Potsdamer Platz

There are quite a few things in Potsdam Platz that make reference to the past. These are just a few of them:

1) Marlene Dietrich Platz – Marlene Dietrich was a German actress born in Berlin. She is said to have been the first German actress to really make it Hollywood. Born in 1901, she started her German film career in 1921 with the film So sind die Männer. Eventually in 1930 she moved to the US on contract with Paramount Studios. Before the war, Marlene was asked by the Nazis to return to Germany, she however had always been strongly opposed to Nazi ideology so declined. In 1939 she became a US citizen and used her talents to raise money for the war. In fact, she was rewarded an American Medal of Freedom for her war work. Although she never returned to Berlin to live, she did visit and was buried there in 1992. She was made an honorary citizen of Berlin on May 16, 2002.

2) Two S-Bahn Towers – Designed by Schinkel, originally it was there as a gate into the city of Postdam,. However, it was severely damaged during WWII and was completely torn down in 1961 when the Berlin Wall was built.  As a means of honoring Schinkel’s original gate, two identical S-Bahn tower-like entrances were built where the gate stood.

3) Weinhaus Huth - The only surviving original pre World War II building left in Potsdamer Platz. It was built in 1912 originally housing the capital's best wine merchant on the lowest level, and a luxury restaurant above. Since 1998 it has been home again to a restaurant expect this time on the main floor, with the Daimler Contemporary gallery now above it. The outside of the building has clearly been restored and maintained over the years, as it doesn’t look run down. However, the buildings surrounding it give away its age.

4) Berlin Wall – Pieces of the wall are visible in two places in Potsdamer Platz, running along the cobblestone line there to show where the city was divided 28 years ago. These are clearly there to make reference to the divided city that Berlin used to be and maybe even to the division that remains in some people’s minds. Strangely enough, on the one section, people have decided to cover the wall with gum… and it looks as gross as it sounds.

 

5) Old Traffic Light – This is a monument/replica of the first street light (although some debate this) in Europe. Although I am not entirely sure that it is still used, it is fully operational and pays homage to the busy downtown area that Potsdamer Platz once was and is on it was to being again.

Hauser, Evelyn. "Dietrich, Marlene." Contemporary Musicians. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 15, 2015). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3494300022.html

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/berlin/sights/architecture/weinhaus-huth#ixzz3aJnztou7

Mini Task: Public Transportation

Record the different types of public transportation (include type, line number, type of car/bus, etc.) we use throughout the day. Take pictures and prepare a brief comment.   

Transportation Method           To and From                    Line                               Comments

By Foot	Hotel to Spittelmarkt station.	N/A	We walked from the Courtyard Marriot hotel to the Spittelmarkt station. (There were multiple other occasions where we walked obviously)
U-Bahn	Spittelmarkt station to the Klosterstrasse Station.	U2	We road the U2 from spittelmarkt, the closest station to our hotel and one we have used daily to Klosterstrasse.
S-Bahn	Alexanderplatz station to the Springpfuhl station.	S7	This was the third time we have been to the Alexanderplatz station as a group and found the train to be particularly warm on this day.
Tram Car	Springpfuhl  station to the Helene-Weigel-Platz.	M8	This was a very short tram ride as we only rode for one station but found the tram to be quite roomy in comparison to the U-Bahn and S-Bahn.
S-Bahn	Springpfuhl station to Jannowitzbrüke station.	S7	Leaving marzahn we were yet again riding the S-Bahn on the S7 Line and found the train to be quite warm, and it required some running to make the train at Springpfuhl station.
Bus	Lichtenberger Str to Spittemarkt	248	After a roundabout walk to find the appropriate bus stop and realise Trey left his Transit pass behind, we rode the bus to the Spittelmarkt bus nearest our hotel which was pleasant due to being air conditioned.

Pictures of our Travels

Public Transportation Mini Task

May 12^th - Mini Task

Brooklyn Fiesel

Record the different types of public transportation (include type, line number, type of car/bus, etc.) we use throughout the day. Take pictures and prepare a brief comment.

Berlin is a city with a variety of different public transportation options such as the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Tram, and Bus. Today, May 12^th, 2015, I took all of these modes of transportation. This is a much different method of transportation than I am used to in Regina since the only type of public transportation in Regina is the bus. I do however, believe I am becoming more confident navigating through the various transportation methods in Berlin! The following is a list of the transportation I used to travel throughout Berlin today: 

1)         U-Bahn: U2 Spittelmarkt to Klosterstraβe

2)        S-Bahn: S7 Alexanderplatz to Springpfuhl

3)        Tram: M8 S Springpfuhl to Ahrensfelde

(Walked to Helene-Weigel-Platz)

4.)       S Bahn: S7 Springpfuhl to Janowitzbrücke

5.)       BUS: 248 Lichtenberger Straβe to Spittelmarkt

Minitask: Transportation

  The first mode of transportation used was the U-Bahn rail network, which is characterized by its underground rail system.  U-Bahn stations incorporated aspects of Berlin’s history into its décor. For example tile Babylon columns which represent archaeological expeditions to Iran commissioned by Berlin, or previous iterations of train cars shown on posters in Klosterstrasse station.

