Tag Archives: View

Teufelsberg – A Return To The Devil’s Mountain

Berlin was cold but sunny yesterday and when a friend had the ‘crazy idea’ to walk up the Teufelsberg I didn’t take much persuading.

The Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain) is a hill in the Grunewald forest in Berlin and is most famous for the former NSA Listening Station that sits at its peak.

As we walked from Grunewald S-Bahnhof I recounted the story of my previous trip to Teufelsberg in August 2010. Then, the Grunewald lived up to its name (Green Forest) but yesterday the predominant colour was white, the snow laying thick on the ground.

Having reached the top of the Teufelsberg we walked around the perimeter fence of the former NSA facility occasionally stopping to look up at the domes looming high above us.

On the Western slope of the hill we came across a group of sledgers, skiers and snowboarders enjoying the snow on the Rodelberg (the best translation from Google is toboggan mountain).

When we reached the main gates of the former NSA Listening station a guide was preparing to take a group of visitors on a tour and on a whim we decided to join them.

For €7 (or a reduced price of €5 for students) our guide led us to the main building in the complex and up the highest tower.

The main change to the building since my last visit was the addition of lots of great Street Art (much of it created for the aborted Artbase 2012 event) – so much in fact that I will post about it separately.

Our first stop as we climbed the tower was the highest floor with a view over Berlin.

Then it was up to the top dome, with its incredible acoustics, where we were treated to an impromptu performance from a singer who was there when we arrived.

Our guide (off camera in the video) then took up the baton and gave his own performance.

As we descended we stopped on the roof of the main building for more photo opportunities and as luck would have it we had timed it perfectly to see some wonderful colours in the sky as the sun began to set.

And then it was time to leave.

I think that €7 is a small price to pay for the wonderful views over Berlin and the opportunity to walk around the former NSA Listening Station at Teufelsberg but the adrenaline rush of sneaking through the fence on my previous visit was sadly missing.

Berlin Skyline – The View From the Parkdeck of Neukölln Arcaden

Snapshot: Berlin Skyline at Night from dem Französischen Dom

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The Berlin skyline at night From Der Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) on Gendarmenmarkt

This shot of the Berlin skyline at night was taken form the viewing platform of the Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) on Gendarmenmarkt as I took photos of the Weihnachtsmarkt Zauber for my Christmas Markets in Berlin – 5 Stars post.

The Berlin Skyline At Night: The view from the Neukölln Arcaden

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The roof of the parking garage at the Neukölln Arcaden shopping centre may seem like an unlikely place to include in a ‘must-see Berlin‘ list but when you see the view of the Berlin skyline from there it starts to make sense.

This viewpoint features in the book ‘111 Orte in Berlin, Die Man Gesehen Haben Muss‘ (111 Places in Berlin You Have to See), an interesting book (though a struggle for me to understand with my poor German) with some unusual suggestions.

Having discovered the joys of night photography when capturing the spectacle of the Berlin Festival of Lights I jumped at the chance of a night-time photo walk with Digital Cosmonaut and suggested the Neukölln Arcaden.

I will certainly return to the roof of the Neukölln Arcaden to take more photos – it’s rare to find such a great view for free. It will be good to see how the skyline looks when the Fernsehturm isn’t lit up for the Festival of Lights and I’d also like to capture the scene in daylight.

Berlin From Above: The Sunset From The Fernsehturm

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A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to take a VIP trip up the Fernsehturm in Berlin’s Alexanderplatz and to make it even more special I got to watch the sunset form Berlin’s highest vantage point.

I had been out for the afternoon with my friend Bine doing the Schnitzeljagd (Scavenger Hunt) around the Berlin of the middle ages. The Schnitzeljagd is part of Berlin’s 775th Anniversary celebrations, which also includes an exhibition celebrating the City of Diversity on the Schlossplatz.

I had been up the Fernsehturm once before during a holiday in 2010 but I have to say that getting the VIP treatment (no queuing necessary) made this extra special.

At 368m high the Fernsehturm (German for TV Tower) dominates the skyline in Berlin, a generally flat city, and is therefore a useful landmark to navigate by.

The lifts take just 40 seconds to reach the observation deck, travelling at approximately 6 metres per second, which somehow doesn’t feel fast at all, and from there you have a wonderful 360° view of Berlin.

It was strange to look down on the Sun Deck of the Park Inn Hotel, another great place to look out over Berlin, which is where I watched the sunset for this post.

As we had spent much of the afternoon on the Schnitzeljagd, the light was already beginning to change when we climbed the Fernsehturm and it wasn’t long before Berlin was bathed in a beautiful golden light.

And not long after that the sun began to sink and gold turned to orange.

Once the sun dipped below the horizon, a pinkish hue appeared in the sky.

This was a magical experience and I will certainly return to the Fernsehturm to take more pictures in daylight.

If you’re in Berlin, it is well worth visiting the Fernsehturm to see spectacular views over Berlin and if you can time it so that you get to see the sunset too, you won’t be disappointed.

Sunset Over Berlin: The view from the Park Inn on Alexanderplatz

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I’ve been meaning to check out the view from the Sun Terrace of the Park Inn Hotel on Alexanderplatz since @SandyInBerlin tweeted a link to a post about it on Just Travelous.

So when Luci from In A Berlin Minute was scouting a location for her next video last week I joined her.

The Sun Terrace is on the 40th floor of the hotel and accessed by taking Lift A to the 37th floor and following the directions up the stairs from there. The €3 entrance fee is a small price to pay for the view it buys you.

And what a view it is.

