Just opposite Berlin's central train station there's an endless parade of excursion boats, private yachts and party vessels, like the "Moby Dick", passing by on the river. Many tourists enjoy taking in the historical city center with its spectacular government buildings from the river perspective.

There are officially around 1,000 bridges in Berlin. The Moltkebrücke built in 1891 is one of the oldest. It connects the central train station to the Chancellery building.

… can be found on the 7th floor of the "Bundekanzleramt", the Chancellery building. This monumental construction is eight times the size of the White House in Washington. It was one of the first new construction projects in Berlin's government district, building began in 1997.

The Reichstag building was badly damaged in World War II. After reconstruction in the 1960s, it was no longer used as a parliament building. But after German reunification and extensive renovation, it became the seat of the German Bundestag parliament in 1999.

During the Cold War some of the border between East and West ran along the Spree. At a point, in what is today the middle of the government district, white crosses serve as a memorial to people who were killed while trying to flee from East Germany to the West.

The Berliner Ensemble theater company was founded by Bertolt Brecht in 1949 and in 1954 it moved into the "Theater am Schiffbauerdamm", where it has been based ever since. This is where Brecht's play "Mother Courage and her children" was performed for the first time. It remains one of the most respected German language theaters in the world.

6,000 years of art and culture on one side of the Spree with its collection of museums and couples dancing the tango on warm summer evenings on the other side. This is a standard mix in Berlin. The Museum Island, as it is known, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1999.

Berlin Cathedral was built during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor. Construction began in 1894 and included a 70 meter (229 feet) high dome. Today the main attraction for tourists is the crypt containing the graves of several Prussian kings. Services for state occasions are also still held at Berlin Cathedral.

Across from the cathedral, reconstruction of Berlin's City Palace is underway. Heavily damaged during World War II, the original was demolished in 1950. After reunification the decision was made to rebuild the palace. Now the structural work consisting of 100,000 cubic meters of gray concrete is largely completed. Set to open in 2019, the City Palace will house a museum and other cultural venues.