Germany - Berlin's New "Mitte" - Centre Of Power And Tourist Hot Spot (95/151)

Germany - Berlin's New "Mitte" - Centre Of Power And Tourist Hot Spot (95/151)

Berlin's government district is not only the centre of power but also a tourist hot spot: the cupola of the German Parliament alone has more than twice as many visitors as Castle Neuschwanstein. And yet King Ludwig's fairy-tale castle and the Chancellery have one thing in common: a certain tendency to megalomania. Modesty is not exactly the distinguishing feature of the architecture of Germany's capital city. Imposing government edifices, the houses of parliament and company buildings have filled the gap which the war had torn through the central district of Berlin Mitte and which remained an ugly gash in the cityscape during the years of the Cold War. Norbert Carius, who has been ARD's Berlin correspondent for many years, takes us on a stroll through his field of work. From a boat on the River Spree surprising views of the parliamentary buildings are revealed; urban planners and architects grant insights normally inaccessible to the general public. A historical excursion compares post-reunification architecture with the buildings from the Wilhelminian era and the Third Reich. We listen to cabaret artist Thomas Pigor as he expounds his future vision of the Chancellery, discover a certain political topicality in the Magic Flute and finally meet the Chancellor as she relaxes with a glass of wine.