News and notes on famous sights and attractions in Berlin.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
That sounds more painful than it is - a stele (plural stelae) is a slab of stone or wood, generally taller than they are wide, which are erected for commemorative purposes, and there are 2,711 of them at the Holocaust Memorial. Made of special concrete, after just a couple of years of exposure to the elements, around 400 are developing cracks, especially those on the southwest site of the memorial, which is most exposed to the sun.
No-one's quite sure what the cause is, though theoretically this shouldn't be happening - the stelae were made to a very stringent design. The Memorial is considering filling the cracks with synthetic resin, but if the problems continue, some of the stelae may have to be replaced.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Berlin isn't just about polar bears
- it has its very own Bear Pit
where the official Berlin bears (brown, not polar) reside - and, following the death of "Thilo" in April this
year, "Schnute" has now been formally named as the official Berlin City Bear (Stadtbär).
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Reichstag's cupola (dome), a popular
tourist attraction, will be closed to the public from today until
Sunda, March 18, for cleaning. It will reopen on Monday, March 19. The
roof terrace and restaurants will remain open.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
The Reichstag's cupola, a popular tourist attraction,
will be closed to the public on weekdays from August 7 to August 18 for repairs.
It will be open as usual on weekends, and the roof terrace and restaurants
will be open the whole time.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
The Reichstag's cupola - that Norman Foster dome on the roof -
will be closed from Monday to Sunday 23rd July for cleaning. The
roof terrace (which also offers a nice view) and restaurant will be open
as usual.
Saturday, July 8, 2006
If you're taking a walk along Berlin's longest remaining section of wall,
the East Side Gallery, don't be surprised to find part of it missing.
A 40 metre section has just been removed (and put up again a short distance
away) to create access to the River Spree from the nearby O2 World stadium /
arena complex, which is currently under construction.
