Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
POTSDAMER PLATZ REGENERATED
Said to have been the busiest square in prewar Europe, Potsdamer Platz was once a vibrant
area, surrounded by stores, bars and clubs. The war left it severely battered, though it regained
some of its vitality in the chaotic years immediately following as a black-market centre at the
junction of the Soviet, American and British sectors. Later, West Berliners watched from their
side of the dividing line as the Soviets put down the East Berlin uprising of 1953.
The Cold War was then played out here in words, with the Western authorities relaying their
version of the news to East Berliners by means of an electronic newsboard - countered by
an Eastern billboard exhorting West Berliners to shop in cheap East Berlin stores. This ended
with the coming of the Wall, which finally put a physical seal on the ideological division of
Potsdamer Platz. On the Eastern side all the buildings (which were mostly war-vintage wrecks)
were razed to give the GDR's border guards a clear field of fire, while in the West only a couple
of battered survivors, including the hulk of the fine old Hotel Esplanade , were left as a reminder
of the way things used to be.
The dismantling of the Wall produced one of Europe's most valuable lots, a huge empty site
in the middle of the city. It was no surprise, therefore, that - despite earlier plans for a more
flexible use - in the end huge multinational corporations won out, purchasing the land and
creating equally huge sprawling commercial complexes . Building this mini-city from scratch
represented a feat of engineering. An entire power, water and sewage infrastructure was
created; subway tunnels drilled and new S- and U-Bahn stations built; the surviving Weinhaus
Huth, a landmark building, was picked up and trundled to another spot; and the remaining
interior portions of the Hotel Esplanade were incorporated into a new restaurant.
Now, after years of construction work, almost everything around Potsdamer Platz is
complete. Dominated by the o ces and apartments of the rich, it's the most muscular display
of multinational power in the city - and so not to everyone's taste - but probably exactly what
Berlin needed to compete as a global metropolis.
pioneers and film stars. Among the latter was Henny Porten, a sturdy blond often
portrayed in 1920s Germany as an ideal German woman, but who fell from grace
under the Nazis when she refused to leave her Jewish husband.
he turmoil of the Weimar years produced some of the highpoints of German
cinema, including he Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920), Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927)
and he Blue Angel (1930), which launched Marlene Dietrich internationally. he
museum is particularly strong on Dietrich, since it inherited much of her estate on her
death in 1992 - and quite a haul it was too: over 3000 documents, 15,000 photos and
some 3000 clothes stuffed into sixty valises. he museum's treatment of the Nazi era is
both clever and circumspect. here's slender detail on the most famous filmmaker of
the time Leni Riefenstahl , known for her magnificent portrayal of the 1936 Olympics
in Olympia , but infamous for her willingness to glorify the Nazis in propaganda films
like Triumph des Willens. he museum plays this and other propaganda films, including
the deplorable Jud Süss , a tale of a dishonest Jew, on TV sets in unmarked drawers that
line the walls of the room; you'll probably need to try a few drawers to find them.
Propaganda was obviously a part of the Nazi era, but far more popular, particularly
during the war, were escapist films - Hitler himself was a big fan of Mickey Mouse.
Postwar cinema receives less attention, but television fans will enjoy the video
retrospective in which thousands of images from German television are simultaneously
shown on a big screen. here's also a formidable back catalogue of TV programmes
accessible in viewing booths.
Legoland Discovery Centre
Potsdamer Str. 4 • Mon-Sat 10am-7pm • €16, online discounts • W legolanddiscoverycentre.de • U- & S-Potsdamer Platz
he Legoland Discovery Centre obviously exists largely to promote a product, but few
kids leave disappointed. It's aimed largely at 3-10 year-olds and there's a cinema, castle,
dragon rides and a workshop in which to go brick-crazy - the few small freebies go
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search