Berlin

The city equally preserves the traces of the Hohenzollerns from the time of 19th-century German unification, the megalomaniac ideas of the 1930s and the memory of reconstruction following World War II. Ever since the historic reunification of East and West Berlin it has been a place of pilgrimage for tourists, shining in its old-new glory. Few cities can boast of having one third of their area green, with huge parks, gardens and promenades. This is one of Europe's most environmentally healthy cities, with many riding a bike or a bicycle rickshaw following the example of Amsterdam. Increasingly, cars and taxis are driven by natural gas, and parking meters are operated by solar power. The Tiergarten, that hunting area of the former prince-electors, is Berlin's biggest park. Europe's most monumental railway station, the 70,000-square-metre, five-storey concrete, steel and glass complex of Berlin's Hauptbahnhof is simply amazing. And another miracle is being constructed - in 2009 the new symbol of Berlin, its Great Wheel, which aims to draw tourists in the highest numbers ever, is due to be inaugurated in the Charlottenburg district. But even now we can marvel at the elegant skyscrapers of Potzdamer Platz, a 21st-century development where twenty years ago watchtowers stood on no man's land. Today this represents the pulse of Berlin as well as being a transport hub, due to the S-Bahn. It was here where the famous festival district was built from the end of the 1990s, mainly for the Berlin Film Festival. The Sony Center and Daimler-Chrysler headquarters tower above the square encased by glass walls. All around there are coffee houses, 3D cinemas, concert halls and candle-lit terraces, open even in the winter.

Today the bustle of life, young people looking for something new and the world of art have moved from west to east. The former 'wessis' note with some disapproval that the future Berlin favours the 'ossis'. In the eastern part of the city museums, galleries and breathtakingly daring buildings are mushrooming. Here can be found the new government administrative quarter, representing the size and formality of a futuristic town. Despite its enormous theatrical appearance, its buildings across the Spree reflect a fantastic play of light and shadow on the water in the evening illumination.

The bank on this side is dominated by the neo-Renaissance building of the Reichstag, the German Parliament and home of the Bundestag since 1999. Entry is free and its elliptical glass dome operates as a restaurant and a lookout. The Siegessaule, the viewing platform of the Victory Column, is worth visiting to admire the Berlin skyline, as is the TV tower in Alexanderplatz, which used to be a cattle market (the square was named after Russian Tsar Alexander I following his visit in 1805). The 365-metre tower, known locally as 'the toothpick', offers a fine view over the city and its environs. The World Clock is another famous sight on Alexanderplatz. There are modern shopping centres and restaurants around here, just like at the nearby Hackescher Markt which has become an intimate entertainment and artists' district.

The oldest, extremely evocative quarter, Nikolaiviertel, is situated behind the Red Town Hall. Walking here past houses with trade signs and souvenir shops rebuilt for the 750th anniversary of Berlin's foundation seems like travelling through time. Perhaps the most beautiful square in Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt, is also enthralling with a similar kind of nostalgia. Surrounded by the Berlin Concert Hall and the city's German and French Domes, it is a masterpiece of 17th-century French architecture. French influence can be found in many places. Didn't Bismarck dream up the famous Ku'dam to rival the Champs Élysées in Paris? The former shop-window street of West Berlin, Kurtfürstendam, nicknamed by the city's residents as "Cow dam", is a four-kilometre-long, teeming, glittering boulevard lined with expensive luxury stores, hotels and theatres.

Along the Wall many museums, exhibitions and streets preserve the anachronism of the 20th century. American and Japanese tourists love having their photos taken with guides dressed as Russian soldiers and sellers offering GDR and Soviet memorabilia. Since 1999 the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, which was 155 km long and was built in 1961, has operated as an open air gallery. Here artists present their thoughts and associations about the wall. Worth visiting is the interactive exhibition, the Story of Berlin on Ku'dam, as is the Wall Museum and Checkpoint Charlie, which operated as a border crossing in the divided city. The choice on the embankment of Museum Island has been recently extended with a GDR museum. In addition, there are several places with colourfully decorated wall sections, as on Potzdamer Platz where the history of the Wall can be followed with shocking photographs. "Hatred leads nowhere" - such and similar mega-posters can be seen all over Berlin, so even the one-time visitor can feel that Germany is far ahead of East European countries in confronting history and facing up to the past.

Leaving the city of the recent past and pointing in the direction of the future you arrive in the historic part of Berlin, on a route which should not be missed and which simply reflects the beauty and harmony of large European cities. We walk along the Unter den Linden from Germany's symbol, the Brandenburg Gate, via Pariser Platz to Museum Island. The glory of Prussia's golden age, the Enlightenment and French mentality here permeate the elegant mansions, public buildings and even the paving stones. With its carriage driven by the Goddess of Victory on high, the 26-metre-tall Brandenburg Gate, built between 1788 and 1794 echoing the Acropolis in Athens with its 12 Doric columns, is a spectacular sight especially when lit in the evening.

Pariser Platz is framed by the buildings of the American and French embassies and the all-glass Academy of Fine Arts. A couple of horse-drawn carriages and buskers can always be seen on the square. Otherwise it's not trendy to beg in Berlin - you can quietly hope that a few coins will be thrown in the hat on the ground. Meanwhile, gentle music floats from the luxurious Adlon Hotel, while the windows of exclusive sweet and fashion shops nearby tempt its guests. However, you simply cannot refrain from proceeding under the shady lime trees.

In the 17th century lime trees were planted along the road leading from the prince-elector's hunting lodge to the city centre. Hence the name Unter den Linden. Berlin's elegant avenue is a great witness of great times. Frederic III was crowned the first emperor of Prussia here. The huge bronze statue of Frederic II is approached walking past coffee houses, car showrooms and restaurants. Then come the Humboldt University, the History Museum, the Arsenal and the tomb of the unknown soldier. It faces the German State Opera built in Rococo style across the avenue. Over the bridge we arrive at Museum Island, which is on the World Heritage List. On the embankment it's like being by the Seine in Paris, with antique dealers, artists and craftsmen selling their wares. There's a real promenade atmosphere, especially at weekends.

The treasures of the ancient world draw you to the Pergamon Museum, named after the Zeus Altar in Pergamon. Part of a street procession in Babylon can be seen, as can the Ischtar Altar. (Worth noting is that a Schaulust Museen Berlin card allows free entry to 70 Berlin museums.) Elated by the wonders of the Pergamon you can then visit the neo-Renaissance Dom with its huge cupola. The crypt here is the family burial place of the Hohenzollerns. Or you can make your way to Dorotheen Strasse, whose latest architectural spectacle is the snow-white, five-storey building of the Collegium Hungaricum. We have found Hungary, so to say, at the end of our journey - the Hungarian cultural institute is already an organic part of Berlin's reviving historic centre.

Rita Szentgyörgyi