Tiergarten
It originally served as hunting grounds
for the Prussian princes until it was made into a park in the 18th
century. From 1818, the landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné
laid out the site in the English landscape style, and statues
were added from 1850. On the former Siegesallee (Avenue of
Victory), Wilhelm II. set out 32 marble sculpture groups which
were supposed to depict the royal ancestors but which the
Berliners jokingly dismissed to as "puppets". The
Siegesallee was relocated by Hitler, and the remains were
dismantled after the war.
Die
Gedächtniskirche or the Memorial Church
On Kurfürstendamm you find this monument
to peace and reconciliation, and the internationally famous
symbol of Berlin's desire to rebuild itself in the aftermath of
the war. The protestant Gedächtniskirche consists of an ensemble
of church ruins and the modern buildings which surround it, and
is consequently characterized by the stark contrast of history
and modernity.The neo-Roman church, which was intended to recall
the glory of the first German Kaiser, was built in an ornamental
style from 1891–95 to plans by Schwechten. After the church
was destroyed in an air raid in 1943, the ruins – a
constant, unavoidable reminder of the horrors of war for
Berliners – were supposed to be demolished to make way for
the planned new building in 1956. After a storm of emotional
protests, it was decided to integrate the ruins into the new
building.
Click on the
small pictures to get a larger version.
| Tiergarten,
a great place to relax for a while |
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| When
you are inside - dont forget to look up |
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