Top 5 sunsets in Berlin

Berlin TV Tower

The Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm) is probably the most recognisable icon in the city’s skyline. Berliners nicknamed it the Alex Tower and it receives more than a million visitors annually.

Today, it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the German capital, standing out from the rest of the buildings with its large steel dome and its skyward pointing antenna.

It is located in the central Mitte district and is just a stone’s throw from Alexanderplatz.

It was built during the times of the GDR, and nowadays the best thing to do is to enjoy its panoramic terrace, with one of the best views of the city while you visit the bar and restaurant.

The Reichstag dome

The main advantage of going up to the Reichstag dome, (the German parliament building) is that it is free, and the main disadvantage is that you have to book in advance, and considering the fast changing weather in a city like Berlin, it can be a bit tricky to schedule your visit on a clear day to appreciate the views and take good pictures.

However, since it’s free, there’s nothing to lose by booking in advance and going up to have a look at the government district and the centre of Berlin.

If you haven’t been able to book in advance, don’t worry: you can sign up for the tour on the day if there are still places available, otherwise you can always wait at least two hours or two days later. Your booking will only be accepted if it is for the same day or the following day at the latest.

-The dome is open daily from 08:00-00:00 hours and can be accessed every 15 minutes (the last entrance is at 22:00 hours).

The Kolhoff Tower (Panoramapunkt)

This building of curious architecture, located on Potsdamer Platz, stands on one of the places where we used to find the division of the famous wall. If you look up, you will see that the perimeter of the old wall is marked with pebbles.

The main interest of the Kolhoff Tower, apart from the building itself, is that on the 24th and 25th floors it houses Panoramapunkt, an open observation deck that offers the best panoramic view of the centre of Berlin. It has a café and a small exhibition that reviews the history of the reconstruction of the area.

Since this terrace was inaugurated in 1999, the Panoramapunkt has become one of the most visited tourist attractions in Berlin, and no wonder: from its viewpoint we can see the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Cathedral, the television tower, the Reichstag… a complete panoramic view of the most significant buildings in the German capital from a building that boasts the best sunset in Berlin.

– The observation deck is open daily from 10:00-20:00 and costs €6 (€8 if you don’t want to wait in line), making the Kolhoff Tower a cheap alternative to the TV Tower (and just as good).

The Weltballoon

Operated by the company Air Service Berlin, this helium balloon is attached to the ground by a steel cable and rises to a height of 150 metres for a breathtaking view of Berlin.

The downside? It’s the most expensive viewpoint in Berlin, costing around €19.90 per adult and €6.90 for children between the ages of 3 and 10.

If you decide to visit it you have to choose the right day to go up, as the views are very good as long as the sky is clear.

There are rises every 15 minutes, and it operates every day from 10:00-22:00 hours (between April and October) and from 11:00-18:00 hours (between November and March).

It is located next to Checkpoint Charlie, at Zimmerstraße 95-100, so you can take advantage of your visit and try to find our Hotel Gat Point Charlie. In the rooms at the back you can see the balloon as it rises.

Kreuzberg Hill in Victoriapark

The highest hill in Berlin (over 65 metres high), it is clear that Kreuzberg Hill offers one of the best views. It is located in the Victoriapark, (a park located in the heart of Kreuzberg, a very trendy neighbourhood in recent times).

Once at the top you have to walk up to the highest part and you can admire the views of the Kreuzberg district and the centre of Berlin, and even catch a glimpse of the old Templehof airport, which has been converted into a park open to the public (and quite curious, as you can imagine). A romantic spot from which to watch the sunset over Berlin is a real pleasure.

-To get there, take the metro to Mehringdamm (lines U6 and U7) and walk about 10 minutes to the park entrance, which, of course, is free.

Teufelsberg. Devil’s Hill

Our last viewpoint takes us to the outskirts of Berlin… and we assure you that, if you like to get away from the typical tourist sites, this tower, almost 50 metres high, will not leave you indifferent.

It is a former spy station used by the American secret services for eavesdropping during the Cold War, and abandoned after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is not surprising that David Lynch himself (yes, the film director and creator of Twin Peaks) noticed this place, which he tried to turn into a kind of esoteric university (something that was obviously not allowed by the Berlin City Council).

Before becoming a spy stronghold, the site was once a training centre for Nazi soldiers, which the Americans covered with tons of rubble at the end of World War II to build this tower on the promontory, which stands 115 metres above the outskirts of Berlin and is not only a great view of the city but an attraction in its own right.

Today, Teufelsberg is home to graffiti artists, street art photographers and the occasional tourist with an explorer’s soul who comes here to see what is undoubtedly one of the strangest, most ghostly and fascinating places in Berlin.

Art exhibition “Agata Zaleszczyk–Hamme Portraits”

It is a pleasure to invite you to the premiere of our next art exhibition “Agata Zaleszczyk – Hamme Portraits” by Agata Zaleszczyk – Hamme.

Come to discover Zaleszczyk’s ongoing creative exploration, in which “the line, the brushstroke, the colour themselves tell actual stories”.

Check out the artist’s work on www.az-hamme.com

Friday, January 17, 2020.
7 Pm at Gat Point Charlie

Please confirm your attendance via email to sales.berlin@gatrooms.com before 10.01.2020.

“Bosquejo de una Memoria” by Elías and Florencia Lizama

 

Chilean artists, father and daughter, Elías Lizama and Florencia Lizama, and Karnekunst present “Bosquejo de una Memoria” (Trace from a memory), which consists of deconstruction exercises, based mainly on analog photographs made in Chile, during the years 1975-1995 by Elias Lizama.

