Shopping in Berlin

In Berlin everyone likes to go shopping in his own district. Therefore in nearly every district shopping malls and centers reflect the character of their inhabitants.

Besides the well known shopping boulevards like Kurfurstendamm or Friedrichstra?e many more destinations tempt to stroll, shop and linger at the numerous cafes. Every part of the city has its own center which might be worth a visit.

The upper part of Kurfurstendamm and the following Tauentzienstra?e form a shopping paradise especially referring to the younger crowd for the existence of famous international labels like H&M, Bennetton and Zara which may be found right next to each other.

Walking from the Adenauerplatz the boulevard is converting into a more exclusive and tranquil zone. Big trademarks just like Jil Sander or Yves Saint Laurent have their fashion shops at that area.

The byroads of Kurfurstendamm form a perfect detour for their rich offer of small shops with extraordinary products. The streets with their splendid architecture of the turn of the century on Uhlandstra?e and Ludwig-Kirch-Platz not only invite to quarry in the numerous stylish shops that offer posh design and fashion but tempt to relax at the many picturesque cafes and restaurants just as well.

Friedrichstra?e is spreading a flair of the twenties. With its newly decorated buildings, exclusive offices and coffee shops one can experience a breeze of New York life spirit in the heart of Berlin.

Friedrichstra?e is the most legendary street in the whole city and combines the tradition of the "Golden Twenties" with the architecture of the New Berlin. In the Twenties, the 3.5 km long street was the location for pleasure palaces, cafes, theatres and variety theatres such as the famous "Wintergarten".

After the division of the city, the Wall also cut through Friedrichstra?e, where the famous »Checkpoint Charlie was located at the border of the districts of Kreuzberg and Mitte and thus at the border of East and West Berlin. The train station at Friedrichstra?e, which has recently undergone complete renovation, remains rather more tragically in the minds of many East and West Berliners as the border crossing point between the two Germanys. The former customs hall, known as the "Tranenpalast" or "Palace of Tears", now hosts arts and entertainment events. Further north, the Friedrichstadtpalast offers revue theatre of international standing.

On the southern half of Friedrichstra?e there are countless new buildings, including the Friedrichstadtpassagen, with boutiques, offices and restaurants featuring the latest in architectural design. Shopping and window-shopping in the French fashion is the attraction of the Galeries Lafayette, located in the Quartier 207: on offer are a range of French specialties, particularly in the delicatessen. The impressive design created by the architect Jean Nouvel boasts a transparent glass facade and an atrium which tapers towards the bottom. The connecting Quartier 206, which is home to the boutiques of countless top designers, boasts an extravagant Art Deco style. Not only visitors but also the employees from the new, chic offices, agencies and media centers all enjoy the urban spirit and New York flair of the new Friedrichstra?e.

The centre of Spandau with its charming old-fashioned buildings is tempting to stroll from shop to shop. Neat boutiques with an unique atmosphere are turning a shopping tour in Spandau into a special personal event.

This traditional shopping boulevard consists of a huge number of shops and department stores. All kinds of shops are found right next to each other. Therefore a little shopping stroll can become an exhilarating pleasure.

A visit of the Nikolaiviertel, a middle aged reconstructed district, forms a special experience. Besides many museums well worth seeing and the Nikolai church, numerous small shops of souvenirs, applied arts and antiques can be discovered. You can perfectly walk through the little alleys of the district and find yourself transferred into a different era.

The popular shopping zone in Steglitz that consists of two shopping malls, a shopping forum and the huge Galeria offers a diversified selection of shops. Besides the subsidiaries of the big shopping centers and well known labels one can find numerous smaller boutiques which extend the ample offer. Since one store is situated right beside the next one, Schlossstra?e truly invites to stroll from one display window to the other.

Exploring a foreign city - there is no better way for doing this than by foot. You will not only get to know the sights and the (hi-)story but also the lifestyle and the atmosphere as well which characterize many special places. A wide offer of tourist guides would like to help you on your way so that you won't get lost in the 900 km? large Berlin. The selection of guided walks with topical emphasis regards all interests.

Day Trips

Berlin offers a wide range of possibilities and activities for sightseeing: historical buildings and modern architecture, a various theatre and opera scene and open air events just like the Love Parade, boulevards with excellent shopping possibilities and green oasis with silent lakes.

Anyone wanting to see more might take a stop on the journey to Berlin. Brandenburg offers a lot of places which are worth to visit.

