Friedrichstrasse

Friedrichstrasse Review

The once-bustling street of cafés and theaters of prewar Berlin has risen from the rubble of war and Communist neglect to reclaim the crowds with shopping emporiums.

Heading south from the Friedrichstrasse train station, you'll pass hotels and various stores (including the sprawling, comprehensive bookstore Dussmann and its large but cozy new English-language bookshop around the corner).

North of the train station you will see the rejuvenated heart of the entertainment center of Berlin's Roaring Twenties, including the Admiralspalast, the somewhat kitschy Friedrichstadt Palast, and the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, home to the Berliner Ensemble.

Galeries Lafayette. Standing at the corner of Französische Strasse (meaning "French Street" for the nearby French Huguenot cathedral) is the French department store Galeries Lafayette. French architect Jean Nouvel included an impressive steel-and-glass funnel at its center, which is surrounded by four floors of expensive clothing and luxuries as well as an excellent food department with counters offering French cuisine, and a market with some of the best produce in the area. Friedrichstr. 76-78, Berlin. 030/209-480.

Admiralspalast. The meticulously restored Admiralspalast is the successful rebirth of a glittering Jazz Age entertainment temple. Reopened with a hotly debated production of Brecht's Threepenny Opera, it now houses two stages, a club, and an upscale but generic Italian restaurant. Friedrichstr. 101, Berlin, 10117. 030/4799-7499.