In December 2004 I Stayed in the Steigenberger Hotel just off the Kurfürstendamm.
I was working at The Lufthansa Flight Training Centre and had the opportunity to have a look around Berlin.
I was last here in 1967 when my father was stationed at RAF Gatow.
Some pictures below have rollover effects to show the difference a few years makes.
Brandenburger Tor
Here we have a picture of the Brandenburg gate in 2004. The rollover is a similar view from 1967 which shows an early version of the Berlin Wall. Click the image for another view. |
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Soviet War Memorial
Hover over the picture to see the 1967 version, The barbed wire in the forground and armed guard.
The Memorial is guarded by two tanks and two artllary guns. The tanks were the first to reach the city in 1945. The memorial was guarded by Soviet soldiers until re-unification, but now you are able to walk around the memorial. |
Soviet War Memorial
Another picture of the Soviet war memorial. Not a very good picture but does show the difference from 1967 to 2004. The trees have grown and the Reichstag in the background has been rebuilt.
The memorial itself is built from material reclaimed from Hitlers Chancellery in Voss strasse.
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Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
After WWII the church was left as a memorial to the war. Most of this area, the Ku-damm, was severly bombed in November 1943. |
Siegessäule
The Victory column built in 1873. For €2 you can climb the internal spiral staircase and then look out across the city. Best done on a clear day unlike the misty morning I tried. The staircase does have stopping places which you will need! |
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Schloss Charlottenburg
Severely damaged by allied bombing in 1943, the palace was meticulously reconstructed after the war. |
FunkTurm
Radio Tower 1925.
€4 gives you a nightmare ride up the central lift. The lift is rather fast and leaves your stomach behind. The view from the top is superb. Except it was rather misty when I went up. Rollover the image to view the 1967 version (not many differences) and click to see the Funkterm itself
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Reichstag
Rollover to view a daylight picture.
The Reichstag was the home of the German Parliament. It was burnt down on 27th February, 1933. |
Soviet War Cemetary
In Treptower Park, near Schonefeld airport.
The soldier is holding a sword with one hand and clutching a child with the other arm. He is standing on a broken swastika .
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©2004 Mark Wolff | Last updated
15-Apr-2006
