28 SPOTLIGHT ON GERMAN
28 SPOTLIGHT ON GERMAN REGION: BERLIN-BRANDENBURG Hall 12 / Stand 101 ©Tourismusverband Elbe-Elster-Land e.V. (Huschga) BRANDENBURG FACTS AND FIGURES Northeast Germany’s Brandenburg region recorded a record result in 2016 with nearly 12.9 million overnight stays, an increase of 2.9% compared to the previous year. “This is a great result,” said Albrecht Gerber, Brandenburg’s Minister of Economic Affairs. “It proves that Brandenburg is becoming increasingly attractive as a tourist destination thanks to modern infrastructure, sustainable offers and the hard work of all stakeholders.” This is despite some uncertainty regarding security in this and other German regions in 2016. According to a 2016 Brandenburg tourism survey by market and consumer research organization, GfK, 69 percent of the guests questioned rated their Brandenburg stay “very good”, an increase of 3%. Half of the guests said they would “definitely come back” (+2 percent). And 72 percent will definitely recommend their holiday in the Brandenburg region (+3%). Within Brandenburg, the fertile waterways of the Elbe-Elsterland (+9.5%), the Spreewald (+9.2%) and the Dahme-Seenland (+7.9%) recorded the strongest growth in visitor numbers, while Spreewald (+8.7%) also recorded one of the highest rises in overnight stays Spotlight on Brandenburg Potsdam: high culture and history less than an hour from Berlin The multi-faceted tourism potential of the lush, lake-dotted plains of the Brandenburg region surrounding Berlin is taking centre stage within the extensive Germany destinations stand at ITB. The jewel of the region is the city of Potsdam, home of Frederick the Great’s Sanssouci Palace and the surrounding manicured parks that contain several royal palaces and monuments. Within Potsdam, an exhibition at Babelsberg Palace from late April to mid-October 2017 will celebrate the landscape architect and garden designer Prince Pückler, who designed the stunning parks of Babelsberg in accordance with classical English landscaped gardens. Babelsberg Palace will open its still unrenovated interiors, affording visitors fascinating views through the large windows onto the restored terraces, Babelsberg Park and Potsdam’s park landscape. Regina Zibell, head of International Media Relations for Brandenburg Tourism Marketing, told ITB Berlin News that Potsdam’s proximity to Berlin make it highly accessible. “The best thing is it can be reached within 40 minutes THE SCIENCE CENTRE BERLIN PRESENT AGAIN AT ITB The Ottobock Science Center Berlin has been present for several years at ITB Berlin generating huge interest from trade visitors. The center is consequently present again at the Berlin / Brandenburg Exhibition stand- organised jointly with the visitBerlin tourism web portal. This year, the message is about accessibility in life with an exhibition “Discover what moves us” in the centre located in the vicinity of Potsdamer Platz. “Accessibility is a subject which demands more attention and public awareness”, explains Elisabeth Quack, Director of the Science Center NEW 270° SPATIAL EXPERIENCE FOR BRANDENBURG GATE MUSEUM Success has been huge for the Brandenburg Gate Museum, a multimedia show which is like a time-trip over 300 years in Berlin. Next to the 360° multimedia movie plunging visitors into the eventful history of the German capital, the museum has launched its “immersive Showroom Berlin”, a 500-sqm space with the largest freely programmable fixed installation of media technology in Germany. The unique presentation system with cuttingedge technology converts individual presentations and image films into an impressive 270° spatial experience from Berlin, or 20 minutes by regional train,” she said. “It’s ideal for a day-trip from Berlin, but of course we would love you to stay longer.” Potsdam is also home to another Brandenburg Gate which is three years older than its Berlin counterpart; while the city known as Berlin’s ‘posher sister’ provides a panorama of culture and history where vistors can take a break from the high energy of Berlin A PARK TAKES SHAPE IN BERLIN WITH IGA 2017 From 13 th April to 15th October 2017, Berlin will play host to the International Garden Exhibition (IGA) - the largest garden festival in Germany. It will be the first IGA hosted in Berlin as the capital city of a unified Germany. The massive park east of town - in the district of Marzahn- Hellersdorf - expects to welcome over two million guests both from Germany and Europe. Visitors will stroll through landscapes representing the world’s biodiversity and art of gardens © SINAI Gesellschaft von Landschaftsarchitekten mbH ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 10 th March 2017 www.itb-berlin-news.com
© Thomas Keller HOSPITALITY / RESTAURANTS / BARS WHERE TO GO IN Berlin CLUBS / EVENTS / SHOPPING / CULTURE Barberini Museum – Rococo Casket for Modern Art Treasures Last January, Potsdam enjoyed a kind of architectural miracle with the return of the 1771-1772 rococo Palace Barberini, destroyed during World War II. Carefully reconstructed, the elegant castle is now home to the Barberini Museum, which programs exhibitions of modern art, as highlighted by Ortrud Wetheider, the Museum director. We asked her to tell us a little more about the museum. Ortrud Wetheider Director, Barberini Museum A new cultural institution is born in Potsdam with the opening of Museum Barberini, hosted in the reconstructed Palais Barberini, built in 1771/1772 in Potsdam historic centre. Visitors will find three temporary exhibitions from Old Masters to contemporary art with a focus on impressionism, coming mostly from the collection of Hasso Plattner, the museum’s founder and patron. The temporary exhibitions are enriched by major loans from international museums and private collections. People visiting ITB Berlin rarely think of including a tour to Potsdam. Why should they change their mind? Because, even if they may already know Potsdam with its castles and gardens there is now a brand new cultural attraction where world class art is expecting visitors. What about your current exhibitions? The Impressionism exhibition: The Art of Landscape running from January 23 to May 28, 2017 shows for the first time works of artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Gustave Caillebotte mostly coming from private collections. The Museum displays some very interesting art pieces from the former East Germany. We are proud at Museum Barberini to own paintings from the former East Germany. With our museum opening, two galleries are dedicated to works from many artists from the former GDR such as Bernhard Heisig, Stefan Plenkers or Wolfgang Mattheuer. Its bronze sculpture Century Step found a permanent home in the garden of the Museum Barberini. The Museum Barberini will in fact showing Behind the Mask: Artists in the GDR in the fall of 2017 which will present highlights of that collection. Who should come to visit your museum? The spectacular reconstruction of the historic building in its original dimensions and by using traditional techniques for the sandstone facade is an amazing effort of Potsdam city to recreate its lost city centre. Combined with the outstanding artworks of the opening exhibition, this makes a perfect short trip to Potsdam after a busy ITB show! ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 10 th March 2017
