Berlin post-modern style

Description:

Europe's largest Jewish Museum presents the panorama of German-Jewish history, its cultural achievements, and its horror. The history of German Jewry is portrayed through objects, works of art, and documentation. The most talked-about museum in Berlin, the Jewish Museum is housed in a building that is one of the most spectacular in the entire city. Called "the silver lightning bolt," it was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. To some viewers, the building plan and the scarring in the zinc-plated facade suggest a shattered Star of David. Oddly shaped windows are haphazardly embedded in the building's exterior.

Inside, the spaces are designed to make the visitor uneasy and disoriented, simulating the feeling of those who were exiled. A vast hollow cuts through the museum to mark what is gone. When the exhibits reach the rise of the Third Reich, the hall's walls, ceiling, and floor close in as the visitor proceeds. A chillingly hollow Holocaust Void, a dark, windowless chamber, evokes much that was lost.

The exhibits concentrate on three themes: Judaism and Jewish life, the devastating effects of the Holocaust, and the post-World War II rebuilding of Jewish life in Germany.

The roots of this museum were in an older museum opened in 1933 shortly before Hitler's rise to power. That collection of art and Judaica was shut down by the Gestapo in 1938, and all of its holdings were confiscated.

The on-site Liebermanns Restaurant features a world cuisine, with an emphasis on Jewish recipes -- all strictly kosher.

Our Local Expert Says:

Cafe Bagdad is open 24-7 and, in addition to the delicious kebabs on offer, check this place out on weekends when you may be lucky enough to catch an electronic music party taking place on the terrace. Peculiar but oodles of fun!

Description:

As well as many other things, the Turks are renowned for their passion for barbecues and grilled meats. This passion is also reflected amongst the Turkish community in Berlin; Bagdad is an establishment where all manner of dishes are prepared over glowing charcoal embers. The perfect place to line your stomach before a night out in Kreuzberg's pubs and clubs.

Description:

Berlin's biggest beer garden is idyllically located on the banks of the lake in the heart of Tiergarten park. Café am Neuen See is a traditional Bavarian beer garden that serves up southern German specialties (pretzel, white sausages, roast pork and meat loaf), as well as standard European dishes such as pasta, pizza and barbecued meat and fish. A large beer should help you wash down the hearty food. The garden is illuminated by hundreds of candles flickering on the tables.

Description:

What is cinema but shadows and illusions? Entering a small room with low ceilings, visitors gasp in awe as walls of mirrors transform the room into a seemingly endless hall. Film fans then wind their way along a narrow path, past huge screens with images of stars from the silent era into the universe of German film. Berlin's brightest star is undoubtedly Marlene Dietrich and the show seems to revolves around her, with countless scenes from the classic Blue Angel and from her days as a Hollywood diva. What then follows is darkness. The Third Reich's contribution to film is artistically presented in a series of austere metal drawers which line the walls. Post-war cinema is unjustly neglected and confined to just one small room with a handfull of stars. Recently opened in the spanking new Sony Centre, the Berlin Film Museum recounts the history of German film using the help of hundreds of enormous screens and projections. Objects vanish in the flood of images and sound, and explanations are sparse. At the very least, it whets your appetite to go to the cinema again. And what luck! A high-speed lift will take you straight to the Arsenal Cinema in the basement of the building.