renzo Piano, Arata Isozaki and Helmut Jahn. Tel (030) 20 93 85 91.  Natur kunde-
As well as office blocks, the area has many public buildings, including museum. @ 147, 245. v M6, M8, 12.
cinemas and a theatre, as well as a huge shopping centre – the Open 9:30am–6pm Tue–Fri, 10am–
Arkaden, plus luxury hotels, restaurants and several bars. 6pm Sat & Sun. Closed 24, 25 & 31 Dec.
& ∑ naturkundemuseum.berlin
The Beisheim Center has a Occupying a purpose-built
mix of exclusive apartments Neo-Renaissance building
and international hotels. dating from 1883 and 1889,
this is one of the biggest natural
The Reichstag, crowned by a dome designed by Sir Norman Foster history museums in the world,
with a collection containing
The Sony y Reichstag and 2003 to accomodate the over 30 million exhibits.
Center
Platz der Republik. Map 1 E4, 4 A1, A2. relocation of the German Despite several extensions
Tel (030) 22 73 21 52.  Bundestag. government from Bonn in 1999. and renovations, it has
PO T SD AMER  Brandenburger Tor. @ 100, M85. Most of the buildings offer maintained its unique old-
PL A TZ
Open 8am–midnight daily (last limited access to the public, fashioned atmosphere.
admission 10pm); bookings for a time but several art and political The highlights are the world’s
slot to visit or for a restaurant exhibitions are open daily and largest dinosaur skeleton, housed
reservation are required at least a few art and architecture tours run in the glass-covered courtyard,
E
The Sony Tower, designed N days in advance. 8 at weekends. and the original skeleton of a
T
by Helmut Jahn, is the most L Tyrannosaurus rex called Tristan
modern building in Potsdamer A S Built to house the German i Hamburger Otto. The colossal brachiosaurus
Platz and is curved on one side T Parliament, the Reichstag was measures 23 m (75 ft) long and
and flat on the other. U N constructed between 1884 and Bahnhof 12 m (39 ft) high. It was found in
1894 to a New-Renaissance Invalidenstraße 50/51. Map 1 D2, B2. Tanzania, in 1909, by a German
G
S
design by Paul Wallot. Tel (030) 266 42 42 42. fossil-hunting expedition.
S
This office building, the T R In February 1933, a fire  Zinnowitzerstraße.  Haupt- The adjacent rooms feature
tallest in Potsdamer Platz, has A destroyed the main hall, and bahnhof. @M41, TXL, 120, 123, 147, collections of fish, birds and
an observation terrace and café S S 245. v M6, M8, 12. Open 10am–6pm
on the 24th and 25th floors. E the impending world war mammals. Favourites with
delayed rebuilding work for Tue–Wed & Fri, 10am–8pm Thu, children include Bobby the
decades. Between 1957 and 11am–6pm Sat & Sun. Closed Mon, Gorilla, who lived in Berlin Zoo
Arkaden, opened in autumn 1998, 1972, the reconstructed 24 & 31 Dec. 7 ^ & from 1928 until 1935, and the
immediately became one of the Reichstag was the meeting- famous polar bear Knut. The
city’s favourite shopping centres. place for the lower house of the This museum is situated in a museum also has an impres-
German Parliament as well as a Neo-Renaissance building, sive collec tion of minerals
Theater am Potsdamer Platz, spectacular backdrop for formerly the Hamburg Railway and meteorites.
designed by Italian architect Renzo festivals and rock concerts. station, which dates from 1847.
Piano, hosts musicals throughout the After German reunification in It stood vacant after World War II
year and is the main location for
Berlinale, the annual film festival. 1990, the Reichstag was the first but, following refurbishment by
meeting place of a newly Josef Paul Kleihues, it was
elected Bundestag. The opened to the public
most recent update, by in 1996. The neon
Sir Norman Foster, installation
transformed the surrounding the
Reichstag into a façade is the work
meeting hall. of Dan Flavin. The
museum houses
u Regierungs- a magnificent
collection of contemp-
viertel orary art, including the
Government Quarter work of Erich Marx and,
from 2004, the
Map 1 D3, D4 ,E3, E4; 4, 4
A1, A2.  Bundestag. Jeff and Ilona (1991), world-renowned
 Brandenburger Tor. Hamburger Bahnhof Flick collection. The
@ 100, M85. result is one of the
The Debis House, 0 metres 100 L A N D W E H R K A N A L best modern art museums to
designed by Italian 0 yards 100 Located in the bend of the River be found in Europe, which
architect Renzo Piano. Spree, the new government features not only art, but also Brachiosaurus skeleton in the
quarter was built between 1993 film, video, music and design. Museum für Naturkunde
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp492–3 and pp510–11
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