A walk along Unter den Linden, from the Palace Bridge to Brandenburg Gate
"I really don't know of such an impressive sight like the sight of the Linden from the "Dogs' bridge". On the right side are the tall glamorous armory, the new guard house, the university and the academy. On the left side are the royal palace, the library, and so on. Here crowd together luxurious buildings. There are sculptures everywhere. However, all of them are made of stone of bad quality and are badly engraved as well, except those sculptures on the armory. Here we are standing on the palace square…"
This exact description of one of the most famous areas in Berlin was written two centuries ago by the great poet Heinrich Heine (Briefe aus Berlin, 1822. Translated by Moshe Reinfeld). It seems that nothing has been changed since then. And this fact should be a compliment to the city authorities.
In spite of destruction at war, they managed to reshape the area and give it back the special character and beauty it had in the 18th and 19th centuries. Our first hiking path in Berlin will start here, and will lead us through the glorious days of the Prussian monarchy.
Like Heine, we shall start walking along Unter den Linden's avenue from the "Dogs' bridge", which has changed its name to the Palace bridge, and Lustgarten (the garden of pleasure) at its eastern end, and reach its western end near Brandenburg gate.
Our general direction will be from east to west, but we shall change once in a while our course southwards or northwards to adjacent streets and return.
En route, we shall see the following places (click on them):
