Berlin to Bonn and back again
Looking for a summer escape but don’t want to venture too far and aren’t content with a simple lie‑on‑the‑beach and do‑nothing vacation? Consider Germany.
Enjoying all that Germany has to offer would take weeks, but if you want to witness the dramatic changes the reunited country has experienced over the past decade, the perfect places to begin are with the old and new capitals: Bonn and Berlin. Besides playing witness to history‑in‑the‑making, you’ll catch a glimpse of the past in the form of magnificent medieval architecture then jump into the present by experiencing some of Europe’s hippest nightlife.
Bonn, provincial town‑turned‑capital in the aftermath of World War II, and Berlin, a true world capital, which regained its place as Germany’s seat of government following reunification in October 1990, couldn’t, in many ways, be more different.
“Bonn is not quite modern Germany; it’s like a beautiful enclosed garden where you can relax and somehow be far away from reality,” said Beate Steinhorst, a Berlin‑based journalist. “Berlin is the pulsating heart of the country – here you have chaos, but you also have life.”
BERLIN
Berlin is striking in its variety. Divided for more than 40 years, it shows two distinct faces: West and East. Affluent and respectable West Berlin abounds in turn‑of‑the‑century art‑nouveau architecture, lush trees and cozy courtyards. East Berlin is gradually shedding its socialist skin but remains very much a monochrome, concrete construction site ,where cranes loom and workers bustle about nonstop in their efforts to transform the East and merge it with the West once again.
One omnipresent unifying feature is the symbol of the city: the bear. It is depicted in statues of all shapes and sizes, which one unexpectedly notices peering down from roofs, balconies or flower beds.
Meanwhile, the ghost of the Berlin Wall continues to haunt the city. Wherever you walk, you keep wondering was this East or West and where was the Wall? The longest remaining section of the Wall today is a one‑kilometer stretch known as East Side Gallery, featuring a section of the bare concrete wall covered in graffiti.
Getting oriented can be tricky. An amalgam of former villages and towns, Berlin has no real city center. A new planned center at Potsdamer Platz remains under construction. The former site of the city’s largest market, Potsdamer was destroyed during the war and then, like the city, divided by the Wall. Today, one can still spot the weed‑infested strips of no man’s land. But ultramodern steel‑and‑glass skyscrapers also rise triumphantly, celebrating the square’s re‑establishment as the business heart of Berlin.
For $10 or so, one can take a ride in the Hi Flyer hot air balloon and get a bird’s‑eye‑view of what’s happening down on Potsdamer Platz – and the rest of Berlin.
On the right stretches the enormous Tiergarten, a former royal hunting ground with the Victory Column at its center. The Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate mark its eastern boarder. Straight and broad Unter den Linden cuts through the center of East Berlin.
In the West and toward the Bahnhof Zoo Station, the Europa‑Center and Kurfuerstendamm constitute Berlin’s most popular shopping district.
Not far away, the ruins of the former and a new octagonal tower of the Kaiser‑Wilhelm Gedaechtnis Church have become just as much a symbol of Berlin as has the Brandenburg Gate. On a bright afternoon, sunbeams penetrate the new church through its hundreds of blue‑tinted windows, creating an almost underwater effect.
Another astonishing sample of contemporary architecture in Berlin is the Jewish Museum. Playing on the Star of David theme combined with barbed wire, it has been condemned by critics as “a construction of horror” while others have praised it, and it has received architectural honors.
After a day of wandering through Berlin’s numerous museums and galleries, you may think you won’t last long. But you should. When the evening comes, there is plenty of opportunity for club hopping and partying the night away. The most popular entertainment oases include Berlin’s former center of Western‑style counter‑culture, the Kreuzberg Club, the stylish and fashionable Mitte and the artistic Prenzlauer Berg, with its retro‑style cabarets.
BONN
Bonn, with its cobblestone streets and tiny fountains, feels almost like a museum after Berlin. Set in the picturesque Rhine valley, Bonn is one of Germany’s oldest cities and boasts a 2,000‑year‑old history. A number of buildings, including the remnants of the fortification wall Sterntor, date back to the 1200s, and the magnificent Muenster cathedral to as early as 400 A.D.
Two kings were crowned in Bonn in the 14th century, which gave the city great importance, civil rights and prosperity. Bonn’s oldest brew‑pub, the Im Baeren, opened in 1385.
By the late Middle Ages, Bonn was surrounded by a number of moated castles, many still excellently preserved along the hilly banks of the Rhine. If you are in Bonn in the summer, taking a boat tour of the Rhine castles is a must.
From the 16th‑18th centuries, a number of German rulers made Bonn their residence and their capital. They built several baroque palaces there, the most famous being Poppelsdorf Palace and its bright, beautiful avenue. Today Poppelsdorf is Bonn’s wealthiest and most prestigious neighborhood.
The rococo Bonn City Hall on the Marktplatz is impressive with its pink, gold and green color scheme and opulent detail. In turn the house where Ludwig von Beethoven was born, is located right around the corner and striking in its simplicity. Beethoven is the pride and the symbol of Bonn: The town has two statues to the great composer, and each September it hosts the Beethoven classical music festival.
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Events
2002 is the year of Rhine Romanticism in Bonn, Cologne and Coblenz. Bonn’s Museum Mile festival, May 22‑June 2, features the “200 Years of Rhine Romanticism” art exhibition, which runs at most city galleries. The Bonn Summer Festival runs from May 1 to Sept. 30 and features open‑air concerts around the city on an almost daily basis. (For more information see www.bonn.de)
Berlin’s House of World Cultures host a new summer music festival called Pop d’Europe from June 21 through, Aug. 31, including concerts, roundtables and parties. (For more information see www.hkw.de).
For general information on traveling in Germany see www.bahn.de and for city maps see www.stadtplan.de.
How to get there
Malev and Czech airlines offer some of the cheapest deals to Germany – for around $400 for a round‑trip economy ticket. Flights by large European carriers, like Germany’s own Lutfhsana, sell for approximately $700, though discounts for children and students are available.
A bus trip from Kyiv to Berlin takes around 30 hours and 36 hours to Cologne, the closest terminus to Bonn. Return tickets purchased in Kyiv average $150. You can find a variety of tour options and discounts on offer at the tourist agency located on the premises of the German Consulate at 37‑39 Zlatustivska.
Plenty of Kyiv travel agencies can help you plan your trip to Germany. Taurus travel (10 Vorovskoho, tel. 212‑0007) offers a seven‑day package tour to Berlin, including visa support if required and accommodation in a three‑star hotel at a cost of $665 by train or $1,100 courtesy of Austrian Airlines.
Where to stay
Germany is wired, so a good place to start your search for hotels are courtesy the city of Berlin and Bonn Web sites at www.berlin.de and www.bonn.de, respectively. Links, contact numbers, rates and booking information are all available on line.
