berlin

Around Town – Central Berlin: Around Alexanderplatz
132
Left Nikolaikirche, Nikolaiviertel Centre Märkisches Museum Right A street in Nikolaiviertel
Nikolaiviertel
Around the medieval Nikolaikirche
(see p44), the small
Nikolaiviertel with its narrow
nooks and crannies, Old Berlin
restaurants and souvenir shops
is one of the most charming
parts of the city. The area
extending between the banks of
the Spree River and Mühlendamm
was razed to the
ground in World War II. The
East German authorities
restored it after the war –
unfortunately not always
successfully: some
houses were covered in
prefabricated façades.
Knoblauchhaus was one
of few to escape destruction.
Dating from 1835, it was
the former home of the Knoblauch
family (Neue Synagoge
was designed by architect
Eduard Knoblauch). Today it
houses a museum depicting
everyday life in Berlin, and
includes a fully furnished
apartment in the Biedermeier
style. d Mitte, Knoblauchhaus: Poststr.
23 • Map K6 • 10am–6pm Tue–Sun
• (030) 27 57 67 33 • Admission charge
Marienkirche
Originally built in
1270, Marienkirche was
extensively remodelled
in the 15th century.
Thanks to its Baroque
church tower, designed
by Carl Gotthard Langhans
in 1790, it is one
of Berlin’s loveliest
churches. Inside, the
alabaster pulpit by Andreas
Schlüter (1703) and the main
altar (1762) are particularly worth
seeing. The 15th-century Gothic
font and a 22-m (72-ft) long
fresco, Der Totentanz (The Dance
of Death) from 1485 are its two
oldest treasures. The church was
a thorn in the side for the
East German government
because the
cross on its tower is
reflected in the TV
tower. d Karl-Liebknecht-
Str. 8 • Map K6 • 10am–6pm
Mon–Sat, noon–6pm Sun
• (030) 242 44 67
Marx-Engels-
Forum
Shortly after German reunification
in 1989, the motto “Next
time it will all be different” was
scrawled onto this monument to
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,
the fathers of Socialism. The
bronze statues, created by Ludwig
Engelhart in 1986, adorn the
centre of a square. d Map K5/6
Marx and Engels
Altar in Marienkirche
Märkisches Museum
Berlin’s municipal museum
displays architectural treasures
such as doorways and
the head of one of the
horses from the top of
the Brandenburg Gate,
plus various items
relating to theatre and
music in Berlin. d Am
Köllnischen Park 5 • Map L6
• 10am–6pm Tue–Sun,
noon–8pm Wed • (030) 30
86 60 • Admission charge