| Reviews and photos of Berlin attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Berlin sightseeing. Berlin Map |
 | Berlin Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 3200 |  |
In 1905 Albert Einstein, who was then a 26-year-old employee of the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, published six scientific papers which among other things solved the long-standing problem of Brownian motion and introduced the totally new theory of Special Relativity. The 100th anniversary of these papers in 2005 was the occasion for numerous exhibitions on Einstein and his life and work.
Here at the Humboldt University in Berlin is where Einstein worked (and sometimes also lectured) from 1914 to 1932.
Thanks to VT member kokoryko (Hermann) for pointing out that Berlin was where Albert Einstein wrote his seminal paper on the theory of General Relativity, "the paper which changed our vision of the universe". This paper was first published in the Journal of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin in 1916.
Second photo: Here again is my favorite book on Einstein: Subtle is the Lord… The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein by Abraham Pais, published 1982 by Oxford University Press. Just don't ask me to explain the equations, okay?
Third, fourth and fifth photos: People riding bicycles past the Humboldt University on the street Unter den Linden. Albert Einstein was a keen cyclist who once said that he got the idea for his Special Theory of Relativity while riding his bicycle. Another Einstein quotation: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” Leave a Comment Address: Unter den Linden 6, 10117 BerlinPhone: 030 20930Directions: Across the street from the State Opera House GPS 52°31'3.21" North; 13°23'37.14" EastWebsite: http://www.hu-berlin.de/
|
 | |  |
Visiting Berlin?
Read reviews about Berlin Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Photos:
1. Deutsches Theater = German Theater
2. Cyclist at the German Theater
3. Another cyclist at the German Theater
The big sign in neon-enhanced handwriting at the front of the Deutsches Theater (German Theater) says "Verweile doch" meaning roughly "stick around a while" -- inviting you to stay and see one of their productions, presumably.
But "Verweile doch" is also a well-known quotation from a literary work that this theater has performed repeatedly in recent years, Goethe's Faust:
Werd' ich zum Augenblicke sagen:
Verweile doch! du bist so schön!
Dann magst du mich in Fesseln schlagen,
dann will ich gern zugrunde gehn!
(Roughly: If I ever say to a moment: Stay! you are so beautiful! Then you can bind me in chains, then I'll be glad to perish.)
Faust says this when he is negotiating his pact with Mephistopheles, the Devil. They agree that Faust is allowed to do anything he wants, travel around the world and demand anything he likes from Mephistopheles, but as soon as he decides that one particular moment is so beautiful that he wants it to last for ever, his soul is lost. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 1. Sculpture in front of the
old Jewish cemetery by Nemorino, 1 more photos
1. Sculpture in front of the old Jewish cemetery, Hamburger Straße
2. Plaque at the old Jewish cemetery
The plaque (second photo) reads:
This was the site of the first old people's home of the Jewish Community Berlin. In 1942 the Gestapo changed it into a collection camp for Jewish citizens. 55000 Berlin Jews from babies to elderly people were abducted to the concentration camps Auschwitz and Theresienstadt and brutally murdered.
DO NOT EVER FORGET THAT
PREVENT WAR
PRESERVE PEACE Leave a Comment Address: Hamburger StraßeDirections: GPS 52°31'27.56" North; 13°23'58.60" East
|
The Palast der Republik has finally gone and the area has been grassed over. It appears that an archaeological dig is happening on one side of the site which is probably looking at the old Stadtschloss. The history of this site is interesting. The Stadtschloss stood on this site but was damaged during world war 2. It could have been repaired but was demolished by the old GDR government. The Palast der Republik was later constructed between 1973-6 but it had a short life because asbestos was used during its construction and it was closed in 1990. The problem of what to do with the building rumbled on for years before it was decided to completely demolish the building. Now that the building has finally gone it has been decided that a reconstructed Stadtschloss should be built on the site. A competition was held for a new design which was won by a little-known Italian architect, Franco Stella. The building will have a faithful reproduction on three of the four sides and most of the interior courtyard, but the architect will be allowed to use his imagination on the fourth side. Building work should start in 2010 with a projected cost of 540 million euros and it is believed it will become the number one tourist sight in Berlin. Time will only tell. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 The Memorial to Homosexuals
persecuted under Nazis by alancollins, 2 more photosLeave a Comment Address: Tiergarten ParkDirections: Across the road from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
|
| | |
Visiting Berlin?
Read reviews about Berlin Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
 Musical instrument museum by Nemorino
Right next door to the Philharmonie, in fact in the same complex of buildings and built in the same style, is the Musical Instrument Museum (Musikinstrumenten-Museum).
Here you can see hundreds of musical instruments from various centuries, and in many cases you can here recordings of these instruments from the "CD-towers" that are placed throughout the building.
The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.00 - 17.00, Thursday from 9.00 - 22.00, Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 - 17.00. Closed Mondays. Also closed on the 1st and 16th of May, which are (still) holidays in this part of Germany.
