MOON METRO BERLIN

Moon Metro Berlin
1st Edition
ISBN 1-56691-637-2
$16.95
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Rapid change is perhaps the only constant in Berlin. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the city has played host to cultural experimentation on a scale not seen in Europe in more than a century. Artists, architects, politicians, real estate developers, and entrepreneurs have all flocked here, creating a high-flying boomtown feel. In a matter of only a few years, they have begun to transform Berlin into the world-class metropolis it once was.

The transformation has not always been a smooth one—Berlin is still growing into its new role as Germany’s political and cultural capital. The city often feels like a group of very different small towns only loosely knitted together. The fat federal subsidies that supported West Berlin throughout the cold war are long gone, and some of the eastern parts of the city are still struggling to recover from four decades of Communist neglect.

The restructuring of Berlin after reunification has been a painful process that will likely take years to sort out. But all this change gives Berlin a rough, unfinished charm and energy, and encourages the kind of novelty and innovation that more polished cities find harder to cultivate. Berlin’s abundance of inexpensive real estate draws young and creative artists eager for opportunities to make their mark. The city’s world-class nightlife is doing its best to pick up where the raucous and racy Berlin of the 1920s left off. And the city has become a mecca for architects plying prestige projects and bold, futuristic designs.

The pace of construction work may have slowed considerably since the mid-1990s, but huge cranes still crowd the skyline and colossal building sites continue to snarl the city’s traffic. Despite all the chaos, Berliners find it easy to stay connected to nature. There are several lakes and forests nearby and many parks in the city, including the large and leafy Tiergarten at its very heart.

Germany’s largest city—Berlin has 3.4 million residents—may pride itself on being modern and forward-looking, but it also wears its history on its sleeve. Even the business and population boom of the city in the mid-1990s could not conceal the scars of World War II, still visible everywhere, whether in the form of the bombed-out Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Charlottenburg or the newly built Jüdisches Museum in Kreuzberg. Scattered throughout Berlin are memorials to victims of the Third Reich, as well as monuments to the victorious Soviet Red Army, which crushed the last Nazi resistance here in 1945. The more recent wounds of the cold war are evident in the few pieces of the Berlin Wall that remain standing, such as the East Side Gallery. Dig deeper and you’ll discover the city’s imperial and Prussian past, as well as its roots as a small medieval mercantile town.

Getting around to see it all couldn’t be easier. Berlin’s impressive public transportation system will carry you everywhere you need to go, whether by the U-Bahn subway, the S-Bahn elevated city train, or convenient buses and trams. Just remember to take plenty of pictures as you buzz around this work in progress; you can be sure that Berlin today will not be the same tomorrow.