The Castle of Berlin and the Humboldt Box

July 18, 2011

The Stadtschloss, in English the Berlin City Palace, was a royal palace in the centre of Berlin. It was the principal residence of the Hohenzollern Kings of Prussia from 1701 to 1918 (the German Emperors from 1871 to 1918) and a museum following the fall of the German Empire in 1918.

Damaged by Allied bombing in World War II, although possible to repair at great expense, the palace was demolished in 1950 by the GDR authorities, despite West German protests. Following the reunification of Germany, it was decided to rebuild the Stadtschloss.

The new Castle will be named Humboldt Forum and will be rebuilt as a replica of the former Baroque building. In the meantime a big blue box, called HumboldtBox, will cover the empty space right beside the Berlin Cathedral. If you want to know more about the whole project, just visit the exhibition on the first floor, or if you just want to relax, the restaurant on the fifth floor provides you a 360° panoramic view over Berlin.

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Classic Open Air 2011 at Gendarmenmarkt

July 13, 2011

Since 1992 every summer the Gendarmenmarkt in the heart of Berlin turns into a great concert arena and yesterday was the last day of this years event. This summer was the 20th anniversary of the Classic Open Air Festival and it ended with a special concert, the soundtracks of the James Bond Series performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London.

Dominique Horwitz will accompany you on a musical voyage though almost half a century of Bond movie history, under direction of the American conductor Carl Davis, London’s world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the British singer Mary Carawe.

The whole place was filled with music and people enjoyed the concert sitting in the warm evening sun, drinking a beer, eating an ice cream, even without buying a ticket.

Oh and I tried to record it with my DSLR, check it out:

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Christopher Street Day Berlin 2011

June 26, 2011


More than half a million demonstrators and spectators were present at this years Parade. It was a diverse crowd: Men and women, gay and straight, young and old, from Berlin and all over the world.

The CSD Parade is a political demonstration. Every year there is a motto, and a list of demands for political changes that are necessary for the equality and acceptance of LGBT persons.

And of course it is also an opportunity to throw a big party down the streets of Berlin. There are dance beats, brilliant costumes, decorated floats, and the occasional naked upper body.

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner German Premiere Berlin Tegel

June 25, 2011

About 1000 people followed the landing of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Berlin Tegel Airport today at 9:11 am. The visitor viewing area in the airport building was open to the public and provided an excellent view of the new Airplane.

The Boeing test airplane is referred to as ZA001 and is the first 787 ever built.

The 787-8 Dreamliner will carry 210 – 250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles (14,200 to 15,200 kilometers), while the 787-9 Dreamliner will carry 250 – 290 passengers on routes of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles (14,800 to 15,750 kilometers).

airberlin will be the first customer in Germany to receive a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for their fleet.

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Bud Spencer Autograph Session KaDeWe Berlin 2011

June 22, 2011

Carlo Pedersoli alias Bud Spencer, the Italian actor and filmmaker signed his autobiography “My Life, My Films” today at Hugendubel KaDeWe Berlin.

Carlo, born on 31 October 1929, is best known for past roles in spaghetti westerns together with his long time filmpartner Terence Hill.

The autobiography is written with humorous anecdotes and peppered with many autobiography sketches where Bud Spencer shows his personal side.

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David Garrett Wax Figure at Madame Tussauds Berlin

June 16, 2011

The record-breaking German/American classical violinist and recording artist David Garrett got his very own wax figure today at Madame Tussauds Berlin.

The measuring in London took hours, as the portrayal should be exact: from every single hair over teeth and the last point of toe every detail was originally replicated. The musician of North American and German descent also gave his own jewelry and worn dresses to the wax figure. Even the pose was chosen by himself.

David himself revealed his wax figure today at 7pm, sadly without giving us a little concert.

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Carnival of Cultures Berlin 2011

June 13, 2011

After four days, the Carnival of Cultures 2011 ended yesterday with a big parade from Hermannplatz to Yorckstraße. About 4.800 participants organised in 93 groups and about 700.000 visitors changed Kreuzberg into a sea of colours and ideas.

The street procession focussed on the cultural richness of Berlin, and also highlighted the often hidden treasures of its international cultural scene.

I took about 1000 pictures, but sadly I can’t show all of them, so I think that 29 pictures will be enough to give you an idea of what happened yesterday.

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BURN OUT MAN Berlin 2011

May 31, 2011

Another cool Event last weekend was the BURN OUT MAN Festival, or LUNAR PARK Festival, an international art and culture festival over 3 day with quite an interesting ending.

“During three days the visitors and SHOWCASE BEAT LE MOT put up the monstrous figure of the BURN OUT MAN. Together they integrated their wishes and fears into this giant in order to sacrifice him at the end in an excessive ritual”

So it’s kinda like the Burning Man in Nevada, just a little bit smaller.

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125 Years of Automobiles Berlin

May 30, 2011

125 Years of Automobiles met 125 Years of the Kurfürstendamm and connected these two anniversaries in the form of an exclusive classic car rally at Germany’s most beautiful and glamorous boulevard

On 28 and 29 May 2011, the two great anniversaries were celebrated in a dazzling array of beauty and ever-fascinating technology from 125 years of bodywork and unique Berlin flair.

Up to 1,250 vintage cars from the 1930s to the 1970s could be admired at an exhibition space of over two kilometres stretching from Breitscheidplatz to Olivaer Platz.

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