City in transformation
Arriving in Berlin can be like arriving at a buzzing construction site, and indeed it is. The last decades shitloads of money have been invested in rebuilding the city, and it changes so rapidly that even a 5 year old guidebook can be outdated. It is common joke among the Berliners to say that they don’t need to go anywhere, as the city changes so rapidly around them.
Berlin has always been a city packed with culture and history. In the 1920s it was the promising metrropolis of cabarets, decadense and a growing avant garde culture. Being the seat of Hitler during WWII made it a darling target for the allies bombings. The city also became the mere symbol of the Soviet Uniuons suppression of Eastern Europe, and the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the beginning of the end of the East Block.
Today the cultural heritage is still an important part, with 3 opera houses, 3 symphony orchestras, 2 national museums (the museums total to over 170), loads of private art galleries and even more pubs and restaurants. Also, as the eastern part of the city is being renovated and turned into atteliers, galleries and caf�s, it welcomes many young artists and free-thinkers. The movie industry is still going strong, and the city even has its own Hollywood, thhe Babelsberg studios. But don’t fear the pulse, the city is also packed with palacecs and parks between forests, rivers and canals, and heaps of bicycle trails.
