LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Berlin: East Berlin
built 201 days ago
Berlin is a fascinating city year-round, although most visitors arrive between May and September when the weather is the most reliable. Things are busier in high season, but despite the crowds, summer is a lovely time to be here because much of life moves outdoors. Rain is... possible in any month, so come prepared. From November to early March, skies tend to be gloomy and the mercury often drops below freezing. On the plus side, there are fewer visitors and shorter queues. Avoid major holidays like Easter, Christmas and New Year and special events such as Loveparade - unless, of course, that's what brings you here in the first place.
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Museum Island (Museumsinsel), in eastern Berlin, is the site of five important museum buildings. The Pergamon Museum (1930) contains a fine collection of Graeco-Roman and Asian art. The Bode Museum (1898-1904), closed for renovation until 2005, displays ancient Egyptian and Byzantine art. The Old Museum (1830) shows antiquarian ancient art and manuscripts. The New Museum (1843–1859) was completely destroyed by air raids during World War II; it is currently being restored, with reopening scheduled for 2007. The Old National Gallery (1866-1876) houses 19th-century German painting and sculpture; rebuilt in 1950 and closed for restoration in 1997, it reopened to visitors in December 2001.
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"The town of Berlin had its start around the 1790s, part of the Burley Plantation, a 300-acre land grant dating back to 1677. The name Berlin is believed to be derived from a contraction of "Burleigh Inn", a tavern located at the crossroads of the Philadelphia Post Road (now South Main Street) and Sinepuxent Road (Tripoli Street). This may be why the traditional pronunciation of the town's name is BURL-un, as opposed to the more modern pronunciations BER-LIN and ber-LIN. The traditional pronunciation is rarely heard today. Berlin incorporated as a town in 1868. In the early 21st century, Berlin was known as a rest stop for travelers on their way to the coastal resort of Ocean City as well as a stop for tourists who enjoyed hunting and fishing on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland."
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The border between West Berlin and East Berlin and the GDR had a total length of 166 km, and there was a deeply staggered system of barriers. There was a wall with a length of 107 km at this border. Finally, the border area looked about as follows: First, there was a wall which was made up of concrete segments with a height of 4 m, usually with a concrete tube on top of it. Behind it (at the "eastern" side) there was an illuminated control area (... called death area). Refugees who had reached that area were shot without warning. A trench followed which should prevent vehicles from breaking through. Then there was a patrol track, a corridor with watchdogs, watchtowers and bunkers, and a second wall.
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[D]ocumented in the 13th century, Berlin became the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and of the German Empire in 1871 and remained so during periods of Weimar Republic and Third Reich until 1945. In times of division the German Democratic Republic claimed East Berlin as its capital, while West Berlin was a democratic island surrounded by East Germany. Following German reunification in 1990, Berlin again became capital of Germany.
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At the heart of Berlin lies the medieval core of the city, located along the western bank of the Spree River. To the west of the medieval city is a formal grid of streets laid out on either side of Unter den Linden, a wide central avenue stretching from east to west and flanked with double rows of linden trees. Before the postwar division of Berlin, this area, called the Mitte (city center), served as the administrative and financial center of Berlin and contained the main banks, publishing houses, large stores, the university, and government buildings. Well-known streets crossing Unter den Linden are Friedrichstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse. The former royal park known as the Tiergarten occupies the land to the west of the Mitte district.
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East Berlin