National Geographic Traveler Interactive - 10.11 2019

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KNOW IT

BERLIN

T

his year marks the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus design school,

and Berlin is one of several German cities celebrating an architec-

tural movement that continues to shape the world. But the capital’s

most popular attraction is a wall that no longer serves its purpose.

Today the best known places to meet Berlin’s Cold War ghosts are also

among its most touristy haunts: the EAST SIDE GALLERY, where a mural-clad

stretch of the Berlin Wall remains, and CHECKPOINT CHARLIE (skip the

latter). To understand the magnitude of how this barrier came to cleave

families, a city, and two worlds, head to the nearly mile-long outdoor

GEDENKSTÄTTE BERLINER MAUER, where escape tunnels are marked, a

shoot-to-kill watchtower in the wall’s former “Death Strip” still stands,

and a memorial honors those who died trying to flee the East.

Next to the Friedrichstrasse subway, historical videos and the original

passport control booths at the TRÄNENPALAST (“palace of tears”) border

crossing station show where East Berliners said goodbye to loved ones

returning to the West. At the infamous STASI PRISON, former inmates now

lead tours and offer harrowing accounts of how East Germany’s secret

police used surveillance and scare tactics to exert control.

NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

Cold War

Memories

Landmarks recall
the chilling days of
a city divided

ORANIA.BERLIN

Set in a former Weimar-era

cabaret club, this restored

art nouveau palace is the

first upscale hotel to open

in Berlin’s counterculture

Kreuzberg district. Floor-

to-ceiling windows in the

downstairs salon look out

on graffiti-tagged hipster

bars, while inside, roaring

fireplaces, a Steinway

piano used for nightly jazz

concerts, and chef Philipp

Vogel’s Orania.Restaurant

feel a world apart (tip:

order the Xberg duck).

The 41 rooms and suites

upstairs feature handmade

Iranian carpets, designer

furniture, and sightlines

over Berlin’s punchiest

neighborhood.

HOTEL ADLON

KEMPINSKI

The grande dame of

Berlin’s five-star hotels,

this neo-baroque stunner

has hosted everyone from

the Rockefellers to Queen

Elizabeth since it opened

in 1907. Indulge in a palatial

9,000-square-foot spa, a

double-Michelin-starred

restaurant, and views of

the Brandenburg Gate.

MICHELBERGER HOTEL

Buzzy, funky, and achingly

hip, this playful indie hotel

a block away from the

Spree River oozes “Berlin.”

The former factory retains

its high ceilings, exposed

beams, and immense

windows. Loft beds,

flea-market furnishings,

and an inviting communal

courtyard complete the

curated-crash-pad vibe.

Room Check

O TRENDY

O NEW

O CLASSIC

Visitors snap selfies
in front of the iconic
artwork of the East
Side Gallery.