H eadlines
Berlin Now an Affordable Travel Destination
T R AVEL
JEFF AND VIRGINIA ORENSTEIN |
JE FEATURE
IF YOU ARE LOOKING for
a European destination that
is rich in history, splashed
with eclectic architecture and
vibrating with a dynamic
nightlife, head for Berlin.

And if that’s not enough
inducement, the German capi-
tal is affordable and welcoming.

Walking the streets of Berlin,
the capital of past and present
Germany, it is impossible to
escape history. The city dates
from the 13th century and
has experienced centuries of
Prussian and German political
achievements and turmoil and
was essentially destroyed during
World War II. It also played a
huge role in the Cold War with
its infamous Berlin Wall.

Despite being occupied and
divided in the aftermath of
World War II, contemporary
Berlin has recovered smartly in
the last generation.

Its architectural mixture of
new and old reflects both its
history and the city’s deliberate
and ongoing choice to recover
fully from its destruction. Its
Holocaust Memorial, Jewish
Museum and historical mark-
ers are evidence that the city is
trying to both remember and
denounce its Nazi past.

Although the city gleams
with new skyscrapers and
striking modern architecture,
visitors can find many restored
and/or preserved buildings
such as the Reichstag and city
gates. With its many trendy
clubs and restaurants, Berlin
has attracted throngs of young
people and has again become a
significant business center.

With smart shopping streets,
a vibrant street café scene and
great museums, Berlin is defi-
nitely worthy of a visit, espe-
cially since its hotel rates are
among the lowest in Europe.

2019 is a good time to visit
12 FEBRUARY 28, 2019
The Fernsehturm (TV Tower) is visible from most of central Berlin.

It boasts a popular rotating restaurant.

Photos by Jeff Orenstein
since it marks the 30th anni-
versary of the fall of the Berlin
Wall and, as usual, boasts a
busy cultural calendar which
will reflect a now thoroughly
united metropolitan area and
the 100th anniversary of the
Bauhaus movement, so influ-
ential in modern architecture
and banned by the Nazis.

Tegel (TXL), 5 miles from the
Berlin Central Train Station.

Schoenefeld (SFX) is another
airport served mainly by
budget airlines. It is linked
by train to Central Train
Station, 15.5 miles away.

• By car, Berlin is served by
Autobahns 9 to Munich,
24 to Hanburg and 13 to
Dresden. • By train, Berlin has a cen-
tral train station and several
outlying stations and is part
of the DB and Eurail system.

• The nearest cruise port is
Warnemunde, 165 miles
north. Before You Go, Check Out:
• visitberlin.de/en
• handluggageonly.

co.uk/2017/01/09/17- sights-you-need-to-see-on-
a-first-time-visit-to-berlin- germany/
• youtube.com/
Must-Sees for a Short Trip:
watch?v=4TwGid87U8g Among attractions that you
should take in are:
Getting There and Getting
• Getting a Berlin Welcome
Around: Card and taking advantage
Berlin can be reached by
of included public transporta-
highway, air or train.

tion and museum admissions.

• By air, Berlin’s main airport is
JEWISH EXPONENT
The ruins of the former Anhalter Bahnhof train station, once the largest
in Europe. Started in 1839 and rebuilt in 1880, it was an important station
used to ship soldiers and supplies to the fronts of World War I and II, by
visitors to the 1936 Olympics and, involuntarily, by Jews on the way to
Nazi death camps after 1942. It was bombed in WWII and closed in 1952.

One of the many historic city gates in Berlin
• Explore the walkable Mitte
District which includes
Checkpoint Charlie, the
Brandenburg Gate, the
Berlin Wall, the Holocaust
Memorial, the Fernsehturm
(TV Tower) with its rotat-
ing restaurant and the
Reichstag (parliament)
building. Also noteworthy
in Mitte are the Cathedral
Church, Tiergarten park,
Alexanderplatz, Museum
Island and Potsdamer Platz.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
If You Have Several Days:
• Kurfürstendamm, one of
Berlin’s most important
shopping and dining districts
• Memorial Church. The
partially restored church
is both a unifying symbol
and a reminder of wartime
destruction. • Memorial to the Murdered
Jews of Europe, moving
series of 2,711 coffin-like
concrete shapes
• Visiting the Jewish Museum
• Exploring the museums at
Museum Island in depth.

