Berlin’s Top 10 : Potsdamer Platz (part 1)

by

The heart of the new metropolis of Berlin beats on
Potsdamer Platz. This square, where Berliners and tourists alike now
flock to cinemas, restaurants and shops, was already a hub of urban life
in the 1920s. After World War II, it became a desolate wasteland, but
since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz – for a long time
Europe’s largest building site – has become a city within the city,
surrounded by imposing buildings erected in the last ten years, and
still being added to today.

Potsdamer Platz


Filmmuseum Berlin

  • Potsdamer Str. 2

  • 10am–6pm Tue–Sun, 10am–8pm Thu

  • 030 300 90 30

  • Admission charge

Theater am Postdamer Platz

  • Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1

  • 8pm daily

  • Admission charge

Spielbank Berlin

  • Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1

  • 11:30–3am daily

  • 030 25 59 90

  • Admission charge

Cinemaxx

  • Potsdamer Str. 5

  • 12:30pm–1:30am daily

  • 01805 246 36 299

  • Admission charge




Locator Map

Apart from visiting the famous Café Josty, make sure you do not miss Diekmann in the Weinhaus Huth.


The best time to visit the Sony Center is in the early evening, when the inside of the Plaza is lit up.



Top 10 Sights

  1. Sony Center

    The
    Sony Center is the most ambitious, successful and architecturally
    interesting building in the new Berlin. The cupola structure, designed
    by Helmut Jahn and opened in 2000, is the European headquarters of the
    Sony company, and with its cinemas and restaurants it is also a social
    magnet.




  2. Filmmuseum Berlin

    This museum takes you backstage in the Hollywood and Babelsberg film studios. Exhibits include Marlene Dietrich’s costumes.

  3. Café Josty

    Café
    Josty harkens back to its legendary predecessor, a regular haunt for
    artists and intellectuals in the 19th century. The new Café Josty is
    partially housed in the historic Kaisersaal (Emperor’s Hall) of the
    former Grand Hotel Esplanade.

  4. Weinhaus Huth

    The
    only building on Potsdamer Platz to have survived World War II, the
    Weinhaus today accommodates restaurants and the fascinating art gallery
    Daimler Contemporary.




  5. Marlene-Dietrich-Platz

    This square in front of the Stella-Musical-Theater is dedicated to the great actress. A brash Flower Balloon, by the artist Jeff Koons, enlivens the centre of the square.

  6. Potsdamer Platz Arkaden

    The
    arcades draw visitors with over 130 shops, exclusive boutiques and
    popular restaurants on three storeys. The lower ground floor is a food
    court, serving dishes from around the world.




  7. Spielbank Berlin

    Berlin’s casino invites visitors to faites vos jeux. Apart from roulette, Black Jack is also played, and an entire floor is given over to gambling machines.

  8. Cinemaxx

    The
    Cinemaxx on Potsdamer Platz with its 17 screens is one of Berlin’s
    largest cinemas. The bigger screens of the multiplex cinema show current
    Hollywood blockbusters, while the three smallest screens are for
    viewings of low-budget and German films. There is also a small bar
    serving drinks.

  9. Daimler City

    The
    Berlin headquarters of the famous car manufacturers was designed by
    Hans Kollhoff and Renzo Piano. Daimler’s former software company, debis,
    was also based here.

  10. Theater am Potsdamer Platz

    Berlin’s largest show stage, this venue has shown hits such as Dirty Dancing and Mamma Mia! The 1,300-seat theatre is often sold out.