Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
usually in groups of fifty to a hundred; the last train left on March 27, 1945. he
station received only mild damage during World War II, which left it roofless but
otherwise mostly intact. Despite attempts to preserve it, it was blown up in 1952 -
someone had put in a good offer for the bricks. Now just a fragment of the facade
stands, hinting at past glories. he patch of land that the station once covered is today
a park, and includes the
Tempodrom
, a tent-shaped arts venue.
Gruselkabinett
Schöneberger Str. 23a • Mon 10am-3pm, Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sun 10am-7pm, Sat noon-8pm • €9.50 •
W
gruselkabinett-berlin.de •
S-Anhalter Bahnhof
One of a handful of Nazi buildings left in the city, the blunt and featureless former
bunker just southwest of the old Anhalter Bahnhof was built during the war by the
Reichsbahn for travellers using Anhalter Bahnhof. Now it contains the
Gruselkabinett
,
an amateurish “chamber of horrors”, which is a strange mix of historical and playful.
he most interesting section is given over to the bunker itself, with a few artefacts
found here and in Hitler's bunker (see p.39) and recordings of Allied bombings.
7
Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin
Trebbiner Str. 9 • Tues-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm • €6 •
W
sdtb.de • U-Möckernbrücke
Opened in 1982 in the former goods depot of the Anhalter Bahnhof, the
Deutsches
Technikmuseum Berlin
presents a comprehensive - some might say overwhelming -
overview of technology created in Germany. he vast collection includes trains and
planes, as well as computers, radios, cameras and more. here's a strong emphasis on
rail, with trains from 1835 to the present day, but there are also maritime and aviation
halls and exhibits on technology from the industrial revolution to the computer and
space age, and on the development of the pharmaceutical and chemical industry and its
impact on everyday life. A new exhibition on the history of mobility is housed in the
annexe on Ladestrasse. hough much of the museum is based on viewing life-sized
reproductions and actual machines, the
Science Center Spectrum annexe
at
Möckernstrasse 26 is dedicated to interactive exhibits.
Bergmannstrasse and around
At the end of the nineteenth century, many buildings around Bergmannstrasse housed
working-class families and survived the war to be painstakingly restored in what was
West Berlin. he area is now thoroughly gentrified, though with a laid-back bohemian
feel, and it's certainly a pleasant place to live. Bergmannstrasse
is lined with cafés,
bistros and
Trödelläden
(junk and antique shops), and boasts
the
Marheineke
Markthalle
, a good indoor food market.
Chamissoplatz
, just south of Bergmannstrasse, is worth a look for its well-preserved,
balconied nineteenth-century houses and, a block south, its water tower. he square
also boasts one of Berlin's few remaining Wilhelmine
pissoirs
- ornate public toilets,
characteristically dark green in colour, erected in an early attempt at sanitation. his
one has been recently renovated, and is open to the public (men only).
Viktoriapark
At its western end Bergmannstrasse crosses the broad thoroughfare of Mehringdamm
to become Kreuzbergstrasse. On this street lies
Viktoriapark
(the “Kreuzberg”, as it's
popularly known), which, draped across the slopes of a hill, is one of the city's most
likeable parks, a relaxed ramble of trees and green space run through by a pretty brook.
Here you'll find the
Golgotha Café
and disco (see p.196), packed on summer evenings;
Germany's northernmost vineyard; and, atop the hill, the
Cross
(more a Neoclassical
spire) from which Kreuzberg gets its name, designed by Schinkel to commemorate the
Napoleonic Wars. he view is good, too.
FROM TOP
THE SOVIET MEMORIAL
P.128
; TOPOGRAPHY OF TERROR
P.121
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