If you plan to visit Germany (hopefully we will be able to travel again soon) you might want to know where to go and what to do. In that case, we got you covered!
Since this page is called "Lerngermanonline030" you will not be surprised to learn that I consider Berlin the best city in the universe. Therefore, we will kick off this series with things to do in Berlin. Considering Berlin is the best city in the world there are many things to name, which means there will be several posts about Berlin. We will start with Parks.
1. Planetarium - Schöneberg + Prenzlauer Berg
Berlin has two planetariums (due to the Berlin Wall it has two of almost everything). Both are worth a trip if you are interested in stars and planets. If you speak German I recommend checking out the events offered by them. But even if you do not speak German I recommend checking if they one of my favorite events: "PINK FLOYD - DARK SIDE OF THE MOON". It is a beautiful show where you sit back in the lounge chairs, listen to Pink Floyd and enjoy 360°-projections. If you watch the show in the "Großplanteraium" you can also enjoy a Lasershow before it starts.
2. Britzer Garten - Neukölln
The Britzer Garten is hands down my favorite park in Berlin. It has everything you want from a park: an extensive lake and meadow landscape for picnics or long walks, amazing flower beds, dense tree groves with widely ramified streams and springs. It also offers a relaxed and varied program for those who prefer more sporting activities to achieve inner satisfaction. In
addition, a Kneipp health trail with three stations distributed throughout the park.
3. Südgelände - Schöneberg
This is a really unique park because it combines art, nature, and historic technology. Especially if you are a fan of street art this is the place to go. The park's rich diversity and powerful vitality inspire imagination and creativity. It offers artists space for original sculpture, music, painting, photography, and visual arts creations. Visitors exploring the park do so on steel artworks made by the ODIOUS group of sculptors. Walkways, treehouses, and pipes enclose the landscape and nature conservation areas, providing visitors with both insights and spectacular views. Tempelhof shunting railyard was built in 1889 and closed in 1952. After the railyard closed, nature gradually ‘reconquered’ the site. Valuable dry grasslands, groups of shrubs, and a pristine forest grew out of the former railway wasteland, all without human influence.
4. Gärten der Welt - Marzahn
The extensive Marzahn Recreational Park, today better known as the "Gardens of the World", was opened by the East Berlin city government in 1987 to commemorate the city's 750th anniversary. Over the years, Japanese, Balinese, Middle Eastern, Korean and Christian-themed gardens have been added, as well as the Italian Renaissance Garden and the Chinese Garden of the Recovered Moon. The last is Germany's largest Chinese garden and marks the reunification of the city of Berlin, with the moon considered symbolic of the perfect harmony and unity of the world according to Chinese teaching. The plants bloom year-round in the Karl-Foerster Perennial Garden. The Gardens of the World in East Berlin is one of the most beautiful idylls of the city and an oasis for the soul. If you're still craving more after all those fascinating plants, streams, and temples, check out the maze garden and the hedge labyrinth.
5. Bergmannstraßenfriedhof - Kreuzberg
This one might strike you as unusual. However, I do recommend a visit. This is a very old and very big graveyard. Despite being able to see graves that are almost 200 years old it is also a beautiful green space. The four adjacent churchyards on Bergmannstrasse in Kreuzberg are among the oldest and most important cemeteries in Berlin. Visitors can walk from cemetery to cemetery through breaches in the wall. The cemeteries contain the gravesites of numerous important personalities, such as Friedrich Schleiermacher, Adolph von Menzel, Theodor Mommsen, and Gustav Stresemann. The cemetery complex is characterized by a rich diversity of flora and fauna due to its age, its size as well as its in parts extensive maintenance concept. The cemeteries are considered the most species-rich green space in Kreuzberg. The high density of breeding birds is particularly striking.
6. Friedenau
Friedenau is a not-so-well-known district in Berlin and in my (absolutely) subjective opinion the most beautiful district in Berlin. This part of the Schöneberg borough is characterized by ample streetside trees and little garden plots in front of the old Gründerzeit houses. Locals like to spend their after work-day hours in the diverse cafés, and restaurants or shop in organic supermarkets. Life hasn't changed so much around here, and most locals like it that way. Being somewhat off the typical go-to areas, this neighborhood with its little maze-like streets and well-tended public squares and parks makes for a beautiful walk or cycling tour.
It also was the home of many many famous people:
· Max Bruch, composer, Albestraße 3
· Hans Magnus Enzensberger, poet and writer, Fregestraße 19
· Max Frisch, architect and writer, Sarrazinstraße 8
· Günter Grass, writer, Nobel laureate in Literature, Niedstraße 13
· Theodor Heuss, the later President of Germany, Fregestraße 80
· Erich Kästner, writer Niedstraße 5 (with his secretary Elfriede Mechnig),
· Herta Müller, writer, Nobel laureate in Literature, Menzelstraße 2
· Bernd Pohlenz, cartoonist, Rotdornstraße
· Rainer Maria Rilke, lyric poet, Rheingaustraße 8
· Walter Trier, drawer and illustrator, Elsastraße 2
· Kurt Tucholsky, satirist and writer, Bundesallee 79 (former Kaiserallee)
7. Pfaueninsel - Wannsee
Peacock Island is always worth a trip. Think fair-tale like castles, surrounded by fountains, tree-fringed lawns, splendid gardens, and peacocks sitting everywhere. Peacock Island is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The enchanting island that was turned into a nature conservation area can only be reached by ferry. Not just rich in natural glory, Pfaueninsel is home to numerous historical edifices including a monument that resembles a fairy-tale castle, beautiful gardens, ponies, sheep, and lots of opportunities for a picnic
What are your favorite parks in Berlin? Please share your tips in the comments!
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