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Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz
This vibrant square is the heart and soul of the 'New Berlin',
which has emerged since the fall of the wall in 1989. The original
square was once one of the busiest junctions in Europe with a major
train station sited on it. However after damage during the Second
World War and being cut through by the divisive wall, it became a
decayed wasteland. Since the fall of the wall, however, a building
boom has been taking place around the Potsdamer Platz, which now
boasts an exciting mix of restaurants, shopping centres, hotels, a
casino, theatres and cinemas that draws both Berliners and tourists
seeking good food and recreation. Focus of the square is the
22-storey Debis Haus, designed by Renzo Piano, featuring an atrium
with cathedral-like dimensions, and its neighbouring Potsdamer
Platz Arkaden, a shopping mall with an Imax cinema. The Sony Centre
is the most recent addition, consisting of seven buildings around a
light-flooded arena, which also houses Berlin’s popular Film
Museum. The Kollhoff building features a panorama platform,
reached by Europe’s fastest express elevator, which offers
views of the city.
Website: www.potsdamerplatz.de
Opening time: The panorama platform is usually open daily, 11am to 8pm. Closed for reconstruction till 2010.
Admission: Panorama platform: €5