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Institutions in Berlin
Berlin is home to some of Germany’s leading institutions in particular the seat of the German Parliament, the Reichstag. It is also home to the Börse Berlin, which is the German Stock Exchange, the Rotes Rathaus, a splendid building which as its name suggests has a spectacular red roof and the Bundeskanzleramt, which is the seat of the German federal government. The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin was founded in 1661 and is the state library and part of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Another institute with an impressive record is the Landesarchiv Berlin, which is the national state archive housing a wealth of important documents from a variety of institutions and eras. It is a hive of information on the history and development of Berlin. The European Film Academy (EFA) is an enterprise formed by a group of European film makers, to instigate and participate in film related activities including training. Berlin is also home to the famous Haus der Kulturen der Welt. This organisation stages art exhibitions as well as performances of dance, theatre, films and readings.
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Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
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Address: Potsdamer Strasse 33
Phone: +49 30 266 23 00
e-mail: info@sbb.spk-berlin.de
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Website: http://staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/
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The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, or Berlin State Library, boasts more than 350 years of history and is the largest and most important academic and research library in Germany today. It was founded in 1661 by Friedrich
Wilhelm I von Brandenburg and since then gathers and catalogues diverse
materials. Nowadays its impressive collection includes 10 million books,
13,5 million images in the picture archive, 1 million maps and atlases, more than 180,000 newspaper volumes, around 60,000 manuscripts, a large number of autographs, print music editions and personal archives. The library also possesses a state-of-the-art electronic catalogue and databases. This huge treasure is housed in two locations of the library in the centre of the capital - the original site in Unter den Linden, in the former East Berlin and the new building on Potsdamer Strasse, in the West.
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Landesarchiv Berlin
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Address: Eichborndamm 115 - 121
Phone: +49 30 90 26 40
e-mail: info@landesarchiv-berlin.de
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Website: http://www.landesarchiv-berlin.de/
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The Landesarchiv Berlin was created in the beginning of the 19th Century with the purpose of housing all facts and documents concerning the history of the German capital. Although the earliest documents related to Berlin date back to 1307, no real archive existed until 1808. Fragmented gatherings and single documents were scattered in different district town halls and a large number of them were lost or destroyed. The role of the city archive was played by countless cupboards, chests and boxes in the different institutions. Since the inauguration of the Rotes Rathaus, the local city hall, in 1869 until 1920 the archive was part of the city hall. After several other changes in its history, Landesarchiv Berlin finally acquired its present status in 1991, after unification with the Berlin City Archive, the Office for City History and Technical Service and a couple of other less important institutions. Since July 2001, the archive occupies its current venue in a fascinating renovated factory building. Today Landesarchiv Berlin guarantees the public access to all important sources of the city history plus unique documents showing its development and giving answers to many questions. The site is equipped with latest multimedia and on-line technologies and provides diverse specialised services.
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Reichstag
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Address: Platz der Republik 1
Phone: +49 30 227 32 152
e-mail: mail@bundestag.de
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Website: http://www.bundestag.de/
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Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 08 -00
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The Reichstag is the seat of the German parliament, which today is called the Bundestag. The word Reichstag, as a designation of the parliament, was used until the period of the Third Reich, as the German state was officially named during the Nazi regime. Since 1999, the renovated Reichstag building houses the parliament again under the name of Bundestag. This unique construction is largely known as one of the symbols of Berlin and is undoubtedly its leading landmark attracting millions of visitors every year. Apart from visiting plenary sessions of the Bundestag, tourists from all over the world are drawn to the huge glass dome of the building, from where a spectacular view of the city opens before their eyes. The dome itself was designed by the architect Norman Foster and constructed in 1993 in commemoration of the reunification of Germany.
