LIVING TRAVEL - GERMANY

Living TRAVEL - GERMANY West Germany during the Cold War West Berlin 1964
The Reichstag (*see note at bottom of page)
The "Wall" and the Brandenburg Gate - the check point between British Berlin and Soviet Berlin
Check Point Charlie - the check point between US Berlin and Soviet Berlin
Looking over the Wall to East Berlin	"Winged Victory" - commemorating the Prussian victory against Denmark in 1864
WWII War Memorial, Berlin

The Europa Shopping Centre**
In the grounds of the University of Berlin
The Congress Hall in 1964, a gift from the United States in 1957. After the roof collapsed in 1980 it was rebuilt and called the House of World Cultures. Night view below.


Day and night views of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The original church, built in 1890, was damaged by bombing in 1943. The new church was completed in 1963. Since its resurrection, the church has been the site of many weddings, engagement announcements and church functions.
A demonstration architectural apartment block by Le Corbusier, 1957 - and below

*The Reichstag was constructed from 1884–94 by Paul Wallot, since a representative building was needed to house the parliament of the newly-founded German state. The inscription "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German people") was only added in 1916 during the First World War, because Wilhelm II. had previously been against it. On 9 November 1918, the politician Philipp Scheidemann announced the establishment of the Republic from one of its windows. Part of the Reichstag was destroyed in a fire on 27 November 1933: the exact cause has never been identified, but the fire was used by the Nazis to justify their persecution of political opponents. After the war, the devastated building was rebuilt in a simplified form from 1961–71 to plans by Paul Baumgarten, but it was not used for parliamentary functions. The dome, which had been blown up in 1945, was not rebuilt. Inside the edifice bordering the »Berlin wall there was an exhibition, "Questions on German History", which is now displayed in the »Deutscher Dom. After reunification, the German Federal Government decided to use the building as a parliament once again. From 1994–99 the Reichstag was reconstructed and extended by the Architect Sir Norman Forster, taking into consideration both the immense historical implications and its function as a modern working parliament, and adding an accessible dome. Before the renovation work began in 1994, the building became the stage for one of the most spectacular art events in Europe: it was wrapped by Christo and Jeanne Claude. The glass dome, which was at first the subject of great controversy, has now become one of the newest landmarks in the city. Since 1999 the Reichstag building has once again been the seat of the German Bundestag. http://berlin1.btm.de/infopool/jsp/e_b_002_reichstag.jsp

**The Congress Hall, former called "Benjamin-Franklin-Halle", was the American contribution to the International Building Exhibition in 1957. It was declared as a gift of America to its close affiliate of West Berlin.
On the basis of plans by Hugh A. Stubbins, and with the cooperation of Werner Düttmann and Franz Mocken, a technically revolutionary building was built on the south bank of the Spree in the eastern part of the Tiergarten. The people of Berlin soon gave the building a fitting nickname: "pregnant oyster". In 1980 part of the roof collapsed because the steel core of the front roof arch had rusted through. Although there was no concept for its use, the hall was reconstructed for the 750 year celebrations in 1987. Since 1989 it has been used under the name "House of the Cultures of the World" as a site for events and exhibitions. http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/congress/