• Visiting the Zoological
Garden • Taking a boat tour on the
River Spree
• Checking out decommis-
sioned Tempelhof Field of
Berlin Airlift fame
Jewish Berlin
Ginny O’s Tips for Dressing
The Simply Smart Travel Way
for Berlin:
Berlin is trendy and fash-
ionable so dress up a little when
out for a nice dinner. Upscale
casual is OK for daytime.

This Destination at a Glance:
Over 50 Advantage: Great
museums and lots of good
local tours
The soaring DB (German Railroad) tower at Potsdamer Platz is typical of
the new buildings that have risen from the rubble of bombed-out buildings
in Berlin. Note the shadow of another skyscraper across the street.

Mobility Level:
Low to moderate. Among the
best in Europe with many broad
sidewalks and accessible public
transportation and museums
When to Go:
May through September has
the best weather. Winters are
cold and gray.

Where to Stay:
Berlin boasts about 800
hotels and guesthouses at
all price ranges. We found
the Mercure Berlin Mitte a
comfortable and convenient
choice to explore the city’s
Mitte section.

Special Travel Interests:
German and Cold War history
l The central train station in Berlin, the Berlin Haputbanhof, is a
transportation hub as well as a tourist mecca with its many shops, tourism
office, frequent trains and nearby restaurants.

www.jewishexponent.com Jeffrey and Virginia Orenstein are
travel writers from Sarasota, Fla.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JEWISH EXPONENT
TODAY’S BERLIN has a thriving Jewish community
despite the decimation of Jews during the Holocaust.

Among the city’s most illustrious past Jewish res-
idents were philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, Fanny
Mendelssohn, Rosa Luxemburg and Albert Einstein.

A Jewish presence in Berlin dates to at least 1295, when
Jews were mentioned in a master wool weaver’s certificate
forbidding wool merchants from trading with them.

Early Jews lived mostly in a Jewish quarter, but some
wealthier Jews lived elsewhere. In 1671, 50 Jewish fami-
lies moved there from Vienna, invited there by Frederick
William of Brandenburg, to help with war reconstruction.

During the reign of Frederick the Great (1740-1786),
Jews enjoyed some freedom and prosperity. Eighteenth-
century Berlin Jews were typically bankers and traders,
and a few served as court Jews.

The edict of 1812 finally bestowed Prussian citizen-
ship upon the Jews. Many 19th-century Berlin Jews were
prominent in journalism, literature and the arts, although
they faced strong and consistent anti-Semitism.

By the 1920s, the city was home to about 70,000
Jews, albeit part of their environment was a backdrop of
anti-Semitic culture. Most were forced to flee Germany
after Hitler’s rise to power, and 55,000 perished in the
Holocaust. From late 1942, only Jewish laborers employed
in vital war production were safe from deportation.

After the war, the community had a registered mem-
bership of 5,070, most with non-Jewish spouses; 1,321
survived the war by hiding, and 1,628 returned from con-
centration camps. By 1970, there were about 5,600 Jews.

By the 1990s, however, Berlin’s Jewish population
exploded with immigrants from the former Soviet Union
and elsewhere.

The current Jewish population is about 100,000 out of
roughly 3.6 million.

Today, there is a Jewish Museum, a Holocaust memo-
rial, three Conservative congregations of varying size,
four Reform congregations and six Orthodox congrega-
tions. Kosher food is obtainable, and there are several
tours of Jewish Berlin available.

Unfortunately, despite this renaissance, anti-Semitism
still exists. An April 2018 article in The New York Times
chronicled its presence, despite official government efforts
to stamp it out. l
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