In the south of Berlin lies Potsdam, the summer residence of the Prussian kings. The palaces Sanssouci, Neues Palais, Charlottenhof and the spacious parks with the pavilions charm with the feeling of ancient times.

The Potsdam city center with the picturesque Hollandisches Viertel (Dutch quarter) and the traditional Russian colony Alexandrowa call up the past.

In the north of Berlin at the idyllic Ruppiner Land the beautiful Schloss Rheinsberg invites you to concerts regularly taking place in romantic settings.

The imposing watergate Niederfinow still impresses every visitor caused by its technique and architecture dating from the 1920s.

The Spreewald may be called unique in Europe as it is a cultivated water landscape with a widespread labyrinth of small rivers that meander. One shouldn't miss a boat trip on the water ways which is a quite fascinating experience in Brandenburg.

Since long Dresden has been called the Florence of the North due to its splendid baroque buildings. The magnificent buildings still remind of the golden times of August the Strong. The Zwinger,one of the most important baroque building of its time offers a wonderful painting collection, the Gemaldegalerie. The Frauenkirche, the largest protestant dome building, was destroyed in World war II and is now under restoration. A visit to the Semperoper promises real pleasure and enjoyment to all music lovers.

A consumption of another kind offers the Radeberger brewery which is more than 100 years old. You are invited to a very interesting guided tour followed by a special beer tasting. The brewery process of one of the leading beers in Germany is presented in a sapid way.

The Radeberger brewery is located near Dresden, about 2 1/2 hours car ride from Berlin.

Conclusion

Germany, Ger. Deutschland, officially Federal Republic of Germany, republic (1995 est. pop. 81,338,000), 137,699 sq mi (356,733 sq km). Located in the center of Europe, it borders the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France on the west; Switzerland and Austria on the south; the Czech Republic and Poland on the east; Denmark on the north; and the Baltic Sea on the northeast. The official capital and largest city is Berlin, but many administrative functions are still carried on in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany.

Germany as a whole can be divided into three major geographic regions: the low-lying N German plain, the central German uplands, and, in the south, the ranges of the Central Alps and other uplands. The climate is temperate although there is considerable variation. Almost two thirds of the country's extensive forests are coniferous; among the broadleafs, beech predominates.

The importance of tourism for the economy and society cannot be questioned. No other single branch of the economy employs so many people, in both the main and the supporting services, as does the tourist industry, because tourism includes many auxilary services: travel, eating, sleeping, relaxation and enjoyment. Whilst it is true that in recent years expenditure by German households has been restrained, recent surveys reveal they would still rather go on holiday than buy a new car. But this has not always benefited the German tourist industry: arrivals and overnights have stagnated, albeit at a very high level, but there are at least more overseas guests coming to Germany.

Tourism is neither a one-way street, nor is it a monoculture: it is a colourful mosaic with a wide range of services on offer. If just one part of the mosaic is missing, then all the others will suffer as a result. Travel agencies, transport, hotel and guest houses, cultural, sporting and health organisations, are the heart of the tourist economy, a heart which needs vessels to maintain its circulation. Transport officials, natural and environmental protection officers, enterprise and communications consultants, the preservation and protection of buildings and monuments, to name but a few, all must work harmoniusly together.

Tourism offers young people a wide range of opportunities in attractive professions, offering progress and encouraging enterprise thinking and independence.The Federal Economics Ministry is highly active in the industry, not just for the industry itself, but also because tourism benefits the economy and workforce as a whole. Travel promotes and forms tolerant attitudes, and mutual understanding. For those who want to develop and expand their business, the attractiveness of a particular area is as important as anything else.

The tourist industry is proud of its contribution to wealth and job creation, promoting the service mentality with the motto, "think global, act global", and it is with good reason that former employees in the tourist industry are so highly regarded in other sectors of the economy as flexible and willing to adapt to different kinds of work.

Literature

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2. Лебедев В.Б. Знакомьтесь: Германия! Пособие по страноведению: Учеб. пособие для вузов/ В.Б. Лебедев. - 2-е изд., стер. - М.: Высш. шк., 2006.

3. Тимошина Т.М. Экономическая история зарубежных стран: Учеб. пособие для вузов по экон. специальностям/Т.М. Тимошина; Под ред. М.Н. Чепурина; Моск. гос. ин-т междунар. отношений (ун-т) МИД РФ.- 3-е изд., стер. - М.: Юстицинформ, 2005.