Bài đọc "10 lý do để yêu thành phố Berlin" (Tác giả: Kerstin Schmidt/ DW)
1) Berlin reaches for the sky
The "Fernsehturm"
(television tower) with its height of 368 meters (1,207 ft) is Germany's
tallest structure. On a clear day, the viewing platform offers visibility of up
to 40 kilometers (24 miles). The floor above the visitor platform is where a
revolving restaurant is located, which rotates once every 30 minutes.
2) Berlin is a happy place
In 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell,
artists from around the world painted on the gray concrete barricade. The
East-Side-Gallery is to this day the world's longest open-air gallery. The art
that was spontaneously created still reflects the exuberant joy that spread all
over Berlin just after the Berlin Wall came down.
3) Berlin is World Heritage
An island with five museums,
surrounded by the river Spree - the "Museumsinsel" was named a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. Here you can admire art treasures from around
the world spanning from a bust of Egyptian queen Nefertiti to the ancient Greek
Pergamon Altar. Berlin actually boasts 175 museums in total and some 300 art
galleries, so deciding which ones to visit is a real challenge.
4) Berlin is culturally diverse
Cosmopolitan, richly colored and
with a zest for life - this is how Berlin presents itself during the Carnival
of Cultures festival. Some 190 nationalities call the city their home. And
every May they all - new arrivals and established Berliners together -
celebrate what is probably the best street party in Berlin.
5) Berlin is a construction site
Since German unification in 1990 the
building cranes haven't stopped: the Potsdamer Platz public square was
reconstructed, the Reichstag parliament building was given its dome, and the
government quarter was built. Currently the City Palace, which is due to be
completed in 2019, is slowly taking shape. Though no one yet knows if the new,
very delayed airport in Schönefeld will be open by then.
6) Berlin is glamorous
Every February Berlin rolls out the
red carpet as movie stars descend on the city. Since 1951, the Berlin Film
Festival, known as the Berlinale, has been one of the world's leading
festivals. Movie stars love Berlin, even when there isn't a film festival, like
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke.
7) Berlin is remembrance
The Holocaust Memorial, consisting
of 2,711 concrete slabs to commemorate the six million European Jews who were
killed by Nazi Germany, is the most visited memorial in Berlin. Other memorials
include those dedicated to the Allied forces that liberated Berlin at the end
of the Second World War, those killed trying to escape over the Berlin Wall and
to the heroes of the Berlin airlift.
8) Berlin is green
There are over 2,500 parks in Berlin,
but the New York Times named the small "Prinzessinnengarten" as one
of the city’s loveliest green spaces. This former wasteland in the Kreuzberg
district has been turned into an organic garden in which over 500 types of
vegetables are grown, cared for by hundreds of local volunteers. This is a
community project, which has become a tourist attraction.
9) Berlin is nightlife
Berlin's nightlife, known as one of
the most exciting in the world, offers something for every taste, from indie
rock, via hip hop to house music. Some of the world's best DJs spin vinyl at
clubs like Berghain or Watergate. Many come to Berlin just for this - they get
on a flight to the city on a Friday evening, then party all weekend before
heading home.
10) Berlin is all heart and a bark -
Nearly 100,000 hounds live here,
making Berlin the dog capital of Germany. But when Berliners say they're
"all heart with a bark" they are not referring to their dogs but
themselves. The Berlin people are not known for being friendly, rather for
being brusque, a mild form of rudeness known locally as Berliner Schnauze - or
Berlin snout. But this verbal bark and growl tends to hide a big heart.
Author:
Kerstin Schmidt / sc
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