t Dramatic façade of the Jüdisches Museum Berlin
Berlin’s history is brought to life by an eclectic mix of architecture on display across the city. With stunning buildings and gardens designed by some of the world’s most famous architects, the city is overflowing with amazing structures and spaces which make Berlin feel like an open-air art gallery.
t Dramatic façade of the Jüdisches Museum Berlin
One of the most famous collections of modern architecture can be found at Potsdamer Platz, which boasts skyscrapers by starchitects like Renzo Piano and Frank Gehry. Also worth seeking out is Daniel Libeskind’s Jüdisches Museum Berlin, whose jagged, slashed façade and dramatic interior are intended to express notions of violence and absence.
The former Eastern parts of the city are peppered with blocky GDR-era architecture. The most famous and impressive ensemble is around Alexanderplatz, whose iconic Fernsehturm – along with some of the surrounding prefabricated high-rises (such as the Haus des Lehrers) – was designed by prominent East German architect Hermann Henselmann.
For decades, Neo-Classical architecture was all the rage in Berlin, and the city centre has many striking examples of this grand and elegant style. Many can be found on Museumsinsel and Unter den Linden, which feature several designs by the prolific Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Of special note are the Konzerthaus on the city’s handsome Gendarmenmarkt, and the Neue Wache, designed as a guard house for the Kronprinzenpalais and now home to aWorld War II memorial.
The pretty Nikolaiviertel is the best place to get an idea of how the city used to look, although the area is not as old as it appears. Reconstructed during the 1980s by the GDR, it features cobbled streets and the 13th-century Nikolaikirche, as well as striking examples of Rococo at the Ephraim-Palais, and Baroque at the Knoblauchhaus.
Schinkel was one of the most renowned German architects; even today his work forms an essential element of the architectural landscape of Berlin. For many years Schinkel held a high-profile position in the Prussian Building Ministry. In Berlin and Potsdam he designed several dozen buildings, including palaces, civic buildings and churches, many of which still stand today. He also excelled at painting and even designed scenery for the opera house on Unter den Linden, among others.
Discover Berlin You Way
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841)
Prussian architect whose Greek-inspired designs are found throughout the city.
Peter Joseph Lenné (1789–1866)
Prussian Garden Director-General whose English-style gardens in Potsdam are now a UNESCO sight.
Hans Kollhoff (1946–)
German architect whose designs reflect classical and traditional forms. He is involved in the future plans for Alexanderplatz and the Bauakademie.