Took an English guided tour. Note that tickets are cash only and the tour is 2 hours…read more The tour was thorough and very informative. Our tour guide gave us a realistic sense of what it was like to be taken to this prison, as well as what life was like as a prisoner. We got to see and be inside of cells as well as interrogation rooms. Overall, the visit was worth the time and money. Would recommend this to family and friends visiting Berlin.

Hohenschönhausen used to not even be marked on maps - it was that secret. Today you can take guided…read moretours around the eerie buildings. Still and quiet except for the various groups, it all comes to chilling life when tales of it's history are recited. It is the background to the confession scenes in the film The Lives of Others. The idea of it alone is terrifying. And yet there we stood, on a fairly sunny day, listening to a young American woman tell us about the atrocities that occurred here. The place is now a museum and memorial located in Berlin's north-eastern Lichtenberg district. It was opened in 1994 on the site of the main prison of the former East German Communist Ministry of State Security, better known as the Stasi. The memorial was founded in the early 1990s by former inmates. We heard that former prisoners occasionally give the tours. We were on the English tour and a young American woman gave our tour and was a wealth of information. Highly recommend this historic site.

The Eastside Gallery is a MUST STOP when visiting the Hauptstadt Berlin…read more If only to come see the mural "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love" by Dmitri Vrubel. Recently, Berlin foodie stop Curry 61 did a funny parody, see photos. This section of the former Berlin Wall, has over a hundred mural on this lone remaining section on Mühlenstraße along the Spree River.

East Side Gallery is not really what is commonly thought of as an, "Art Gallery." What it is, is a…read morelong section of wall where various artist exhibit their work by creating one of their pieces on the wall. Yes, it is a little bit strange. East Side Gallery is a really a very long wall. There are a lot of artists that have their work showing on this wall. Just like beauty in in the eye of the beholder, so is art. Some of the work along this wall is very good. Others, not so much. All this being said, it is an interesting concept. And, it is something that you should see if you are in Berlin. Just don't get your hopes up to experience something truly revolutionary or cutting edge. Remember, it's just a wall with a bunch of paintings on it.

Just happened to see this bridge after walking through the entire length of the East Side Gallery…read moreWall and amused by its beauty. Wished I had the time to explore more. It's a double deck bridge and has a walking tunnel with beautiful vaults and towers.

In the past, this bridge was an exchange-place of agents between east and west…read more And it's also known, cause of the german action film "Lola rennt"

For what it is their Berlin neighborhood has a lot to offer. Berlin in general is a relatively…read moreinexpensive EU city to live in - and Kreuzberg is the most "happening" of the least expensive areas of Berlin. This is a haven for artists and student - rebels and young people. Kreuzberg has a growing number of galleries, and cafes, as well as being the center of the growing Berlin LGBT community. The energy here is young and vibrant.