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Berlin Travel Guide

Visiting Berlin doesn’t need to be expensive. I will take you into the world of Berlin’s hidden historic treasures. What you are about to read, all these attractions are free to attend. So relax and enjoy planning out your trip to one of the most beautiful cities in German. Berlin is history and modernization at [...]

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Visiting Berlin doesn’t need to be expensive. I will take you into the world of Berlin’s hidden historic treasures. What you are about to read, all these attractions are free to attend. So relax and enjoy planning out your trip to one of the most beautiful cities in German.

Berlin is history and modernization at its best. Nestled in this city is a hidden treasure, Victoria Park, located steep on the only visible hill in the area. It is located at Kreuzbergstrasse, oder Methfesselstr, Dudenstr, Katzbachstr, 10965 Berlin. It is also a great place to have a picnic or pick up food from one of the numerous street vendors and enjoy a traditional frank footer on a stick. By standards of American Parks, one could consider it small. However, there is several reasons tourists go there while in Berlin. If you climb to the top of this hill, you will get a breath staking view of the city. This park is beautiful throughout all seasons and is a great place for photographers to capture nature and still photographs. At the very top point of the park is a monument of Frederick William III (my great aunt had been the royal nanny). This point is also a great place to sit down and briefly tell your children about Germany’s rich heritage.

Another incredible hidden treasure is the Gemuse Kebap. This stand offers traditional doner kebaps. It is a dish customary to our country and many enjoy this treat. It is made with roasted chicken, cucumbers, salad mixture and special sauce stuffed into pita bread pockets. It may sound a bit unusual but is incredible. You must try it to believe it. Currywurst is another amazing zest of goodness.

Map of Victoria park

But to top of any of these dishes you try while at Victoria park, you must not forget the beer. There is also an old pharmacy located within the park.

Next up on our history tour is Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. This church is a stern reminder of World War two and the devastation it brought to the country. It was originally built by Kaiser Wilhelm I, the first German Emperor. It had gotten originally damaged during December of 1943 and then the air raids during 1943 of December and then the air raids in April 1945 destroyed the church. It is beautiful and quite amazing to see the many thousands of panels of stained glass and the inside is elaborate with decoration and open to the public to view. Inside you will find a solid brass statue of Christ, an organ from the Schuke workshop in Berlin-Lichterfelde with over 5000 pipes and pews into which you sit down to mediate or pray. Also inside you will locate memorial hall. It has a vast collection of photographs representing the area before and after the war. It also contains before and after photographs of the church itself.

I find this a very beautiful yet haunting reminder of what war can do. Traditionally, you are never suppose to bomb a church during war times since God is international. It is free to enter the church.

This brings us to the last tour to mention. Holocaust-Mahnmal, a haunting memorial that holds a look into what really occurred during the Holocaust. It was set as a reminder of Germany’s tragic past but to memorialize it as a reminder for our future generations. It is a maze of massive blocks and one can almost loose themselves in it as they proceed to walk through it. While visiting, you may locate the visitor center which holds a host of history about the holocaust victims and their stories. This memorial had been a long standing project in the making. It took them from 1999-2005 to complete this memorial. As a reminder this memorial is open to the public from Tuesday-Sunday, March through October. Note at the visitors center they may direct you to a host of other available memorials and museums throughout the area. Please feel free to ask them any questions, they are quite receptive to assisting you.

The above has been only a sampling of what Berlin holds within its city. There is so much to explore from the Tränenpalast, which is Berlins former border crossing station and for your drinking pleasure. One last exploration you might want to consider is the Berlin Festival. It is an annual event, in which you can explore one of the biggest music and film festivals in the world. Either way, Berlin holds many wonderful surprises and treasures to discover on your next trip. Be well, and may your travels be safe.

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Filed under: Europe, Germany

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 93 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3728 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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VBJ is currently in: Rome, Italy

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