Potsdamer Platz, the new centre of Berlin, is a vibrant and colourful square. Its magnificent state-of-the-art architecture is home an amazing mix of restaurants, shopping arcades, theatres and cinemas. With its light-filled, marquee-shaped roof, the Sony Center is a spectacular building and looks fantastic when illuminated at night.

East meets West
Once a no-man's land between East and West Berlin, Potsdamer Platz is now one of the largest construction projects in Europe. With awe-inspiring buildings by renowned architects it forms the new heart of Berlin. Highlights are the Sony Center, Daimler City and Berlin's Hauptbahnhof, the largest railway junction in Europe. Around the clock, people are working, shopping, unwinding or letting their hair down. The square is also the setting for the Berlinale international film festival, attended by famous movie stars and directors.

Berlin is also a city of museums, housing cultural treasures from all over the world, including the Pergamon altar, the bust of Nefertiti ("Berlin's most beautiful woman"), and works by great masters past and present. This once-divided city brings visitors face to face with history in the 175 museums that are its custodians of history, art and knowledge. A new gallery scene, which has sprung up in the Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg districts, is causing quite a stir in the international art world.

From light entertainment to classical opera: eight great symphony orchestras, including the famous Berlin Philharmonic, and three great opera houses shape the city's musical life. Berlin's desire to entertain and be entertained is a longstanding tradition bound up with the city's legendary "Roaring Twenties". Today Berlin is experiencing something of a light entertainment revival.