Berlin/Kudamm

The Ku'Damm district (short for Kurfürstendammstrasse) lies at the heart of the old West Berlin and still represents the main retail centre of Berlin - all the best and biggest shops are located here. The district also includes a number of items of great historical and cultural interest, as well as a large number of accommodation and entertainment options.

Understand

The district lies squarely between the old Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf boroughs, the KuDamm actually marking the boundary between the two.

Get in

By U-Bahn

Zoologischer Station ("Zoo Station")

By S-Bahn

Zoologischer Station ("Zoo Station")

See

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtnis-Kirche). This church in Breitscheidplatz is a memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm, and one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. Thick walls and plain decor mark it as neo-Romanesque, but with what's left of the Gedächtniskirche, it's tough to distinguish it as any one style. Allied bombing left only one tower standing 22 November 1943, but a new location for worship designed by Egon Eiermann was completed in December 1961 (it's the octagonal structure with blue stained glass windows). There is a small memorial museum beneath the tower filled with artifacts from the original church, which had been built 1891-95 to architect Franz Schwechten?s specifications.

:Controversy arose after the war over the various options presented by the half-ruined cathedral - should it be torn down completely and rebuilt? Or should the destroyed sections be left standing as a memorial, like the infamous Frauenkirche in Dresden? (Firebombed with the rest of Dresden by the Allies, only now is the Frauenkirche finally undergoing reconstruction). The four major sections of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedachtnis-Kirche (central space, foyer, new tower and chapel) placed around the ruined tower from the old church bridge the time gap between old and new. Mosaics and other remnants from the old church serve as a monument against war.

:Today Karl Hochreiter leads performances of Berlin's Bach Choir in the new octagonal section of the church: the old section is more or less open to the elements, with net in the windows to keep out the birds instead of glass.

Buy

Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) =>, Tauentzienstraße 21-24, tel 030 2121 0, fax 030 2121 2620 - the largest department store on the European Continent

External links

Kudamm.com - official commerce site for the district, available in German and English