The German capital has experienced a turbulent history in the 20th century, from being defeated in World War I as the capital of the Prussian Empire, experiencing the rise and fall of the Nazi’s in World War II, being divided into two separate cities during the Cold War, to eventually regaining its role as the capital of a reunified Germany. Down in the east part of the city and former center of the pre-war Berlin is Alexanderplatz, a large square surrounded by old monuments, communist era apartment blocks, and shopping centers. The Fernsehturm, a large television tower with a giant silver ball a the top, is a dominant fixture of the skyline and can be spotted in the distance from much of the city. Old pink piping still stretches around parts of the East, a remnant of the sewer system during the Cold War and awaits integration onto the new Berlin.

Originating at the Brandenberg Gate, the large boulevard, Unter den Linden, is lined with rebuilt museums and churches that were constructed in the grand days of the old city. It has been said that Berlin is a city that has always been on the verge of Becoming but has never quite arrived. On the Spree river in the center of town, next to the brand new train station, is the rebuilt Reichstag and government complex that now seats the current leaders of Germany. As a grand symbolism of the reunited country, this area lies where The Wall ran through and had separated the former East and West.