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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.