One of the greatest attractions of Berlin is the wide variety of architectural styles on offer to the visitor, and it is no wonder that in recent years it has become a magnet for architecture students, as all of the great building movements of the last 150 years are represented here.

From the neo-classicism of Unter den Linden, to the functional social modernism of the communist blocks to the East, they are all represented, and since the fall of the Berlin Wall (an architectural attraction in its own right), some of the biggest names in current world architecture descended on the city to build a new centre for a new capital.

There are books devoted to the architecture of Berlin, and any list of must-sees from us will never be comprehensive, but here are some of the best buildings in Berlin to check out, and point your camera at:

Tiergarten, 1997-2000, Architects Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank.

Found just across from the Reichstag building, it is the office of the German Chancellor. It is part of a series of buildings that a make up the new government quarter. Titled The Ribbon of Government (Band des Bundes), it represents an exciting new concept for federal buildings.

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Tiergarten, 1884-1894, Architect Paul Wallot.

This building currently houses the lower house of the German Parliament or the Bundestag. After being gutted by fire in 1933 and heavily damaged in 1945, it stood vacant until the end of the Cold War. Only in 1991 plans were made to renovate this symbol of German government. The work carried out by British architect Lord Norman Foster saw the rebuilding of the dome, and it is a masterwork of steel and glass that is open free to the public affording an excellent view of the city.  It quickly became a symbol of the new Berlin, and of the reunification of Germany.

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Sitting between the districts of Mitte and Tiergarten, Potsdamer Platz was once in the middle of no man's land through which ran the Berlin Wall. From 1993 on the area became the largest construction site in Europe, as architects took on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with such a large expanse of open space at the heart of one of Europe’s greatest city.  The sponsors of this building frenzy were the multinational companies looking for buildings to benefit their status in the new Berlin, including the likes of Daimler Chrysler, ABB, and Sony, whose Sony Center roof is an architectural representation of Mount Fuji.

In 1989 as the wall was coming down, its former glory long lost, it was a place of desolation. Today it is a vast complex of buildings designed by some of the best known architects of the day, such as Renzo Piano, Hans Kohlhoff, Helmut Jahn.  Whether this mish-mash of modern styles and ideas works, is up to you to decide, but whatever your opinion is, it is undeniably impressive.

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Tiergarten, 1960-1963, Architect Hans Scharoun.

This magnificent gold building is just down the road from Potsdamer Platz, and is a superb example of elegant modernism. It is the home of the world famous Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and is world renowned for its amazing acoustics.

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Tiergarten, 1965-1968, Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

This is the only museum that he ever built, but it is wonderfully suitable. The simple glass and steel of the building does not compete with, but rather complements the excellent art collection.

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Kreuzberg, 1993-2000, Architect Daniel Libeskind.

The Jewish Museum is one of the most impressive buildings constructed since the Second World War, it contrasts strongly with the Baroque museum building that it is grafted onto. The design has been described as an exploding Star of David. It is a feat of contemporary architecture, displaying Jewish culture in Germany through the centuries. One of the most impressive features is the E.T.A. Hoffman Garden, which symbolises the experience of exile.

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Mitte, 2002-2006

The Holocaust Memorial sits opposite the Tiergarten between the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz. It is a huge construction of concrete slabs of different sizes laid in rows across an expanse of space the size of a number of football fields.  The impressive piece of art/architecture is a memorial to the victims of the Nazi regime, whose government district was but a stone throw from the place the Memorial is located in now.

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Mitte, 1934-1936, Architect Ernst Sagebiel.

Originally built as the Air Ministry for the Nazi government - the war policy of the Second World War was organized from here - it has been used by Nazis and Communists alike. It looms over Leipziger Strasse as the largest office building in Berlin with over 2,000 rooms.

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Charlottenburg, 1891-1895, Architect Franz Schwechen.

Built as a memorial to the Prussian Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm I, it was damaged during the bombing raids of the Second World War and left with its distinctive “broken tooth” appearance that you see today.  After the end of the fighting, it was decided to leave the church as it was, as a memorial to those who died during the conflict, and as a reminder to Germans of the fate that can befall a state who follows the path that the Nazis took.

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Mitte, 1859-1866, Architects Eduard Knoblauch and Friedrich-August Stüler.

Built in a Moorish style this was once the largest synagogue in Germany with over 3000 seats. The building was damaged in 1938 during the Crystal Night Pogrom, and then later ravaged by bombing raids during the Second World War, probably aimed at the post office and telegraph headquarters across the road.  It was not until 1988 that the golden dome was restored, and it is now fully rebuilt to become one of the most impressive pieces of architecture in our neighbourhood the Scheunviertel - the former Jewish district of Berlin.

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Moabit, 1909, Architect Peter Behrens.

This was not just a revolution in factory design, but also became a model for modern architecture.

Moabit, 1846-1847, Architect Friederich Neuhaus.

Opened as a railway station it quickly became obsolete and was shut in 1884. It was later used as a transportation museum, but has reached notoriety only after a massive renovation between 1993 and 1996, creating the beautiful and huge museum for modern art that it currently is.  It houses one of the best collections of contemporary art in the city, and is a wonderful example of how a building that has served its purpose can be adapted to create something new.

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Mitte

The Museums Island is a complex of five of Berlin’s most impressive museums. It was dubbed Athens on the Spree for its neoclassic style. Renovation is ongoing since the fall of the Berlin Wall and will soon be the central focus of state run museums. The first finished projects, The Old National Gallery and the Bode Museum, are of astonishing beauty. An absolute must.

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The former Lehrter City Train Station has been completely rebuilt to be the new central train station for Berlin.  Sitting across the river from the new government district, this huge glass and steel construction is the largest and most modern crossing station in Europe, effectively combining striking architecture with the mobility requirements of the 21st century. Every day, some 1100 long-distance, regional and rapid transit trains call at the 14 platforms on two different levels.

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Following the flood of people that fled the young German Democratic Republic to West Berlin in the years following the Second World War, the East German government decided to “close the border” to the west.  What this meant for the divided city, was a wall that split streets, houses and families apart, and completely encircled West Berlin.

Much of it was pulled down following the events of late 1989, but there remains a number of stretches where the wall remains in tact.  At Ostbahnhof you will find the longest stretch, the East Side Gallery, which runs for a kilometre along the river Spree and has been turned into one of the largest open air art galleries in the world.  Another sectionscloser to the Circus can be found on Bernauer Strasse at the Berlin Wall Documentation Centre (www.berliner-mauer-dokumentationszentrum.de/ ).

For the full story of the Berlin Wall, head to the site of the former Checkpoint Charlie, where the museum tells the story of the so-called “Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier”.

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If you want to get an idea of glamorous living, socialist-style, check out the wedding-cake buildings on the Karl Marx Allee, which runs East from Alexanderplatz.  This six lane boulevard was built to be a centrepiece of the socialist vision in East Germany, a modern equivalent to the Champs Elysees in Paris.  Rumour has it that six lanes were needed so that tanks could drive into the heart of the city, should there be any need.

It remains an awe-inspiring sight, and is best viewed by bike, as you can comfortably ride the length of Karl Marx Allee on completely safe bike lanes, all the while casting your gaze over city-planning, Communist style.

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If you are in Berlin and you have not seen the television tower, look up from the street!  Easily the highest building in Berlin, it was built in East German times as one of those symbols of progress and modernity that socialist governments love to erect.  Ironically, when the sun shines on the ball of the tower, it creates a glowing cross, which was nicknamed the Popes Revenge against the decidedly atheist GDR regime.

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