Deans Conference 2008 - Berlin Information

Berlin Information

Berlin, the capital of Germany is dynamic, cosmopolitan and creative, allowing for every kind of lifestyle. East meets West in the metropolis at the heart of a changing Europe. Germany's largest city is a city of opportunities just waiting to be seized in all areas, like entertainment, recreation, economy, science and academic life.

Useful Information

Berlin's integrated public transport system (known as the BVG) is the best way to get about.
An interconnected three-zone system (ABC) which only requires one ticket, allows you to hop from bus to underground (U-Bahn) to surface rail (S-Bahn) and tram with one ticket. Trams are fast and convenient and small ferries will get you across Berlin's lakes.

TAXIs are numerous and available at all times (almost). Taxi stands can be found at all main stations and airports as well as outside KADEWE and hotels. Most Berlin taxi drivers speak English, but don't take it for granted.
Taxi Fares: Start at € 2.50 and € 1.53 per km; Short Ride (Kurzstrecke): a € 3,50 ride for up to 2 km drive if you hail the taxi from the street.

Cultural Information Berlin

During a short stay in Berlin you should not miss a visit to the historic city centre.

City-East

In Mitte, the eastern centre, touring around the well-known boulevard Unter den Linden is worth the pain of claimed feet. Here one finds some of the most interesting historic buildings of Berlin, like the Zeughaus, the National Opera, the Humboldt University and, of course, the Brandenburg Gate. Do not miss Friedrichstraße avenue with its mixture of modern buildings and historic facades. The Gendarmenmarkt with the two cathedrals and the concert building is one of the most picturesque places of the city.
We also recommend to visit Oranienburger Straße. Here you will find the New Synagogue with its golden dome. This street also offers a huge number of scenic stores, bars and restaurants.

Potsdamer Platz with its futuristic architecture forms an interesting contrast to the historic buildings in the city centre of Mitte.

City-West

Another alternative forms a strolling tour along the Kurfürstendamm boulevard in the western part of the city. Here plenty of shops and cafés are inviting you to rest. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church)is well-worth seeing. It was destroyed during the second world war and only partly reconstructed afterwards. Around this church there is a typical example of modern commercial buildings of the 50th and 60th with Berlin's first shopping mall (Europa-Center), cinemas, restaurants and department stores. You should also visit the KaDeWe at the lovely underground station Wittenbergplatz, further on the Ludwig-Erhard-Haus and the Savigny-Platz.

Sightseeing Tour

The well-known bus number 100 forms a cheap and easy alternative of a sightseeing tour. This bus line passes a lot of the most important places of interest taking you on its way from the western centre to the eastern city. Some of the bus drivers with their typical Berlin slang and rough way of talking are some kind of entertainers, that will transform your tour in an unforgettable event. So you will get to know Berlin in a different way!

Cultural information Berlin

BLUE MAN GROUP
The blue miracle of Berlin: Tall, slim, shining blue like painted with finish, a little bit crazy and extraordinary musical. A spectacular show, received rave reviews  and being constantly improved.
BLUEMAX THEATER, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 4, 10785 Berlin (Mitte),
www.bluemax-theater.de, Top Ticket Line: 0 18 05 / 44 44 (14 Cent/Min.)

Stars in Concert
"Stars in Concert" is a glamorous homage to the world's legendary show business stars. To the accompaniment of the topclass "Stars in Concert" Band, deceptively authentic lookalikes perform live the international hits of the mega stars they portray. In a constantly changing programme singing and dancing stars from Las Vegas delight their audiences.
08.30 P.M., Estrel Festival Center, Sonnenallee 225

Berliner Philharmoniker
Sun 24,02,2008 8 P.M.
Philharmonischer Chor Berlin, Ensemble Oriol Berlin, Uwe Gronostay DIRECTION,
Cornelia Samuelis SOPRANO, Bogna Bartosz CONTRALTO, Lothar Odinius TENOR, Ekkehard Abele BASS (CHRISTUS), Klaus Mertens BASS (ARIAS)
Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion
Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1, 10785 Berlin (Mitte)

Exihibition

Pergamon-Museum
With 850,000 visitors a year, the Pergamon is Berlin's prime museum. Hardly surprising, given its three outstanding collections under one roof: the Antiquity Collection, the Museum of the Near East and the Museum of Islamic Art.

The DDR Museum Berlin – Life in the GDR
Welcome to one Europe's most interactive museums!

Experience history in a vivid, interactive and playful way: The DDR Museum Berlin offers you a hands-on experience of the everyday life of a state long gone, the life in socialism. Visitors are welcome to broaden their knowledge in different thematic areas, to reconsider existing clichés and to have a hands-on experience of history. Exhibits are there to be handled - few are kept in glass cabinets. Everything waits to be touched and experienced: Open the drawers and closets, rummage through them and discover!

The smell of the Trabi is still originally GDR-like: take a seat, turn the ignition key, eyes front, foot on the gas pedal and here we go! Typical engine noises of the Trabi and a simulated ride through the concrete-slab housing estate give an impression of what it was like to go for a ride in such an original.

DDR Museum Berlin
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1, opposite Berliner Dom, 10178 Berlin