William‘s 100 Favorite Places ~ 01 - Potsdamer Platz (Potsdam Square), Berlin
Ich hab` alles gehabt - Ich hab` alles verloren
Doch in dieser Stunde
Werd' ich wiedergeboren
Wie ein Phönix aus der Asche
Werd` ich auferstehen
Und was mir unerreichbar schien
Vor meinen Augen sehen
L’Ame Immortelle ~ PhönixI had it all - I lost it all
But in this very hour
I will be reborn
Like Phoenix from the ashes
I will rise again
And what seemed impossible to me
I will see right before my eyes
L’Ame Immortelle ~ Phönix
What makes this place special?
Potsdam Square seen from the Victory ColumnThe very first place I want to visit on our journey is actually my number one: My favorite place in all the world. If I had to choose only one single favorite, it would be this one: Potsdam Square in our beautiful capital city Berlin. But why is this very young location so special?
Berlin is my hometown. My family moved away soon after I was born, but thanks to our many friends in the city, we paid a visit at least every two years.
When I first met Potsdam Square - through a car window, just passing by -, it was just a gigantic waste land with nothing but countless cranes.
Back then, as a child, I didn’t know about the turbulent history of this desolate fallow: Before WW II, the place was one of the most lively areas of Berlin, but after the war, there was nothing left but a mass of rubble. The ruins were completely razed to the ground when the Wall was built, and Potsdam Square remained a no man’s land - until it became Europe’s largest construction site in the 90s.
At my second entcounter with Potsdam Square, I met a huge red building there, the so called “Infobox”, where curious visitor could learn all kinds of information about the ambitious construction project. It seemed incredibly that in such a short time, the futuristic model town should come to live, especially when you looked at all the construction machines, pipes and the grey buildings’ skeletons from the roof terrace. But actually in only a few years, a masterpiece of modern architecture was created, with the special urban flair of a metropolis.
View from the roof terrace of the InfoboxWell, I’m in love with skyscrapers and large cities, but what makes Potsdam Square unique is the fact that I’ve seen him grow up: From the fallow land to the first bricks to the rapid development of a gigantic industrial complex. This makes the place so very special - it’s like a good friend to me. Though it exists for less than twenty years, you can’t imagine Berlin’s cityscape without the Potsdam Square, and if you haven’t seen him, you haven’t seen Berlin.
Don’t miss!
Potsdam Square has several highlights you may not miss. If you go there by subway or suburban rail (U-Bahn and S-Bahn in Germany - the station is Potsdamer Platz), you’ll find an amazing panorama of high-rise buildings. The Kollhoff-Tower with its brick-lined façade is especially remarkable. On sunny days, it’s reflected in the glass front of the nearby BahnTower. Don’t forget to visit the observation deck of the Kollhoff-Tower, where you have a breathtaking view over the town with many famous sights like Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag building or the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. With Europe’s fastest passenger elevator (8,65m per second) you get to the multi-level viewing platform Panoramapunkt.
The perfect time for a visit are the evening hours - only few things are more beautiful than sitting high above the city, preferably with some tasty provisions (for example from the Arkaden, more about them later), watching the sea of houses slowly turning to glittery lights, while the sky is painted in a deep blue.
When it’s finally dark, you should make a detour to the Sony Center. Under its large tent-like roof, you can find a place with water fountains, benches and cafés. At nighttime, the cupola is changing its color from blue to pink and back, a play of colors that never fails to enchant the visitors. You can especially enjoy the lively atmosphere if you bring some Donuts and Muffins from Dunkin’ Donuts.
Even more food and many other things can be found in the Arkaden (Arcades), a shopping center with the flair of an American mall. In fact, there are only few things you can’t find here, so it’s the perfect occasion for a shopping spree - especially at Christmas time, when the whole hall is full of opulent festive decoration.
There are especially countless opportunities to satisfy your hunger: In the Asia Pavillon you can get big servings of delicious wok food, the Sushi-Circle sells fresh Sushi, also in take-away Bento boxes (perfect as a healthy snack for watching the sunset on the Kollhoff-Tower). Nordsee offers the known and good fish dishes and sandwiches, while you can relish American classics with a view on the mall in the Play Off. And these are just a few examples of the great offer. Don’t forget to visit the ice cream parlor Caffé e Gelato, where you can find amazing home-made ice cream. No matter if you eat your ice in a cone or rather choose one of the beautifully decorated sundaes, it’s always hard to make a choice.
Sony Center seen from the Kollhoff-Tower's PanoramapunktThe Berliner Volksbank-Zentrale is also worth seeing, with its bordering sheet of water and a bamboo garden in the inner courtyard.
There’s also provided lots of entertainment: You can watch movies on the big screen in the huge Cinemaxx - or in the Imax in 3D. Movie enthusiasts can also find the Filmhaus (movie house) with a big museum in the Sony center. Potsdam Square is also home of Europe’s largest casino, the Spielbank Berlin. The Theater am Potsdamer Platz is not only venue of the Berlinale, but also of musicals, and in the BlueMax, you can watch the spectacular shows of the Blue Man Group.
In short, Potsdam Square is always worth visiting it, at any time of the year and day. A place you just have to see, as often as you can.
