Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top Five Buildings since 1990
Jüdisches Museum (Daniel Libeskind)
Reichstag Dome (Norman Foster)
Sony Center (Helmut Jahn)
Neues Museum (David Chipperfield)
Hauptbahnhof (central train station; Gerkan, Marg und Partner)
Potsdamer Platz
The biggest and grandest of the post-1990 Berlin developments, Potsdamer Platz is a mod-
ern reinterpretation of the historic square that was Berlin's bustling heart until WWII. On
terrain once bifurcated by the Berlin Wall has sprung an urban quarter laid out along a
dense, irregular street grid reminiscent of a 'European city'. Led by Renzo Piano, it's a col-
laboration of an international roster of renowned architects, including Helmut Jahn, Richard
Rogers and Rafael Moneo. Structures are of medium height, except for three gateway high-
rises overlooking the intersection of Potsdamer Strasse and Ebertstrasse.
Pariser Platz
Pariser Platz was also reconstructed from the ground up. It's a formal, introspective square
framed by banks, embassies and the Hotel Adlon that, in keeping with Critical Reconstruc-
tion, had to have natural stone facades. The one exception is the glass-fronted Akademie der
Künste (Academy of Arts). Its architect, Günter Behnisch, had to fight tooth and nail for this
facade, arguing that the square's only public building should feel open, inviting and trans-
parent. The Adlon, meanwhile, is an almost exact replica of the 1907 original.
If you want to learn more about Berlin's contemporary architecture, sign up for a tour
(also in English) with Ticket B ( www.ticket-b.de ), an architect-run guide company.
Diplomatenviertel
Some of Berlin's most exciting new architecture is clustered in the revitalised Diplomaten-
viertel (Diplomatic Quarter) on the southern edge of Tiergarten, where many countries re-
built their embassies on their historic pre-WWII sites.
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