Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE BRIDGES OF MUSEUM ISLAND
Unless you're hopping off bus #100 from Bahnhof Zoo or Alexanderplatz (alight at
Schlossplatz) the most attractive way to get to Museum Island is from S-Bahn Hackescher
Markt. From there walk west through the square, then through Monbijoupark to
Monbijoubrücke beside the Bode-Museum or, by ducking under the railway arches,
cross the Spree to the Alte Nationalgalerie on Friedrichsbrücke , another pedestrian
bridge. Both bridges are replacements for ones destroyed by the German army during the
Battle of Berlin - more interesting are a couple of the bridges that survived the war intact.
Schinkel's Schlossbrücke at the eastern end of Unter den Linden is particularly impressive.
It first opened on November 28, 1823 when not fully completed, lacking among other
things a fixed balustrade, and 22 people drowned when temporary wooden barriers
collapsed. Eventually cast-iron balustrades were installed, featuring graceful dolphin,
merman and sea-horse motifs designed by Schinkel. The Jungfernbrücke , meanwhile,
a drawbridge tucked away behind the former Staatsrat, is Berlin's oldest surviving bridge,
built in 1798.
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Just south of Museum Island likes the huge expanse and giant building site of
Schlossplatz , where the Residenz once stood. his began as a martial, fortified affair
- as much for protection from the perennially rebellious Berliners as from outside
enemies - but over the years domestic stability meant it could be reshaped on a
slightly more decorative basis. In a demonstrative break with Prussia's Imperial past
the GDR tore down the war-damaged palace to make way for a huge parade plaza and
some of its most important civic buildings: the Palast der Republik and the Staatsrat .
hen, in another demonstrative break, this time with its communist past, Berlin's
current administration decided to tear down the former and rebuild the Schloss - an
ongoing project.
Schlossplatz and around
East of Unter den Linden, beyond the Schlossbrücke, is Schlossplatz , the former site of
the Berliner Schloss , the old Imperial Palace, the remains of which were demolished by
the communists after the war, and which, along with the Berliner Dom (see p.53),
formed the Imperial Residenz .
The Humboldt Box
Schlossplatz 5 • Daily: April-Oct 10am-8pm; Nov-March 10am-6pm • €4 • W humboldt-box.com • S-Hackescher Markt
Despite its angular and futuristic look, the Humboldt Box museum is actually all about
the past. It's here to promote the controversial rebuilding of Schloss (see p.54) and is
chock-full of propaganda designed to encourage public donations. Nevertheless, the
place is worth a look for some detailed history of the site and in particular a delightful
scale model of Unter den Linden, Museum Island and the Schloss, all circa 1930: a
tremendous amount of work has gone into getting the historical details correct: even
tiny statues have been reconstructed using aluminium foil. he museum also has some
original palace stonework, detailed plans of the proposed reconstruction and great
views over current building works. he shop sells wonderful postcards of old Berlin.
Staatsrat
With the Palast der Republik gone, the only reminder of the GDR on Schlossplatz is
the one-time Staatsrat , or State Council, an early 1960s building on the southern side
of the platz, with some stylistic a nities to Stalin-era Zuckerbäcker architecture. Its
facade incorporates a large chunk of the Schloss, notably the balcony from which Karl
Liebknecht proclaimed the German revolution in 1918 (see p.251). he building is
now the campus for the European School of Management and Technology.
 
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