Published in: Helsingin Sanomat, 21st of August, 2004

 - BERLIN IS A RAGGED DISORDER

- It is highly advised to visit Berlin and see the many remains from different rulers, as those are still visible, but not for too long. Someday perhaps Berlin will be a cleaned like it's suppose to be, located in the heart of the EU. Thinking about the tourists, it's a shame as being in disorder is a tradition in Berlin. The scenes of rulers and their memories are in disorder in Berlin. Constructions are often in half-way and a new rulers have hurried to establish their own scenes, replacing the old ones. This hurry is clearly visible, as today Berlin is a very new city. History hasn't had the time to be patinated into a dimly elegant form, like it has done in other countries in West-Europe. This raggedness and ruggedness is the thing, that makes Berlin a very special place, when comparing to other cities. Raggedness is always a very trendy thing, it makes beautiful pictures and you can always make new discoveries from it.

- Additionally Berlin offers a good view to look at the world history. It's an opportunity that might not come again. This offer is made by the European history and only now. It might be gone tomorrow. In Berlin the raggedness is not just in the eye of the person who is looking, like it is with beauty, but here the raggedness goes deeper than just the surface. All of the memories from past rulers are not even present in Berlin anymore, some are just present as a silent figures, like watching a play, where embarrassingly the words are lost. You can walk into the cupola of the Reichstag (Parliament House) after an short queue. From the cupola you can look at the scenery in the bend of the Spree-river. Following the tradition in Berlin, the area is not completely finished yet. At the spot where now stands the Kansler-office reminding a bit of Babylonian architecture, stand before the Prussian General Staff building, from where Otto von Bismarck united Germany. The eventful times started for people living in Berlin. The ruins of the building were demolished after the Second World War, at the same time the Kroll opera house was destroyed too, which was located opposite of the Reichstag. It's a shame that the opera house was demolished, as it would be good to have a bit fun in the otherwise administrative block. Of course the embassy building of the young Finland is gone too from the river bend.

- The bend of the Spree-river was modified already in the thirties, when buildings were demolished to make room for the huge Nazi meeting hall, so huge that perhaps even a rain clouds would have formed in it's cupola. Berlin was suppose to be named as Germania, after the Second World War would have been won. The whole central area was suppose to be turned into a one huge display of power of Germany. The leader of the Germany, admired Paris and wanted to exceed it's glamour. Nearly the only thing that's remaining from Germania is the parade street, that leads from the Brandenburg-gate to west (Strasse des 17. Juni, Bismarckstrasse). The western occupation troops held their last parade here in the early part of the 1990's. The very modern looking lamp-posts were designed by the head architect of the Third Reich, Albert Speer. Along the street there's a quick glances to the view, how the new capital would have looked. The warlike eagle is still hanging above the door in Wilmersdorferstrasse, in one of the office buildings.

- The stadium of the Berlin summer games of 1936 has been just renovated into a modern design, but in the airport of Tempelhof and in the Fehrbellinerplatz, the buildings are still in their original design. When going to Tempelhof, you can see a huge, house sized concrete block at the corner of Dudenstrasse and General-Papenstrasse. It was used to test if the ground under Berlin would be able to support the huge new buildings that were designed to be build to Berlin. The fully concrete block is a sturdy one and was left for Berlin as a sort of a remembrance. Everything will disappear and this is Berlin at it's best. Political cabaret is strong in Berlin and what would be a more grotesque than to build one scene of power on top of another one. So it is recommended to visit the Palast der Republik, meaning the Republic Palace. What other EU capital holds inside a visible ruin castle under another ruin? East-Germany constructed it's palace to the place where the palace of Prussian princes and German emperors had once stood, before it was blown to pieces. Now the windows of the DDR palace stands empty and dark. It's soon the turn of the DDR palace to make room for another buildings. The only things that are open is the funds and how the interiors should be used. So, the story might not be quite over yet.

- The East-German Stalinism in the Karl-Marx-Alle leads one to wonder how the constructions in every dictatorship is a so similar. The former Stalin-Alle is declared as a memorial and I bet that the street wasn't this nice looking even as a brand new. The parade street of Socialism is now populated according to the newspapers, by the insurance company officials. The feeling of scenes is a strong one even now. Tourist who knows the trends, might want to start his journey to taste the feeling of East, from here. One cafeteria even contained a ear from Josif Stalin statue, but it has been stolen now. If one likes symbols, one might find the ear of Stalin from Hohenschönhausen, where the former Stasi prison is now a museum. The cells are very authentic, even containing the rubber padding in the cells. The Alexanderplatz, which is full of concrete buildings, reminding from the architecture of Stalinism, will be later replaced by a new modern glass buildings. This way the empty spot is filled with office buildings, like they've done in the Potsdamer Platz. When judging the architecture is Potsdamer Platz, it's good to remember that the architecture there wasn't highly appreciated even before the war and after the Berlin wall.

- Berlin has contained many different kind of faces, but the strongest traces left the Germany which was ruled by the Emperors from 1870 to 1918. They build the capital. The Berlin of Wilhelm-Emperors is ragged in a romantic way in the Prenzlauer Berg part of Berlin. In the middle of the houses which have been recently renovated, are the half ruined houses, scarred from the war. The owners of these houses is still a question mark. The East-German activists used to live in Prenzlauer Berg. Now in the cafeterias of Käthe-Kollwitz-Platz the people from media are sitting and old cars are the fashion thing here. The Berlin of the Emperors was the biggest industrial center of Europe. The industrial halls of Siemensstadt show the history of architecture. The only thing that's missing from under the several railway bridges of Yorckstrasse is Bertolt Brecht and his Knife-Mackie.

- The golden 20's of Berlin is at the moment the only one to where you can buy tickets. The roots of the ragged romantics are located in the aftermath of the First World War, which is thought to be a happy times. Cocaine, speculations, experimental culture and different perversions are still selling with their fame. From the reports made by the journalist and a writer Joseph Roth, you can understood how depressing Berlin was in the 20's. Berlin is a huge city, even when there's millions of people and one should really sit in the different street cafe's. At the same time you can get yourself familiar with the one basic sight in the Berlin. In your view, is most likely a yellowish or brownish plaster wall in an old building. These walls come from the history. After the war people wanted to give a new look to Berlin, but there was not enough money to demolish everything. West-Berlin supported with money different housing organizations to demolish everything old from the buildings. In East, the change was even easier. Those buildings which lost their signs from the past, were covered with a pale mask. Now the owners of the buildings are sorry, as those traces from the past are very highly asked in the housing market.