The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is defined by the jagged, ruined spire of a nineteenth-century building that rises alongside a modern, octagonal church. Emperor Wilhelm the Second ordered the original structure built between eighteen…
Wings of Desire Locations
Follow the guardian angels from Wim Wenders' 1987 masterpiece through the landmarks of a once-divided Berlin.
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1. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
2. Victory Column
The Victory Column, or Siegessäule, is defined by the massive gilded bronze statue of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, that stands at its summit. Rising sixty-seven meters, this monument features a base of polished red granite and a…
3. Bunker Pallastrasse
The five-story concrete structure at Pallasstrasse twenty-eight is marked by walls four meters thick. This massive shell, known as the Hochbunker Pallasstrasse, was built between nineteen forty-three and nineteen forty-five to protect the…
4. Goebenstraße 6
Goebenstraße 6 stands within the dense grid of Berlin-Schöneberg, a neighborhood that expanded rapidly during the late nineteenth century. The building is recognizable by a historic iron street pump located directly on the sidewalk nearby,…
5. Langenscheidtbrücke
The Langenscheidtbrücke is defined by its long, prominent steel framework that spans a complex web of railway tracks in Schöneberg. This industrial structure serves as the primary western exit from the area historically known as the Rote…
6. Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz
The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin on Potsdamer Straße is recognizable by its expansive, terraced massing and a windowless, copper-clad central volume often described as a ship of books. Designed by architect Hans Scharoun and his colleague…
7. Esplanade Residence
The Esplanade Residence is recognizable by the way a modern, multi-story apartment block appears to float above the ground. This structure sits directly over the protected, ruinous remnants of the historic Hotel Esplanade. Because the…
8. Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz is defined by its dramatic contrast of modern glass-and-steel towers against its history as a scarred, divided wasteland. It marks the site of the former Potsdam Gate, a customs point that transformed in the nineteenth…
9. Anhalter Bahnhof
The most recognizable feature of Anhalter Bahnhof is the solitary, arched section of its central façade that remains standing on Askanischer Platz. Once the grand entrance to what was arguably the most important railway terminus in…