These photographs are rescued by Florencia, who plays to decipher the memory of her father and her own, through new creations that are directly or indirectly related to the main image. In addition to inviting to remember, “Trace of a memory” invites us to decipher the meaning and importance of family memory in our lives. From a political and emotional perspective, the work is created with the intention of finding new meanings in past events, in order to understand the present.

While the artistic work of Elías is developed in the field of analog photography in 35mm. format. Then Florencia writes poetry (or also called “anti-poetry”) and through collage and the intervention of photographs of unknown authors and years.

The event´s vernissage will be at Gat Point Charlie in Berlin on 24 February 2018 at 18:30. The exhibition will be open until 22 March 2018.

Join the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2007438009472800/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Architectural Gems In Berlin You May Not Have Heard Of

Photo: https://www.bauhaus100.de/en/bauhaus100/contributors/members/Bauhaus_Archiv_Berlin.html

 

For a long time, Berlin has been known as one of the world’s leading hubs for culture, fashion, technology and architecture. Thanks to several world-renowned architectural schools, including the Bauhaus, the city itself has become an architectural laboratory and a magnet that attracts lovers of contemporary urban architecture from all over the world. Today, the eclectic cityscape reflects the creative experimentation that is part of Berlin’s history and new generations of artists from diverse fields are still constantly reinventing it.

To get a better understanding of this unique cultural, artistic and social phenomenon, check out these 5 architectural sites in Berlin that have inspired the work of artists for decades.

 

Bauhaus-Archiv

Architect Walter Gropius was the founder of the Bauhaus School of Design, which became the most renowned college of design, architecture and art in the 20th century, and also designed this building which was inaugurated in 1979. Today, the Bauhaus Archive is a world-famous institution dedicated to celebrating the history and influence of the original architectural school and researching and collecting materials related to it. The archive here is the most varied in the world, and includes a unique collection of furniture, ceramics, architecture, metal, photographs and theatre sets, in addition to works by illustrious teachers at the school such as Johannes Itten, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe or Walter Gropius himself.

+ info: https://www.bauhaus.de/en/

Photo: @schoensric


 
 

Jüdisches Museum

The architectural shapes and styles of the Jewish Museum buildings are the reflection of complex numbers, codes and philosophical concepts taken from Judaism. The main building, which was designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind, has a zigzag shape that some say brings to mind a broken Star of David, while others say it is more like a bolt of lightning. Inside, visitors can access the oppressive Holocaust Tower through an underground tunnel, while outside is the Garden of Exile, which represents the isolation and disorientation felt by those forced to flee the country. The Museum’s permanent exhibition recounts the history of Jewish life in Germany both before and after the Holocaust.

+ info: https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/

Photo: @kennedy__page2

 

Kino International

No self-respecting visitor should take a tour around Berlin’s architectural sights without visiting Kino International. Designed by Josef Kaiser and Heinz Aust, this beautiful three-storey film theatre that stands out thanks to its Soviet-era lines was inaugurated in 1963. It quickly became an iconic part of the city’s cultural landscape. In its heyday, Kino International represented the vanguard in cinemas, with sloping ceilings and seats and walls covered with acoustic panels. Today, it is used to show select productions from all over the world and host renowned cultural events such as the Berlinale Film Festival. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.

+ info: http://www.kino-international.com/

Photo: @vermilt

 
 

Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Did you know that it was here at the House of the Cultures of the World that John F. Kennedy delivered the speech that included his historic faux pas “Ich bin ein Berliner”? Also known as the Pregnant Oyster for its round, gently curving roof, it is Germany’s national centre for the presentation, diffusion and discussion of contemporary art, with a special focus on non-European cultures and societies. Located in the Tiergarten park, it was opened in 1957 and has since become an international platform for theatre, dance, cinema and literature, as well as a popular venue for congresses and exhibitions.

+ info: https://www.hkw.de/en/

Photo: @saraescuderogar


 
 

Corbusierhaus

The Corbusierhaus is not just any old apartment block. Designed for the International Building Exhibition in 1957 by Swiss architect Le Corbusier, the building follows the Unité d’Habitation principle of the housing blocks he built in France in the early 1950s. The complex houses 530 apartments, which are still in use today. Since 2004, Förderverein Corbusierhaus Berlin e. V. (the Corbusierhaus Residents’ Association) is responsible for the upkeep of the communal areas and organises cultural and scientific events in the building.

+ info: http://www.corbusierhaus-berlin.de/

Photo: @daanvandenbroeck


 
 
 

Where is… Easter in Berlin?

During April, Berlin lives one of the most wished celebrations of the year, which is, without doubt, Easter. According to the tale of the German spring goddess Ostara, the German festivity “Oster” was named after her. During Easter we exit the cold winter, as well as honoring the awaken of nature with the arrival of spring. Continue reading “Where is… Easter in Berlin?”

Berlin through the eyes of nine Instagramers… #TheGatExperience in a post

4 days and 9 Instagramers. This has been #TheGatExperience. A new vision of Berlin and of GatRooms. Here you have some of the pictures that @aenede, @msubirats, @nicanorgarcia, @franvat, @lluisillo.photo, @roldixbcn, @olgavimo, @jeplluis and @sil8 have shared with us. Take a look!

Continue reading “Berlin through the eyes of nine Instagramers… #TheGatExperience in a post”