Elegant Elbe: Berlin 5 (6/4/2018)

Monday, June 4, 2018
Today was our day to head home, but first!

The Klosterstrasse station (1913) that was built to have three tracks,
but the third was never built; restored in 1987 including installation
of a historic A-I type car of the U4 line

City Courthouse/Stadtgericht (1896-1905, by Paul Thoemer and
Rudolf Mönnich in neo-Baroque, after World War II the façade
was simplified and lost a wing to the widening of Grunerstrasse)

I had to go through security to enter, and was asked the purpose of my visit. To photograph. That was okay as long as I did not take pictures of any people. (There were no other people!)

The builder of the courthouse, Otto Schmalz, preferred Art Nouveau;
what a gorgeous interior!

Amazing stairway

Unusual floor tiles

Another Pietà on the grounds of a former monastery

Ruins of the Franciscan Monastery Church/
Franziskaner Klosterkirche (13-14C)

Palais Podewils (1701-1704, by Jean de Bodt as a nobleman's palace,
later used as city administrative offices, rebuilt 1950-1954) was the
clubhouse of the East German Youth Association, then after
Reunification became a cultural venue

Parochial Church (1695-1703, rebuilt 1950-1951)
is the oldest church in Berlin built as a Protestant Church;
the carillon was restored in 2016

In the Last Instance/Zur Letzten Instanz (circa 1561,
rebuilt 1961-1963) is one of the oldest
restaurants in Berlin

The Last Instance is an example of a house that used the city wall as its back wall. It was used as a tavern beginning in 1621. The legend of the name (since 1924) is about two farmers who had a lengthy and unsuccessful lawsuit at the nearby courthouse, came to the tavern where over a glass of beer, in the last instance, they were able to come to an agreement. After World War II it was rebuilt as a state-run restaurant to attract tourists. Since Reunification it is a family-run restaurant.

Just down the street is a remnant of the old city wall (13C)

There was a long wall of these fish on Stralauer Strass

Old Mint/Alte Münze exhibition center in the
Palais Schwerin

Palais Schwerin (1690)

Palais Schwerin detail

Palace Schwerin detail

Right next to Palais Schwerin was the Old Mint/Alte Münze
(1935, by Fritz Keibel and Arthur Reck, with a copy of the
48 m/157' long frieze of Friedrich Gilly and Johann Gottfried Schadow
that was on a previous mint building)

This mint took over the building of Palais Schwerin, and produced the coinage of East Germany. In 1990 German Deutschmark coins were made, and in 1999, Euro coins. By 2006 the mint had moved to a new location, and these buildings became an art and cultural exhibition center. Over time it has opened up spaces for workshops of a variety of arts and crafts.

Detail of the Old Mint frieze with scenes of metal and coin production

A lock on the Spree River

Red City Hall/Rotes Rathaus (1861-1869, by Hermann Friedrich
Waesemann in high Renaissance style, rebuilt 1951-1956);
view of the rear elevation of the building that served as city hall
for East Berlin, and now serves unified Berlin, which is both
a city and a state in Germany

Ephraim Palais (1762-1769, by Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs in Rococo style,
for financier Veitel Heine Ephraim, a wealthy Jew protected by Friedrich II)

In 1935, the widening of the street Mühlendamm and raising of the level of the bridge resulted in the dismantling of the house, with components stored in a location in West Berlin. For the 750th anniversary of Berlin, West Berlin traded the building components for other cultural assets. East Berlin rebuilt the Ephraim Palais (1985-1987, by Franz Klinger), but in a spot north of the original location because of a further widening of Mühlendamm in the 1960s. It was opened as a museum with changing exhibits. The reconstruction of Ephraim Palais was part of the rebuilding of the entire Nikolai Quarter/Nikolaiviertel.
The Nikolai Quarter (circa 1200) along with the neighboring settlement of Cölln (on Museum Island), was the historic heart of Berlin.

Nicholas Church/Nikolaikirche (1220-1230, totally
rebuilt 1981 as concert venue and museum)
is considered the oldest church in Berlin along
with St Mary's Church in Alexanderplatz

Knoblauchhaus (1759-1761, by Johann Christian Knoblauch,
survived World War II) is one of the few 18C
town houses still in its original location

The Knoblauchhaus was sold to the city in 1929, and was used as a tenement with a popular ground-floor restaurant. It was renovated in the 1980s and opened as a museum in 1989.

Zille Museum (2002) showcases the work of
artist Heinrich Zille who illustrated the darker
common side of Berlin from the 1890s to 1920s

To the Walnut Tree/Zum Nussbaum (1987 replica of 1505 Fischerinsel inn),
one of the oldest drinking establishments in Berlin

St George - Dragonslayer/St Georg - Der Drachentöter
(1853, by August Kiss, restored 2010-2011) originally
stood within the City Palace/Stadtschloss but
was eventually moved to the Nikolaiviertel in 1987

Across the Spree River are the New Court Stables/Neuer Marstall
(1897-1901, by Ernst von Ihne) to house the growing number of horses,
carriages and sleighs of Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty;
it is now an Academy of Music

Returned to the hotel, checked out, and took the U-Bahn to the Zoologischer Garten station. There we found the stop for the bus route X9, and took the express bus to the Tegel Airport.
Thank goodness we first stopped for a light lunch of soup before going to the gate. At this airport, security is at each gate, and once through, there are very few seats, a drink vending machine, and restrooms. Most people stood to wait before we boarded buses to go out to the plane. Our 12:55 flight to JFK left on time, and we arrived about 16:00. Very long lines for passport control. Shared a sandwich and drinks before the 18:20 flight to Cleveland, arriving at 20:30.
The high temperature in Berlin today was 77 degrees F, still higher than their average temperature.
The end of the Elegant Elbe trip.