Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
no longer the obvious place from which to explore Berlin. After the new Hauptbahnhof es-
sentially put Bahnhof Zoo out of business in 2006, the area was left with an identity crisis.
Now, more than 20 years after reunification, the west side is back and has fully embraced its
historical role as a chic, classy suburb.
A few interesting sights sit within walking distance of Bahnhof Zoo and the Savignyplatz
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Kurfürstendamm
Western Berlin's main drag, Kurfürstendamm boulevard (nicknamed “Ku'damm”), starts
at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and does a commercial cancan for two miles. In the
1850s, when Berlin became a wealthy and important capital, her “new rich” chose Kurfür-
stendamm as their street. Bismarck made it Berlin's Champs-Elysées. In the 1920s, it be-
came a chic and fashionable drag of cafés and boutiques. During the Third Reich, as home
to an international community of diplomats and journalists, it enjoyed more freedom than
the rest of Berlin. Throughout the Cold War, economic subsidies from the West made sure
thatcapitalismthrivedonKu'damm.Andtoday,whilemuchoftheoldcharmhasbeenham-
burgerized, Ku'damm is still a fine place to enjoy elegant shops (around Fasanenstrasse),
department stores, and people-watching.
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Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche)
This church was originally dedicated to the first emperor of Germany. Reliefs and mosaics
show great events in the life of Germany's favorite
Kaiser,
from his coronation in 1871 to
his death in 1888. The church's bombed-out ruins have been left standing as a poignant me-
morial to the destruction of Berlin in World War II.
Cost and Hours:
Church—free, daily 9:00-19:00; Memorial Hall—free, Mon-Sat
10:00-18:00, shorter hours on Sun. Located on Breitscheidplatz, U2/U9 and S-Bahn: Zoolo-
gischer Garten or U1/U9: Kurfürstendamm,
www.gedaechtniskirche.com
.
Visiting the Church:
The church is actually an ensemble of buildings: a new church,
the matching bell tower, a meeting hall, and the bombed-out ruins of the old church, with its
Memorial Hall. The church may still be undergoing renovation when you visit (though the
interior should still be open to visitors). The renovations were undertaken to strengthen the
foundations of all four buildings, which should make it possible for visitors to get to the top
of the church for the first time in 60 years.
UnderaNeo-Romanesquemosaicceiling,the
MemorialHall
featuresasmallexhibitof
interesting photos about the bombing and before-and-after models of the church. After the