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Schloss Bellevue
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Address: Spreeweg 1
Phone: +49 30 20 0 00
e-mail: bundespraesident.horst.koehler@bpra.bund.de
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Website: http://www.bundespraesident.de
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The 1786 built Schloss Bellevue serves as a seat of the German President. The fascinating palace is constructed and decorated in Neo-Classical style and is the first building of this type in Germany. It lies in the northern end of the beautiful Tiergarten Park in the heart of the city, offering a magnificent view towards the river Spree, hence the name literally meaning 'beautiful view'. In the course of time, the palace has been used for different purposes, from private property, through guest house of Hitler's government to presidential residence after the reunification of Germany. Nowadays the access to the Schloss Bellevue is strictly limited and tourists are not allowed to enter the complex.
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Rotes Rathaus
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Address: Rathausstrasse 15
Phone: +49 30 90 2 60
e-mail: presse-information@skzl.verwalt-berlin.de
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Website: http://www.berlin.de
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The Rotes Rathaus, or Red City Hall, is one of the major landmarks in Berlin's cityscape. It has hosted the local government from the middle of the 19th Century until the World War II and again after the reunification of the country. The imposing construction, which with its tower resembles the architecture of the Laon's Cathedral in France, was designed by the prominent architect Hermann Friedrich Waesemann in the style of Northern Italian High Renaissance and was built of the emblematic red bricks that gave the building its name. Today, the Rotes Rathaus houses the sessions of the government of the Federal State of Berlin, one of the 16 federal states in Germany. The present mayor of the city is Klaus Wowereit. The city hall is open to the public every day except weekends and entrance is free.
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European Film Academy
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Address: Kurfuerstendamm 225
Phone: +49 30 887 16 70
e-mail: efa@europeanfilmacademy.org
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Website: http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/
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The European Film Academy was founded in 1989 in order to promote and
support European film industry. Since then its headquarters has always
been in Berlin. The first president of the organisation was the Swedish
legend Ingmar Bergman and the German director Wim Wenders was elected chairman. In 1996, he succeeded Bergman as president of the academy. Today the institution amalgamates more than 1,800 European film professionals and organises a number of events, the highlight being the annual presentation of the European Film Awards. The activities of the
academy include diverse conferences, seminars, master classes and many others. The European Film Academy gets the main part of its financing from the German National Lottery and the MEDIA Plus Programme of the European Community.
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Bundeskanzleramt
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Address: Willy-Brandt-Strasse 1
Phone: +49 0180 272 0000
e-mail: internetpost@bundesregierung.de
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Website: http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/
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The Bundeskanzleramt is the seat of the German Kanzler. This institution is the supreme federal authority and works in close relationship with the ministries and the other political institutions. After the reunification of Germany when the capital was moved back to Berlin, the need of new buildings for government institutions had to be met. An architectural contest was launched, which was won by Axel Schulte and Charlotte Frank. They designed the new government district called Band des Bundes, a complex of modern buildings from glass, metal and concrete in architectural dialogue with the historical Reichstag. With its location on both banks of the river Spree it links symbolically the East and the West. The Bundeskanzleramt is integrated in the complex and consists of a nine-storey central building and long lower wings. A unique element is the 18-metre high semicircle in the upper part of the facade. The Bundeskanzleramt is accessible to tourists and guided tours are available daily by appointment.
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Börse Berlin
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Address: Fasanenstrasse 85
Phone: +49 30 311 09 10
e-mail: kundenbetreuung@boerse-berlin.de
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Website: http://www.berlinerboerse.de/
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The Berlin Stock Exchange, although less known than the exchange in
Frankfurt am Main, is still among the largest German financial institutions of this type. Currently, it is housed in a modern building in the district of Charlottenburg, called Ludwig-Erhard-Haus. It was designed by the prominent architect Nicholas Grimshaw. The stock exchange itself boasts a long history dating back to the end of the 17th Century. It was established on July 29, 1685 by the elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm. It developed gradually in spite of several disasters like the Black Friday in 1927 and the severe economic problems in Germany between the two World Wars. Its location often changed until April 1996 when the stock exchange was moved to its current venue. In March 2003, it merged with the Bremen Stock Exchange. Recently the new electronic trade facility Matchboxx was launched making deals much easier and faster. The building can be visited by tourists in groups or individually by appointment.
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