Three facts about Potsdam Square
1) In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Roger Waters held the rock concert The Wall on Potsdam Square, which was the biggest concert in the history of rock music so far
2) In the parts of Potsdam Square between the station and the shopping arcade, scenes from the movie Equilibrium were shot
3) Every day, between 70.000 and 100.000 people visit Potsdam Square
Doch in dieser Stunde
Werd' ich wiedergeboren
Wie ein Phönix aus der Asche
Werd` ich auferstehen
Und was mir unerreichbar schien
Vor meinen Augen sehen
L’Ame Immortelle ~ PhönixI had it all - I lost it all
But in this very hour
I will be reborn
Like Phoenix from the ashes
I will rise again
And what seemed impossible to me
I will see right before my eyes
L’Ame Immortelle ~ Phönix
What makes this place special?
Potsdam Square seen from the Victory ColumnThe very first place I want to visit on our journey is actually my number one: My favorite place in all the world. If I had to choose only one single favorite, it would be this one: Potsdam Square in our beautiful capital city Berlin. But why is this very young location so special?
Berlin is my hometown. My family moved away soon after I was born, but thanks to our many friends in the city, we paid a visit at least every two years.
When I first met Potsdam Square - through a car window, just passing by -, it was just a gigantic waste land with nothing but countless cranes.
Back then, as a child, I didn’t know about the turbulent history of this desolate fallow: Before WW II, the place was one of the most lively areas of Berlin, but after the war, there was nothing left but a mass of rubble. The ruins were completely razed to the ground when the Wall was built, and Potsdam Square remained a no man’s land - until it became Europe’s largest construction site in the 90s.
At my second entcounter with Potsdam Square, I met a huge red building there, the so called “Infobox”, where curious visitor could learn all kinds of information about the ambitious construction project. It seemed incredibly that in such a short time, the futuristic model town should come to live, especially when you looked at all the construction machines, pipes and the grey buildings’ skeletons from the roof terrace. But actually in only a few years, a masterpiece of modern architecture was created, with the special urban flair of a metropolis.
View from the roof terrace of the InfoboxWell, I’m in love with skyscrapers and large cities, but what makes Potsdam Square unique is the fact that I’ve seen him grow up: From the fallow land to the first bricks to the rapid development of a gigantic industrial complex. This makes the place so very special - it’s like a good friend to me. Though it exists for less than twenty years, you can’t imagine Berlin’s cityscape without the Potsdam Square, and if you haven’t seen him, you haven’t seen Berlin.
Don’t miss!
Potsdam Square has several highlights you may not miss. If you go there by subway or suburban rail (U-Bahn and S-Bahn in Germany - the station is Potsdamer Platz), you’ll find an amazing panorama of high-rise buildings. The Kollhoff-Tower with its brick-lined façade is especially remarkable. On sunny days, it’s reflected in the glass front of the nearby BahnTower. Don’t forget to visit the observation deck of the Kollhoff-Tower, where you have a breathtaking view over the town with many famous sights like Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag building or the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. With Europe’s fastest passenger elevator (8,65m per second) you get to the multi-level viewing platform Panoramapunkt.
The perfect time for a visit are the evening hours - only few things are more beautiful than sitting high above the city, preferably with some tasty provisions (for example from the Arkaden, more about them later), watching the sea of houses slowly turning to glittery lights, while the sky is painted in a deep blue.
When it’s finally dark, you should make a detour to the Sony Center. Under its large tent-like roof, you can find a place with water fountains, benches and cafés. At nighttime, the cupola is changing its color from blue to pink and back, a play of colors that never fails to enchant the visitors. You can especially enjoy the lively atmosphere if you bring some Donuts and Muffins from Dunkin’ Donuts.
Even more food and many other things can be found in the Arkaden (Arcades), a shopping center with the flair of an American mall. In fact, there are only few things you can’t find here, so it’s the perfect occasion for a shopping spree - especially at Christmas time, when the whole hall is full of opulent festive decoration.
There are especially countless opportunities to satisfy your hunger: In the Asia Pavillon you can get big servings of delicious wok food, the Sushi-Circle sells fresh Sushi, also in take-away Bento boxes (perfect as a healthy snack for watching the sunset on the Kollhoff-Tower). Nordsee offers the known and good fish dishes and sandwiches, while you can relish American classics with a view on the mall in the Play Off. And these are just a few examples of the great offer. Don’t forget to visit the ice cream parlor Caffé e Gelato, where you can find amazing home-made ice cream. No matter if you eat your ice in a cone or rather choose one of the beautifully decorated sundaes, it’s always hard to make a choice.
Sony Center seen from the Kollhoff-Tower's PanoramapunktThe Berliner Volksbank-Zentrale is also worth seeing, with its bordering sheet of water and a bamboo garden in the inner courtyard.
There’s also provided lots of entertainment: You can watch movies on the big screen in the huge Cinemaxx - or in the Imax in 3D. Movie enthusiasts can also find the Filmhaus (movie house) with a big museum in the Sony center. Potsdam Square is also home of Europe’s largest casino, the Spielbank Berlin. The Theater am Potsdamer Platz is not only venue of the Berlinale, but also of musicals, and in the BlueMax, you can watch the spectacular shows of the Blue Man Group.
In short, Potsdam Square is always worth visiting it, at any time of the year and day. A place you just have to see, as often as you can.
Three facts about Potsdam Square
1) In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Roger Waters held the rock concert The Wall on Potsdam Square, which was the biggest concert in the history of rock music so far
2) In the parts of Potsdam Square between the station and the shopping arcade, scenes from the movie Equilibrium were shot
3) Every day, between 70.000 and 100.000 people visit Potsdam Square