From Wikitravel

The Ku'Damm [1] (short for Kurfürstendamm) area is the heart of the old upper-class West Berlin and even after reunification it represents the main retail centre of Berlin - all the best, most expensive and most of the big shops are located here. The area also includes some landmarks of great historical and cultural interest, as well as a large number of accommodation and entertainment options.

[edit] Understand

The Ku'damm is rather a street, not a district and the area is not officially bordered, but rather defined as the main shopping streets adjacent to the Ku'Damm, as the Tauentzienstrasse and Fasanenstrasse.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By U- or S-Bahn

• Bahnhof Zoo ("Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten")
• Kurfürstendamm (not Kurfürstenstrasse on the same line, that are two totally different areas!)
• Adenauerplatz

A lot of buslines drive along all the way of the Ku'Damm. Especially when it rains (or snows in winter) or to get a first impression, it's very convenient to use the buses.

[edit] Get around

[edit][add listing] See

• Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtnis-Kirche). This church in Breitscheidplatz is a memorial to Kaiser Wilhelm, and one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. Thick walls and plain decor mark it as neo-Romanesque, but with what's left of the Gedächtniskirche, it's tough to distinguish it as any one style. Allied bombing left only one tower standing 22 November 1943, but a new location for worship designed by Egon Eiermann was completed in December 1961 (it's the octagonal structure with blue stained glass windows). There is a small memorial museum beneath the tower filled with artifacts from the original church, which had been built 1891-95 to architect Franz Schwechten?s specifications.

Controversy arose after the war over the various options presented by the half-ruined cathedral - should it be torn down completely and rebuilt? Or should the destroyed sections be left standing as a memorial, like the infamous Frauenkirche in Dresden? (Firebombed with the rest of Dresden by the Allies, only now is the Frauenkirche finally undergoing reconstruction). The four major sections of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedachtnis-Kirche (central space, foyer, new tower and chapel) placed around the ruined tower from the old church bridge the time gap between old and new. Mosaics and other remnants from the old church serve as a monument against war.

Today Karl Hochreiter leads performances of Berlin's Bach Choir in the new octagonal section of the church: the old section is more or less open to the elements, with net in the windows to keep out the birds instead of glass.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) [2], Tauentzienstraße 21-24, tel 030 2121 0, fax 030 2121 2620 - the largest department store on the European Continent

[edit][add listing] Eat

• El Dorado, Kurfürstendamm 203-205, ☎ 030 88 92 65 82 (fax: 030 88 92 65 83), [3]. This restaurant is a great steak house, serving sublime spanish cuisine. Seating is available outside. €13-19.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Hotel Alexander, Pariser Str. 37, ☎ +49 (0)30-88 71 65-0 (info@hotelalexander.de), [4]. Very clean and friendly hotel in a nice neighbourhood Doubles $80.  edit
• Ku 'Damm, Kurfurstendamm 101, ☎ 49-30-52 00 55-0 (info@kudamm101.com, fax: 49-30-52 00 55-555). checkin: 3PM; checkout: Noon. Three star hotel for business travelers with a sense of lifestyle and design. Wi-fi available for a small fee (€1.90 per hour, €3 for two hours, etc) or free internet from two free terminals in the lobby.  edit

[edit] Get out

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