  The S-Bahn was subsequently used, with Alexanderplatz as the starting off point. The station is impressive with its arched ribbed ceiling, making it a defining feature of the Alexanderplatz area.

  Compared to other urban rail transportation, U-Bahn/S-Bahn markedly differs in the necessity to push a button to open the car doors. Possibly it is more efficient to require user input to open the doors, or it was an aspect of older train cars and Berlin has not been able to replace them.

The third method of travel was the tram. The tram’s station we used was very simple, little more than a platform. The ability to buy transit tickets in the tram itself is an interesting use of space. Curious to know the amount of usage those ticket vending machines generate compared to more usual places like a U-Bahn station.

  The lack of turnstiles to check for transit tickets prevents groups of people from bunching up or bottlenecking, making transportation easier.  However the tickets themselves are not of the highest quality since they are not used unless called upon by a ticket inspector, or boarding a bus. 

Journey Step	Transport Type	Line#	Photo
1	U-Bahn	U2
2	U-Bahn	U2
3	S-Bahn	S7
4	S-Bahn	S7
5	Tram	M8
6	Bus	248

Today's Transportation Methods

1st Mode of Transportation

• U-Bahn
• U2
• Spittelmarkt - Klostersterasse
• This is a newer train.  We've been on this one numerous times since we've arrived in Berlin.  We're becoming very familiar with it.

2nd Mode of Transportation 

• S-Bahn
• S7
• Alexanderplatz - Springpfuhl
• This is an older train; it did not have air conditioning and was very warm as the windows did not open in the area where I was sitting.  When we got to the platform at around 1:30, it wasn't as busy as we have seen at other times in the day.  This is surprising since it always seemed so busy.

3rd Mode of Transportation

• Tram
• M8
• Springpfuhl - Helene-Weigel-Platz
• This tram seemed very well used, as it was quite full.  We may had just missed the previous tram, but we waited for what seemed like a long time at the platform for it to arrive.  Stations seemed close together, and it was agonizing to see it stop just a few blocks away.

4th Mode of Transportation

• S-Bahn
• S7
• Springpfuhl - Jannowitzbrüke
• To get to the platform, we walked down a long empty hallway.  There was no art, performers, ads or kiosks along the way, which is unlike most of the other stations we've encountered.  Once we got to the platform, we almost missed the train.  It was just like the previous train on the way there.

5th Mode of Transportation

• City Bus
• #248
• Lichtenberge Str. - Spittelmarkt
• This mode of transport was not easily accessible; Had to walk quite a distance from the S-Bahn station to reach it.  This was also the most confusing since there was a stop near the station, but only for the night line.  Newer bus; Air conditioned.

Transportation in Berlin

Type	Line	Comment(s)	Trip
U-Bahn	U2	We've visited this station numerous times throughout the previous days and grown accustomed to it.  When the train arrived, it was exactly as expected from previous days -- not too busy, clean and cool.	Spittemarkt - Klosterstrasse
S-Bahn	S7	We had been in Alexanderplatz station once previously, but did not take this particular route.  The train was older, it was incredibly hot, and the windows in our train were stuck closed.	Alexanderplatz - Springpfuhl
Tram	M8	We took this for the sole purpose of having taken a tram for this exercise.  In the time it took for the train to arrive, we could have walked to the next station (where we got off).  It seemed like the tram was really busy at the time that we took it.	Springpfuhl - Helene-Weigel-Platz
S-Bahn	S7	We almost missed this train, which would have been terrible since the S-Bahn trains have more time between them and it was a very hot afternoon.  The station, unlike some others we had seen, was rather bland and the walkway to it was barren and lifeless, although clean.	Springpfuhl - Jannowitzbrüke
Bus	#248	Once we got off the S-Bahn from the previous station, we walked outside only to find that the closest bus stop was down the block and across the street.  We were confused since there was a stop nearby, but as it turns out it was only used by the bus at night.	Lichtenberger Str. - Spittemarkt

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The Trip in Pictures

Mini Task: Transportation

  We started our journey today using the nearby U2 line from Spittelmarkt to Klosster St. One thing I enjoy about traveling using the U-bahn is the individuality of each station. I lived in Ireland for a year and use their rail transport called the DART and all the stations were the same. The layout could differ, but they all had the same elements and colour scheme. I will say, however, that the one close to where I was living had a salt-water marsh biome. 

 

 

 

 

 

 
For our second method of transport we took the S7 line from Alexanderplatz to Springfuhl. It was interesting seeing the change of scenery from the compacted city centre to the more open and green Helene-Wiegel-Platz.

 

 

We then proceed to take the M8 tram from Springfuhl to Helene-Weigel-Platz. This was the first time taking the tram as a class.




















To head back to the hotel, we returned to Springfuhl to take the S7 to Jannowitzbrucke. The Springfuhl station was extremely close to the Helene-Weigel-Platz housing which, in my opinion seems like a decent place to live.

For the final leg of today’s travel we took the 248 bus from the Lichtenberger Str. stop to the Spittelmarkt stop by the hotel. The bus ride was nice as it was also air condition, but also gave a sense of driving on Berlin streets. It was interesting to see that a big city like Berlin did not have a lot of bumper to bumper traffic. In fact from time to time you can hear the sound of a fancy car accelerating a little more than necessary.