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In 1914, the physicist Albert Einstein (1879–1955) became the director of the Kaiser Wilhelm-Institute for Physics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 for his Theory of Relativity, first developed in 1905. Einstein mostly lived and worked in Potsdam, but stayed closely connected with Berlin through his lectures and teaching activity. In 1933 Einstein, who was Jewish, had to emigrate from Germany to the USA where he stayed until his death.

Visitors stroll around this museum reminiscing and recalling the 50 or so years of partnership between Western Allies and West Berliners. The museum, based in a former US-barracks, employs uniforms, documents, weapons and military equipment to tell the story of Berlin’s post-war history, though not only from the military point of view.

The façade of the Old Museum, possibly one of the most attractive Neo-Classical museums in Europe, is remarkable for the shiny red marble used in its construction, which is visible behind 18 Ionic columns. Built in 1830 according to plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it was at the time one of the first buildings to be created specifically as a museum. Originally it was to house the royal collection of paintings and antique art treasures; today it is home to a collection of antiquities. In front of the museum, on Museumsinsel, are the gardens designed by Peter Joseph Lenné. Conceived as the king’s herb garden, it is today decorated with a granite bowl by Gottlieb Christian Cantian, weighing 70 tons (see Central Berlin: Unter den Linden) .

Only pitiful fragments remain of the railway station that was once the largest in Europe. The giant structure was erected in 1880 by Franz Schwechten as a showcase station: official visitors to the Empire were meant to be impressed by the splendour and glory of the German capital as soon as they reached the railway station. In 1943 the station was badly damaged by bombs and in 1960 it was pulled down. The waste ground behind the façade was meant to become a park; today the Tempodrom is based here, hosting concerts and cabaret shows.

A café and an art gallery are now based in the yard of a former sewing machine factory.

Berlin Cathedral, the largest and most lavish church in town, was reopened in 1993, after almost 40 years of restoration. Designed by Julius Raschdorf in 1894–1905, the building reflects the empire’s aspirations to power. In particular, the imperial stairs, made from black marble, are a manifestation of the proximity of the Hohenzollern town residence opposite the cathedral. Members of this ruling dynasty are buried in the crypt. The main nave, topped by a 85-m (279-ft) high dome is remarkable. The church is dominated by a magnificent 20th-century Neo-Baroque pulpit and the giant Sauer organ.

Berlin’s Town Hall, also known as “Red Town Hall” because of the red bricks from Brandenburg Province with which it is built, harks back to the proud days when Berlin became the capital of the new Empire. Built in 1861–9 according to designs by Hermann Friedrich Waesemann, the town hall was one of Germany’s largest and most magnificent buildings, built to promote the splendour of Berlin. The structure was modelled on Italian Renaissance palaces, and the tower is reminiscent of Laon cathedral in France. The exterior was decorated with Die steinerne Chronik (the stone chronicle) in 1879, depicting scenes from the city’s history (see Central Berlin: Around Alexanderplatz) .

Born in Augsburg, Bavaria, Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) wrote some of his greatest works, such as the Threepenny Opera , in a small apartment in Charlottenburg. In the Third Reich, the playwright emigrated to the US, but he returned to Germany after World War II and founded the Berliner Ensemble in East Berlin in 1949. Until his death, Brecht lived in Chausseestraße in Berlin-Mitte, with his wife, Helene Weigel. His renovated apartment has been turned into a museum.

More than a mere symbol, the Brandenburg Gate is synonymous with Berlin (see Brandenburger Tor & Pariser Platz) .

Bertolt Brecht, one of the 20th century’s greatest playwrights, lived here with his wife, Helene Weigel, from 1953–6. Original furnishings are on display alongside documents and photographs. There is also an archive of his work.