Admission is EUR 3.00, or EUR 1.50 for those who get a reduction. It is free for young people up to the age of 16, and free for everyone on Thursday evenings after 18.00.
You can also see some interesting collections of historical musical instruments in Brussels, Nürnberg, Stuttgart and Paris.
Leave a Comment
|
| | |
The Egyptian Museum at the Museuminsel is one of the three best Egyptian museums in Europe. Its shares this position with the Egyptian departments of Le Louvre and the British Museum.
Visiting Berlin without seeing the famous bust of Nefertiti would be as sad as visiting Paris without seeing La Joconde-Mona Lisa!
The Egyptian Museum, now located in the Neues Museum at the Museuminsel, reopened on 16th of October 2009. The collection consists of 45.000 objects. Most famous are the bust of Nefertiti, the sculpture with the head of Queen Tiy and the so called "Berlin Green Head". There is also a papyrus collection with 60.000 texts in various scripts.
I visited twice the Egyptian collection when it was located in Charlottenburg. So I can not comment the present lay out but I can say that it is a wonderful collection of Egyptian art. Indeed it seemed to me that in Berlin priority was given to the aesthetical value of the exposed artefacts. Le Louvre and British Museum are more oriented towards artefacts and objects of daily life in Egypt.
Opening hours:
Mon, Tue, Wed and Sunday 10.00 - 18.00 h
Thu, Fri, Sat 10.00 - 20.00 h.
Address: Bodestraße 3, D-10178 Berlin-MittePhone: +49 30 20905577Directions: U-Bahn: Friedrichstraße
|
| | |
 1. The Belvedere at
Charlottenburg Palace by Nemorino, 2 more photos
1. The Belvedere at Charlottenburg Palace
2. Porcelain in a padded box for safe storage
3. Porcelain on display in the museum
The Belvedere in the park behind Charlottenburg Palace was first built as a lookout pavilion in 1788 by the architect Carl Gotthard Langhans for King Frederick William II of Prussia.
Since 1971 this has been the site of the KPM Porcelain Collection of the city of Berlin. KPM stands for "Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur" or Royal Porcelain Manufacturing, which was formed in 1763 when two private porcelain companies were taken over by the king.
Even for a paper-plate kind of person like me, this is a very impressive collection and well worth the 3 Euro admission charge (2.50 if you get a discount).
The opening hours from April to October are 10.00 to 18.00, but during the winter only from 12.00 to 16.00. Closed Mondays. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Photos:
1. Charlottenburg Palace
2. Statue in the palace garden
3. The palace from a bridge in the garden
4. Walking towards the palace on Schlossstraße = Palace Street
From the excellent English-language audio guide we learned that this palace was originally built by Elector Frederick III as a summer residence for his wife Sophie Charlotte in 1699. It was later expanded into a royal palace after Frederick became the first Prussian King, Friedrich I.
The palace was severely damaged by allied bombing in 1943, but was carefully reconstructed after the war.
Behind the palace is a large park which was originally a formal French Baroque garden. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was gradually transformed into an English-style landscape garden. After the Second World War a small part right behind the palace was again laid out in the original French style. Leave a Comment Address: Spandauer Damm 10-22, 14059 BerlinPhone: 030 32 09 11Directions: Bus X9, 109, 145, 210 GPS 52°31'13.66" North; 13°17'44.65" EastWebsite: http://www.spsg.de/index.php?id=134
|
| | |
|
More Berlin Travel Deals Berlin Hotels
Luxury hotels in Berlin. Book now on the official site. Berlin Germany Hotels
Get Our Best Price Guarantee on All Hotels in Berlin at Expedia. Hotel in Berlin
Free breakfast when you stay at Express by Holiday Inn. Book today! Sponsored Links - Abacus Tierpark Hotel
Franz-Mett Strasse 3-9, Berlin - Classik Hotel Magdeburg
Leipziger Chaussee 141, Berlin - Kubrat Hotel Berlin
Leipziger Strasse 21, Berlin - Hotel Bellevue Berlin
Emser Strasse 19 - 20, Berlin - Les Nations
Zinzendorfstrasse 6 Tiergarten, Berlin - Hotel Comenius
Grünberger Strasse 22, Berlin - Courtyard By Marriott Berlin City Center
Axel-Springer-Strasse 55, Berlin - Belahr
Stresemannstraße 97 (formerly Antares Am Potsdamer Platz), Berlin - Hotel Benn
Ritterstrasse 1a Spandau, Berlin - Estrel Hotel and Convention Center
Sonnenallee 225, Berlin - Eurohotel Berlin Airport
Rudower Strasse 90, Berlin - Active Hotel Helle Mitte Berlin
Kurt-Weill-Gasse 7 Hellersdorf, Berlin - Andersen Hotel Schwedt/Oder
Gartenstrasse 9 Schwedt, Berlin - Hotel Nova
Weitlingstrasse 15 Lichtenberg, Berlin - Amadeus Hostel Berlin
Brunnenstrasse 70-71 Mitte, Berlin
|
