by Richard P. Greenfield
(Page 2)
by Richard P. Greenfield
(Page 2)
Berlin has museums for everything from sugar to transport and technology. For art lovers, out in Dahlem, there is an art museum with a room full of Rembrandts and two relatively unknown paintings, one each by Brueghel and Bosch. Also, if by chance, ancient history is your passion, the Pergamon Museum is a must-see. The museum features the Lion Gate from Babylon, and a collection of Greek and Roman coins to rival any other. In addition, the Russians have acknowledged that they have the so-called Trojan Gold -- the largest, most elaborate hoard of ancient treasure yet discovered, donated to Germany by archeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Schliemann was the dreamer who read Homer,then pursued his dream and found the site of Troy (though the gold, ironically, is not from the Trojan era!) When it is returned, presumably, it will also reside at the Pergamon Museum.
There is one other museum that is a should-see in Berlin. The former headquarters of the Staatsicherheit Dienst, Stasi for short, secret police to us. Forschungs und Gedankstatte Normannenstrasse is the actual former headquarters of the Staatsicherheit Dienst. It is now a series of exhibits on activities conducted by the Stasi.
Most people confuse Stasi with the foreign espionage apparat
but they were very different. Stasi was directed entirely at
internal surveillance and monitoring foreigners while they were
in the DDR (Deutsche Demokratiche Republic or East Germany). They had their own separate army,
militia, etc. And they were so hated that a few months after the
Wall was broken, a crowd stormed Stasi Central -- what is now the
museum -- and seized millions of files. Similar actions took place
in other cities in the DDR. If there was bloodshed, it was very
little, and, given how well armed the Stasi troops were, and the
fact that it was their last stand, very surprising. Even more
surprising is the inside of Stasi Central. For
all the billions of dollars and deutschmarks and rubles they
controlled, the interior
decor looks astonishingly like a Motel 6.
Berlin nightlife goes on all night and into the morning. This tradition precedes WWI. Like any city that was occupied by foreign armies (4 of them), the city has its share of flash and flesh, bars and discos. The alternative scene, which used to be centered in Kreuzberg, near the Wall, has now moved East. There, many clubs, pubs, and restaurants can be found along Oraninenburgerstrasse in what used to be East Berlin. Rave parties are very popular in Berlin. There are also a number of free magazines that can be found at most clubs, which list events at any/all clubs.
There are some clubs worth seeing just to be believed.
BUNKER (corner Albrechtstrasse and Reinhardtstrasse), is literally an old Luftwaffe bunker from WWII with meter thick re-enforced concrete walls. Since it would probably take a tactical nuke to damage the building, the East Germans left it alone. Now, it has a main dance floor, a bar serving wine, beer and soft drinks and four flights up, another dance floor with strobelights and music cranked up to decibels high enough to wobble your brainstem like jello.