Whilst I enjoyed the view from the Siegessäule and the Französischer Dom (both of which also cost €3) the proximity of the Fernsehturm made this just a little bit more special. The changing light before and after sunset made Berlin look even more beautiful than usual.

Sunset Over Wannsee

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After spending the sunny part of Saturday being silly and getting sunburnt at Slow Travel Berlin’s sports day for adults, the Slowlympics, watching the sunset over the Wannsee from a small sandy beach was a relaxing way to end the day.

Berlin has many lakes and on sunny summer days Berliners flock to them to sunbathe and swim. Wannsee is the first Berlin lake that I have visited (unless you count drinking at Café am Neuen See in the Tiergarten) but James and Zoë from überlin make a compelling case for a trip to Schlachtensee.

The Reichstag

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The view from the roof of the Reichstag must be one of the best free views in Berlin.

I first visited the Reichstag on my first full day in Berlin in 2009. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and I got up early in the morning and queued on the steps to get in. Unfortunately, the dome was closed for cleaning and renovation. Fast forward to 2012 and a new booking system has been introduced. It is no longer possible to just turn up – a visit must be booked online at least two days in advance.

So when the weather app on my phone suggested last week that we were in for a few days of sunny weather I booked my visit. But my weather app let me down and when the day of my visit arrived it was grey and raining, however, as I was booked in I made the trip anyway.

The Reichstag, built to house the German parliament, was formally opened on 5 December 1894 but shortly after the Nazis came to power in 1933 it was ravaged by fire.

During the years of division, the parliamentary seat of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (West Germany) was in Bonn but following reunification the Bundestag (German parliament) voted to return the seat of power to Berlin. Sir Norman Foster was selected to draw up the plans for the reconstruction of the building and the Reichstag resumed its function as the parliamentary home in 1999, complete with a spectacular glass domed roof.

The cupola is 40 metres in diameter and a spiralling walkway allows visitors to climb to a viewing platform below the opening in its roof.

The opening allows stale air to escape from the plenary chamber below and the light sculpture, a cone of 360 mirrors, reflects light back down reducing the energy needed to light the chamber.

A giant sunshade rotates with the movement of the sun to reduce the glare of the reflected light.

The energy needs of the building are also served by 300 square metres of solar panels on the roof.

Even on a rainy day the elevated position affords some wonderful views over Berlin.

On a clear day you can see far into the distance and pick out many of Berlin’s landmark buildings with the help of the leaflet ‘Outlooks Berlin panorama: View from the dome’ available in the reception area.

The Carillion and Tiergarten in the foreground and Funkturm (West Berlin’s TV Tower) in the background.

The Siegessäule rising from the Tiergarten and in the far distance the former NSA listening station at Teufelsberg.

An audio guide is also available free of charge and provides a commentary to accompany the climb up to the top of the dome and the return to the roof.

The German flag flies from three of the four corners of the roof. The flag of the European Union flies from the other corner.

The stonework around the roof space is decorated with some very impressive statues and figureheads.

Visits to the Reichstag can be booked on the Bundestag website and don’t forget to take photo id with you on your visit.

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral)

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I’m not a religious person but I’ve always been drawn to churches and cathedrals for their architecture and character. The Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) is certainly an impressive sight and one of Berlin’s iconic landmarks.

Located as it is on the Museuminsel (Museum Island), the cathedral is guaranteed a high footfall and anyone walking passed will notice the imposing dome. Of course, those visiting the museums are also likely to appreciate the history of this grand church.

As with the Französicher Dom, this has never been the seat of a bishop so is not technically a cathedral, but the name persists.

The current cathedral building was consecrated in 1905, though the existence of a cathedral on the site can be traced back through various incarnations to 1465. The building did not escape damage during the war though and a bomb that struck the dome started a fire that led to the dome collapsing into the church below. A more detailed history can be found on the Berliner Dom website.

As the midday prayer service was in progress when I entered the building today I decided to explore from the top down and headed straight for the viewing gallery.

I was very disappointed to notice, as I climbed the staircases and navigated the narrow corridors en route to the viewing gallery, that some who had gone before me had written on the walls in marker pen and biro. I’m very drawn to Street Art and Graffiti but I can’t understand why anyone would feel the need to scrawl their name on the walls in a cathedral. Thankfully, it’s not in a part of the cathedral used for worship but all the same, why?

Re-emerging into the sunlight after the 270-step climb, I was greeted by a wonderful view of the Rotes Rathaus (the Red City Hall), another of Berlin’s iconic buildings.

As I circled the dome I found that there were memorable views in every direction and some impressive statues. I was pleased to find out that I’m not the only one fascinated by the Fernsehturm (TV Tower).

On my way back to terra firma I checked out the Cathedral Museum, with its models of the building, both outside and in, and models of some of the statues.

Down another staircase and there was a door to a balcony offering a view over the floor of the cathedral.

Having walked back down to the ground floor, the first thing that struck me as I entered the Sermon Nave of the church was the spectacular domed ceiling. Shortly after which my eye was drawn to the altar and chancel, with its intricate stained glass depictions of the Birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection.

The Baptismal and Matrimonial Chapel and the pulpit are also worthy of some close attention.

Down again and I entered the crypt and an extensive collection of sarcophagi, the most touching of which for me was that of the ‘namenlose prinzessin’ (unnamed princess), daughter of Prince Adalbert of Prussia, who was born and died on 4 September 1915.

After that for me it was the usual ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’.

Berliner Dom, Am Lustgarten; Entrance Fee – €7; Audio guides available – €3.