Berlin in 2007, and earlier memories

In 1988, when I first visited Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate stood deserted within the confines of the Berlin Wall. This view was from East Berlin. Now, approaching the Brandenburg Gate from the east, its a major attraction By the time of my next visit in 1992, the Berlin Wall had come down, but the Brandenburg Gate still stood in an empty zone that had been the Berlin wall buffer zone
The Brandenburg Gate is now hard to make out from the new buildings built beside it On the eastern side of the Brandeburg Gate, new construction now abuts the Gate New retail and office buildings next to the Brandenburg Gate
New buildings and roadway behind the Reichstag, filling the voild left by the Berlin Wall A summer street fair and outdoor concert stage blocks the view of the Brandenburg Gate from the west The Reichstag - once more the seat of the German parliament
Looking beyond the Reichstag to eastern Berlin, and the Communist-era TV tower in Alexanderplatz Along Unter den Linden in Eastern Berlin, boutique hotels have taken the place of dowdy, concrete Communist-era buildings Just east of the Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden is a construction zone
All western influences can now be found in eastern Berlin New and old buildings physically touch in eastern Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate Potsdamer Platz had been a bustling intesection in old Berlin, before the Berlin Wall construction saw the entire neighborhood demolished. This view from my earlier visit in 1988.
At Potsdamer Platz, the Berlin Wall was built straight over tram lines in the middle of the intersection A roadsign in Potsdamer Platz in 2007, now giving options of travelling West (Zoo), North (Reichstag) or East (Alexanderplatz) - unthinkable on my previous visit in 1988 Potsdamer Platz has been completely rebuilt as one of the most desirable addresses in Berlin, surrounded by new office towers
The new Potsdamer Platz A clear view from Potsdamer Platz to Alexanderplatz in the eastern half of Berlin, through what had been the Berlin Wall zone Cobblestones in the road in 2007 indicate the edge of the Berlin Wall, when it divided Potsdamer Platz
Further east from the Brandenburg Gate, east Berlin's old baroque architechiture remains Classical architechture between the Brandenburg Gate and Alexanderplatz Looking towards Alexanderplatz: The Berliner Dom (Cathedral), TV Tower, and the communist-era Palace of the Republic, now being demolished
The Palace of The Republic on a previous visit in 1992 - the communist era arts/entertainment center built to engender East German patriotism The remains of the Palace of the Republic, being demolished due to the use of asbestos throughout its structure - and no doubt for political reasons too The remains of the Palace of the Republic in May 2007
The remains of the Palace of the Republic, adjoining the River Spree in central eastern Berlin Modern/Western influences stretch to Alexanderplatz, the center of old East Berlin - a complete turnaround from my earlier visits Modern/Western influences stretch to Alexanderplatz, the center of old East Berlin
Modern/Western influences stretch to Alexanderplatz, the center of old East Berlin The TV tower still looms over Alexanderplatz train station, as in the communist days