Archives for posts with tag: panorama

Müggelturm

23.01.2012 //
0

Most people instantly think of the Fernsehturm when searching for a panoramic view of Berlin. While the view is certainly breathtaking, and various alternatives are available in ‘downtown’ Berlin, there’s a hidden gem some twenty kilometers southeast from it. Located on the smaller of two hills formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age, the Müggelturm offers a lesser-known and distinctive panoramic view of Berlin.

Built between 1959 and 1961, the tower was built to replace the previous tower that had suffered severe damage due to fire. With its restaurant and sun terrace, the tower became a touristic highlight in East-Berlin with 240,000 visitors yearly. The glory days of the tower have long past, however, and the nearly 30 meters tall structure is in a decaying state. Although the structural integrity of the tower (seems) to be maintained, mostly due to a 2005 overhaul of the tower, many of the panoramic windows on the intermediate floors are already broken or missing, and a new layer of paint wouldn’t hurt. The adjacent buildings, which once housed the restaurant, are in an even worse state and are not accessible.

After walking up the 126 steps of the tower (which add up to the 111 or 374 steps that lead up to the tower base, depending on which direction you’re coming from), you will enjoy a view ranging up to 50 kilometers depending on weather. To the north are a bunch of Soviet residential flats. To the northwest you’ll see Berlin’s skyline behind Köpenick. To the southwest one can clearly distinguish the Schönefeld airport. The other directions are characterized by small villages and woodlands. In the immediate surroundings, one can see the many lakes that Köpenick is famous for.
If you’re going to visit the Müggelturm, you can either take the bus up to Bus X96 Rübezahl and walk the last kilometer to the tower. To reach this bus, change either at S-Bahn Köpenick or at U-Bahn U5 Elsterwedaer Platz. Alternatively, a visit to the tower can be combined with a hike through the surrounding woods, which is a popular activity on sunny days. The stations of S-Bahn Grünau, using ferry F12 (public transport tickets including zone B suffice, alternative buy a short trip ticket on board) to cross the Dahme river, or S-Bahn Friedrichshagen, crossing the Spree river through the 1927 Spreetunnel, are within an hour’s walking distance.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags , , ,
Categories berlin

Panoramapunkt am Potsdamer Platz 1

02.03.2011 //
0

Located right on the famous Potsdamer Platz is the Panorampunkt in the Daimler Chrysler building. The fastest elevator in the world takes you up to the 24th floor in a mere 20 seconds, from where you can go outside and enjoy a walk along around the entire building. You’ll be able to get a superb view of the Tiergarten and neighboring Bahntower, as well as the Potsdamer Platz of course. As the building’s higher than most around it, you’ll be able to see other districts as well. There’s also an exhibition on the history of the square along the walkway.

The Panoramapunkt is rather hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but the entrance is located along the Alte Potsdamer Straße. The building you’ll be looking for is the red-brick building which has a sharp point facing the Potsdamer Platz. If you want to enjoy a drink with a view, you can do so in the café on the 24th floor, or on the sun terrace at the 25th. The sun-set is said to be among the best in Berlin, but I haven’t yet seen that.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags , ,
Categories berlin

Park Inn panorama terrace

02.02.2011 //
0

So you’ve been queueing up at the Fernsehturm to enjoy a view from behind glass? Why not take a different approach and go up to the roof of the nearby Park Inn hotel on Alexanderplatz! It will offer you a spectacular, though ‘just’ 180 degree, view over Berlin’s Mitte area. Not having to stand behind glass, you enjoy the view over Unter den Linden, up to Tiergarten, across the Museuminsel. You can watch trains meander through the city over the Stadtbahn train tracks from Hauptbahnhof to Ostbahnhof. And while doing so, you can rest in one of their beach chairs while enjoying a drink from the small stand at the entrance.

And the best thing of all, it’s much cheaper than the Fernsehturm, but you will not be as high up, nor do you have a chance for a view across the trendy Prenzlauer Berg district. To get there, just hop on one of the hotel’s elevators to the top floor, from where signs will guide you to the stairs to the roof, or ask directions at the reception. For non-hotel guests an entrance fee is payable upon entering the terrace.

The Park Inn also offers rooms with a view, if you want a view all through the day and night, or you can sign up for a bungee jump from the panorama terrace, which leaves you screaming and the crowd on Alexanderplatz cheering at your bravery.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags , , , ,
Categories berlin

Berliner Fernsehturm

19.01.2011 //
1

The selling point of Berlin. Visible throughout the city, and the trademark of the city. Often you’ll find the ‘i’ in Berlin styled as the Fernsehturm. It might not be beautiful, but it’s in the hearts of many Berliners. It marks home. For the tourists there’s a decent view from the globe on top, although weather conditions may reduce the view. Last time I was there you had to get up early to avoid the queue, but they’ve recently won an award for their entry system: visitors can receive an sms shortly before they’re allowed to enter, so you can wander around freely until then.

The television tower has been built in former Eastern Berlin, in a way that their people could get a glimpse of the western part of the town, and western Berliners would always see this masterpiece of communist engineering. The original design was by Hermann Henselmann and the sphere should resemble a Sputnik space-craft. It was operational by October 1969 and still is the tallest structure in Germany with 368 meters in total height. The original elevators took 42 seconds to get to the top, although they have now been replaced by newer, faster elevators, taking two seconds less to reach the viewing platform at 204 meters. The tower is frequented by over a million people every year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories berlin