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GERMANY - Berlin
 Germany’s capital city is a vibrant, youthful metropolis where the avant-garde flourishes alongside a rich history that dates back to the 13th century. Divided after World War II, it was reunited following the fall of the Berlin Wall and triumphantly reinstated in 1990 as the capital of unified Germany.
The country’s largest city, and the second most populous in the European Union, Berlin is a major center for politics, culture, the media, science and technology. It draws businesses and tourists from around the world to an extraordinary urban landscape marked by architectural wonders, a lively nightlife and cutting-edge arts scene.
 Among Berlin’s modern architectural landmarks is the 1969 Fernsehturm television tower with its observation deck at Alexanderplatz. At 368 meters, the tower is the second highest building in the European Union. The historic Brandenburg Gate enjoys an iconic status that includes its depiction on the German Euro coins, while the glass-domed Reichstag, the traditional seat of the German Parliament, shines anew after a 1990s remodel by famed architect Norman Foster.
Visitors to Berlin will find stylish accommodations in a historic setting at the luxurious Brandenburger Hof, an intimate, five-star hotel conveniently located in the city center just off the Kurfürstendamm. The hotel can arrange behind-the-scenes guided tours to many of Berlin’s most intriguing sites, as well as tickets to the most sought-after performances and exhibits.
Spree Island is home to the Berliner Dom, while the city’s French and German Cathedrals border Gendarmenmarkt, a neoclassical square that also houses the Konzerthaus of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. And there are palaces – from the city’s largest, Schloss Charlottenburg, to the home of the German president, Schloss Bellevue.
 Berlin’s notable avenues tempt visitors for a leisurely stroll. They include the tree-lined Unter den Linden, which ends at the Brandenburg Gate, Friedrichstrasse – the legendary center of Berlin’s Roaring Twenties scene, and the Kurfürstendamm with its luxurious boutiques.
 Hackescher Markt abounds with clubs, bars, galleries and shops for fashionable Berliners, while just to the west of modern Potsdamer Platz lies the Kulturforum, home to the Gemäldegalerie with its important collection of European art, along with the National Gallery and the Philharmonic.
Berlin is also a city of monuments, from the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall, now an open-air art exhibition, to the Holocaust Memorial.
There is plenty of natural beauty as well: Dessau-Wörlitz, a beautifully landscaped park, with its gardens and 18th-century architecture, is a UNESCO world heritage site where visitors can boat in gondolas along waterways dotted with islands.
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