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1st – 4th APRIL 2004 |
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| Our exploration of Berlin will start in the heart of the old city, where we will explore the area around the huge Alexanderplatz with its distinctive television tower, Fernsehturm, some 365m tall. Here also is the ‘Rotes Rathaus’, the town hall of Berlin of 1869 with terra cotta plaques of the city’s history around the building. We will have time for a walk up Unter den Linden and its sumptuous public buildings. We will have a look at some of the interesting railway stations in the city; the Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstrasse stations, both recently refurbished, and the Zoo station which, despite its modernistic look, dates from 1936. We will also have a look at the remains of what was the most splendid of the stations, the Anhalter Bahnhof of 1880 which was damaged in World War 2 and never rebuilt. Whilst in the area we can visit the world-renowned German Technical Museum, which is housed in part of the Anhalter Goods station. Here can be found examples of the work of the Borsig company and AEG, whose works we will see on Saturday and Sunday. A recent addition to the Museum is a new Maritime Gallery, opened late in 2003. |
The Anhalter Bahnhof |
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The impressive AEG Gateway |
Saturday will take us first to the Oranienburger Tor area, where we can admire the Post Office building of 1881 and the restored Synagogue in a similar style. It was in this area that iron-working and engine-building was undertaken in the mid 19th century before pollution-control forced them further out of the city. The company of Borsig was best known for its railway locomotives and we can see what remains of its headquarters as well as Borsig's grave in the nearby cemetery. After lunch we will be able to see the famous AEG Turbine Hall of 1909. AEG employed Peter Behrens who designed buildings for them as well as many of the electrical items they made. Finally, we will go towards the outskirts of the city to visit the early 20th century Borsig works. This is no longer in use but we will be able to admire the new uses to which the old buildings have been put. |
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| Our Sunday morning will start at the Oberbaumbrücke constructed in 1896, with a view of the Osthafen which was once one of the crossing places from east to west Berlin. Here, too, we can admire the S-Bahn built at high level above the street. Our last stop will be at the early 20th century AEG complex in the Voltastrasse area, where a number of factories remain among the ‘miethäuser’ or tenements where their workers lived. |
Detail from the Oberbaumbrücke (c) Sue Hayton, 2004 |
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City Safaris are organised by Heritage of Industry Ltd, 80 Udimore Road, Rye, Sussex, TN31 7DY
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