Berlin: Places to Explore

Mitte: Unter den Linden to Alexanderplatz

The Mitte (Middle) district is where Berlin first began as two fishing villages separated by the Spree River. Throughout its 772-year-plus history it has served as a seat of government for Prussian kings, German emperors, the Weimar Republic, Hitler's Third Reich, the communist German Democratic Republic, and, since 1999, reunited Germany. Treasures once split between East and West Berlin museums are also reunited on Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The historic boulevard Unter den Linden proudly rolls out Prussian architecture and world-class museums. Its major cross street is Friedrichstrasse, which was revitalized in the mid-1990s with car showrooms (including Bentley, Bugatti, and Volkswagen) and upscale malls. At its eastern end, Unter den Linden turns into Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, which leads to vast Alexanderplatz, where eastern Berlin's handful of skyscrapers are dwarfed beneath the city's most visible landmark, the Berlin TV tower.

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