Holiday in Berlin

[Jona Lendering]

About a month ago, I had to be in Berlin, a city I like very much, but where I hadn't been for several years. When I left, I felt somehow a bit unsatisfied, because I had not been able to see the renovated museums at my leisure. So I returned last week for a holiday.

I will not bore you with the details about which museums you must visit (the Pergamon Museum of course) and which restaurants to avoid. One monument, however, is not in the travel guides, and will be interesting to people studying warfare: the WW2 bunker excavated by Berliner Unterwelten e.V. It was absolutely fascinating - and shocking. The story about the fall of Berlin has been told often, but when you hear about it down under, it suddenly comes very close.

U-Bahn Gesundbrunnen; website. There's an old Flak Tower next to it.

[Lindsay_Powell]

The History Channel aired two great documentaries in the last 12-24 months where this group was involved (I believe the DVDs are available for purchase):
Cities of the Underworld: Hitler's Underground Lair: Berlin, and Cities of the Underworld: Hitler's Last Secret (clips at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e_qCGLn89Y )
Lost Worlds - Hitler's Supercity (clip here at http://www.history.com/videos/lost-worl ... st-stadium )

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

It would be interesting to see. And eerie too I imagine.
Saw the documentaries over the last couple of years about these places.

[Phaichtos]

Thanks for that link I will be returning to Berlin next month, so maybe I can try to check it out! I'm really looking forward to my stay already because they FINALLY have the Altesmuseum renovated and opened to the public (in addition to the Pergamon museum and everything else *Homer Simpson drool*

[Jona Lendering]

I'm really looking forward to my stay already because they FINALLY have the Altesmuseum renovated

Only the upper floor, with Etruscan and Roman art, actually. The lower floor (Greek art) was closed last week and will remain closed for several months. (more)

The renovated Neues Museum is a bit of a disappointment, although the collection of papyri certainly justifies a visit. The Pergamonmuseum, the Bode-Museum, and the Alte Nationalgalerie are just fine. Across the river now is the GDR-museum, which is not really worth a visit; if you have time to spend, go to the Gemäldegalerie - you can easily combine it with a visit to the Bendlerblock (Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand).

[Phaichtos]

I'm really looking forward to my stay already because they FINALLY have the Altesmuseum renovated

Only the upper floor, with Etruscan and Roman art, actually. The lower floor (Greek art) was closed last week and will remain closed for several months. (more)

The renovated Neues Museum is a bit of a disappointment, although the collection of papyri certainly justifies a visit. The Pergamonmuseum, the Bode-Museum, and the Alte Nationalgalerie are just fine. Across the river now is the GDR-museum, which is not really worth a visit; if you have time to spend, go to the Gemäldegalerie - you can easily combine it with a visit to the Bendlerblock (Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand).

Oh drats, that's a bit disappointing, then. I was looking forward to the Neues Museum too though; is it mostly a "disappointment" because of the arrangement? I was hoping to check out the Prehistoric and Bronze Age stuff most of all...