BERLIN, GERMANY
About the Area
Berlin – International World Class City
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and at the same time is one of the sixteen ‘lander’ states of Germany – sharing a similar status as Washington DC has with the Union.
Comparatively inexpensive and offering ceaseless cultural activity, Berlin has become a Mecca for Europe’s up-and-coming artists and musicians. It has in the last decades evolved into a global focal point for creativity in almost all spheres of art and science.
Berlin is an imposing international city - set in a landscape of expansive fresh water lakes and forests and with a population of 3.4 million - the largest city in Germany.
Berlin is a major centre of European culture, politics, media, and science and home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, museums, sporting events, orchestras and three opera houses.
Berlin has always been and remains a city of contrasts.
Berlin has preserved its past - through the last war and the cold war -and has splendid classicist buildings by the architect Schinkel, wide boulevards and parks from the previous eras. The Reichstag, renovated by Norman Foster, with its new glass dome has become an attraction for Berliners and visitors from all over the world.
But Berlin has not stood still. It has in the last decade added many outstanding new buildings - including the new district at Potsdamer Platz designed by international teams of architects under Renzo Piano, the acclaimed Italian architect.
Over the past 20 years the eastern Berlin district of Mitte/Prenzlauerberg has stolen the limelight from the wealthy western district of Charlottenburg - which was at the time a main draw for tourists when the East was closed to them.
Because of its low rents the new fashionable Berlin-Mitte/ Prenzlauerberg districts of the city has become a haven for artists, galleries and fashion designers.
In the early 1990’s, after the fall of the Berlin wall almost a third of the buildings in the eastern half of the city were lying empty. Improvised clubs opened - basements became cafes and bars, and disused city buildings – from old warehouses to power generating stations – turned into a labyrinth of DIY clubs. After nearly two decades of clubbing Berlin has become known as Europe’s ‘city of the night’.
All of this activity has not gone un-noticed by the international ‘cafe-society’ - the movers + shakers set, the international rich and powerful in politics and business - and Berlin is presently the worlds ‘in-City’.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have spent about $3 million on a trendy loft-flat in Berlin which they intend to use for their European trips.
The first decade in the new millennium were recently celebrated with a magnificent party at the Brandenburg Gate. While a lot has changed in recent Berlin history but as in former eras – the times change and Berlin changes with the times!
Accommodation for you!
International Vacation Accommodation Rentals provides some of the finest luxury accommodations at reasonable prices throughout central Italy. These properties have been selected for accessibility to sites and attractions, as well as convenience, comfort, authentic charm and dazzling views. The proximity to restaurants, historic sites, unique shopping and special attractions has been considered essential to their inclusion.
Each rental property has been recently refurbished and equipped with a host of amenities and necessities that guests might require. All of our villas, cottages and apartments are beautifully decorated with utility, convenience and comfort of our guests in mind. Our luxury accommodations provide the feel and convenience of home. Reasonably priced in both high and low season. Our accommodations can be rented for short or long term.
We are constantly looking for new accommodations, including apartments, cottages and villas throughout Italy and will be updating our offerings as they become available.
To reserve an accommodation we require a 20% deposit, which is applied to the total rental cost. IVA will confirm booking for all of our Italy properties within 48 hours. Please address any inquiries about these fine properties to -
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contact our agents
As we left early on the 20th before anybody arrived into the office, just want to say thanks for the great service and all the assistance given. Found the service to be excellent and will recommend the apartments to others who are going to travel to Berlin in the future. Many thanks.
-- Martin, Mark and Chris
Properties
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Attractions
General Information
Because of its history, Berlin a very unusual urban landscape, with so much of the city having been destroyed during the war, and replaced with exciting modern architecture, whilst old buildings that remained standing, or were restored, have very significant historical importance. A broad choice of entertainment is available all year round, ranging from including Stage Shows including Musicals, Opera, Plays and Comedy, to Live Music Shows, Sporting Events, Funfairs, Exhibitions and Literature Events, Cultural Events, Parades and Festivals.
Sightseeing highlights
Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate)
Built between 1788 and 1791, Brandenburg Gate served as an enhancement the approach onto the main boulevard of Berlin at the time, Unter den Linden. After the construction of the Berlin Wall, which ran along the rear side of the Gate, it served as a symbol of the division of Berlin, allowing West Berliners to look over the wall from a viewing tower within the Gate, to glimpse the unusual world behind the Iron Curtain. After re-unification it became, instead, a symbol of unity, being the site of a major celebration of the reunification on December 22, 1989. Unfortunately major damage was caused due to the celebrations, which were attended by 100,000 people. After restoration it was finally re-revealed to the public in 2002.
The Holocaust Memorial
Built between 1788 and 1791, Brandenburg Gate served as an enhancement the approach onto the main boulevard of Berlin at the time, Unter den Linden. After the construction of the Berlin Wall, which ran along the rear side of the Gate, it served as a symbol of the division of Berlin, allowing West Berliners to look over the wall from a viewing tower within the Gate, to glimpse the unusual world behind the Iron Curtain. After re-unification it became, instead, a symbol of unity, being the site of a major celebration of the reunification on December 22, 1989. Unfortunately major damage was caused due to the celebrations, which were attended by 100,000 people. After restoration it was finally re-revealed to the public in 2002.
Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church)
This church, located at Breitscheidplatz, in the centre of western Berlin, was mostly destroyed due to wartime bombing, and has been replaced by a new church along side it. What remains of the old church serves as a
reminder of the horrors of war. Visitors can enter the old church, and can view and compare a model of how the area looked before the war with a model of how it looks now.
Museums & Attractions
Berlin is famous for it vast array of quality museums, dedicated to every facet of history, culture and even technology. Museuminsel (Museum Island) is the northern half of an island framed by branches of the Spree River. It houses a five of Berlin’s museums, in close proximity to each other, with the Pergamon Museum standing out from the crowd with its amazing full size reconstructions of historical structures, such as the Pergamon Altar, a massive stone Podium thought to have been built to worship the ancient Greek God Zeus, 7- Major Attractions, Museums and Attractions, The Pergamon Altar the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, the Market Gate of Miletus and the Muschatta Wall. The Altes Museum (Old Museum), Neues Museum (New Museum), Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) and Bode Museum complete the collection of Museums. Berlin is also home to many more fantastically varied museums.
The Story of Berlin
The Story of Berlin is an exhibition that takes you on a journey through 800 years of Berlin’s history, from its substantially smaller beginnings through it success in silent films, through the two World Wars to Berlin today. It examines the way of life of the ordinary people living at the various times, marked by exhibits such as machinery and clothing from different points in history. 8- Major Attractions, Museums and Attractions, Story of Berlin Bunker The exhibition is completed by a fascinating tour of a 1970s Nuclear Bunker built to temporarily house the first 3592 people to make it inside in the event of a nuclear disaster, for a maximum time of two weeks.
Restaurants and Cafés
Berlin has a massive choice of restaurants, not just because it is such a large city, but also because Berlin thrives on its self contained district layout. Every few hundred metres you’ll find certain businesses repeated such as supermarkets, off-licences, pharmacies, video shops, printing shops and, strangely, mattress shops. But one thing you won’t find cloned is restaurants. Within each of these districts you’ll find a large selection of restaurants, each and every one being marking its individuality in some way, in comparison to the next restaurant.
