BERLIN By Edward Flint 5EM

Reichstag The Reichstag was the home of the German government from 1894 until 1933 when it was badly damaged by fire After the Second World War the building fell into disuse and was not refurbished until after the unification of Germany in 1990 Following refurbishment the building was used again by the German government becoming their seat of parliament from 1999 The Reichstag is the second most visited attraction in Germany behind Cologne Cathedral From the huge glass dome on the roof you can see all over Berlin

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate is one of Berlins most important monuments It is a landmark with over two hundred years of history and a symbol of the previously divided city It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia and built between 1788 and1791 Visitors used to climb to an observation platform in order to get a glimpse into East Berlin On June 12, 1987, American president Ronald Regan was at the Brandenburg gate when he issued a stern command to his cold war opponent with the words: Mr. Gorbachov – tear down this wall!

Checkpoint Charlie Checkpoint Charlie, along with the Glienicker Bridge was the best known border-crossing of Cold War days It had a sign which became a symbol of the division of Cold War Berlin. The sign was a dire warning to those about to venture beyond the Wall – it read YOU ARE NOW LEAVING THE AMERICAN SECTOR – in English, Russian, French and German Until the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, the checkpoint signified the border between West and East Berlin

Fernsehturm Tower In 1964 Walter Ulbricht, the leader of East Germany, decided to allow the construction of a television tower on Alexanderplatz The tower was modelled on the Fernsehturm Stuttgart and the first artificial Earth satellite Sputnik After four years of construction the Fernsehturm began test broadcasts on 3 October 1969 and it was officially inaugurated four days later on the GDR's National Day The tower is 368 metres tall and has two lifts, or 986 steps, to take you to a revolving restaurant and a viewing platform in the sphere about 203 metres above the ground From the viewing platform you can see up to 42 km on a clear day It can be seen from all over Berlin and has around a million visitors a year

Olympic Stadium The Olympic Stadium (or Olympiastadion in German) is a major sports stadium in Berlin There have been two stadia on the site: the present building and one that was called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the abandoned 1916 Summer Olympics The current stadium was built for the 1936 Summer Olympics Besides being used for the Olympics the stadium has also been used for football matches including the 1974 World Cup, the 2006 World Cup and the annual German Cup final match It has been the home ground of the Hertha Berlin football team since 1963 The stadium will host the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final

Berlin Cathedral Berlin Cathedral can be found on the Museums Island in the Mitte borough area of Berlin The cathedral is a Protestant church Berlin Cathedral has never been a cathedral in the true sense of the word as it has never been the seat of a bishop There have been four different buildings for the cathedral, the first was built in 1451 and the current one was built in 1905 During the Second World War the cathedral was badly damaged by bombs and fire and reconstruction did not start until 1975

Berlin Victory Column The Victory Column was designed by Heinrich Strack It was built to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War and it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873 The monument originally stood in front of the Reichstag but it was moved to its current location in 1939 The column is metres tall On the top of the column is an 8.3 metre tall bronze sculpture of Victoria which weighs 35 tonnes Berliners, who like to give nicknames to buildings, call the statue Goldelse, meaning something like "Golden Lizzy"

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm- Gedächtniskirche, but mostly just known as Gedächtniskirche) is a Protestant church located on the Kurfürstendamm in the centre of the Breitscheidplatz The original church on the site was built in the 1890s but it was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943 The present building, which is made up of a church with a foyer and a separate belfry with an attached chapel, was built between 1959 and 1963 The damaged spire of the old church has been kept and its ground floor has been made into a memorial hall

Berlin Zoo The Berlin Zoological Garden is the most famous zoo in Germany The zoo, which can be found in the Tiergarten area of Berlin, opened in 1844 and it covers 34 hectares (84 acres) There are almost 1,500 different species in the zoo and nearly 19,500 animals The zoo has one of the most comprehensive collection of species in the world The zoo also has an aquarium In 2012 there were almost 3 million visitors Some of the famous animals at the zoo have included Knut the polar bear and Bao Bao the Giant Panda The zoo helps safeguard several endangered species

Charlottenburg Palace The Charlottenburg Palace, known as Schloss Charlottenburg in German is the largest palace in Berlin It is the only surviving royal residence in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollem family The palace was built at the end of the 17th century and was expanded during the 18th century The internal palace decoration is the baroque and rococo style Outside there is a large formal garden surrounded by woodland Outside there is also a belvedere, a mausoleum, a theatre and a pavilion During World War 2 the palace was badly damaged but it has since been reconstructed