Moustachios and Marzipan: Prussian Berlin

"Iron Chancellor" Otto von Bismarck waved his magic wand and transformed a rough dirt road leading from Berlin proper to the royal hunting residence in the … Grunewald into a full-on Haussmann-style grand boulevard in 1881. The Ku'Damm rapidly became a ritzy place to live and counterweight to Unter den Linden, boasting luxurious town houses, shops, and hotels instead of cultural institutions. Now houses a mixture of upmarket brands and chain stores. [link]

Soldier King Friedrich Wilhelm I first constructed the castle as a summer house for his wife, Charlotte, in 1699 and subsequent generations added wings and state rooms … over the years. Bombed in World War II, it has since been restored to some extent, and many of the rooms are extraordinary but a little empty. The greatest treasure of the original palace has vanished: a room gilded in gold and amber which was later presented to Peter the Great of Russia as a thank you for allying with the Prussians against Sweden. Hitler purloined it during Operation Barbarossa and installed it in Koenigsburg, but it disappeared mysteriously in 1945: destroyed by bombs, hidden in a forgotten mine or sunk on a submarine attempting to smuggle it away. [link]

Christian Rauch's 1851 depiction of Frederick prancing down Unter den Linden on a strong-necked charger was transferred to Potsdam after the war and then restored to its … rightful spot in 1981, after a change of heart by the DDR. Alte Fritz now surveys the boulevard created by his ancestor the Great Elector in 1647 and lined with the Hohenzollern family's building blocks: the Humboldt University, the Staatsbibliothek, St Hedwig's Cathedral, the opera houses et al. [link]

Friedrich Wilhelm II erected this in 1791 as a symbol of peace, only to have Napoleon march through it in 1806 and steal the Quadriga -- the sculpture of the … chariot-driving goddess of Peace that sat on the top. Prussian sovereignty and the chariot were restored by 1814, and Peace was made over into Victory and her olive branch replaced with a Prussian Iron Cross. A favorite touchstone for the Nazis, it was battered in World War II and ended up as the stage set for key moments of the Cold War, visited by JFK and Reagan. Now fully restored and living out a new life as a symbol of German unity. [link]

When he got pissed off with the ungrateful Berliners, Frederick the Great would retire to his beautiful palace outside the city and speak French and sulk. Baroque outside … and Rococo within, it's modest compared to the excesses of Versailles, but still an awesome display of wealth and (reasonably) good taste. In 1991, Frederick's last wish was finally granted, and his remains were returned to his happy hunting ground. [link]

The whole kit and kaboodle of German history superbly presented in this newly opened showcase. Includes china drinking mugs with built-in moustache guards and the … "Panorama" -- a peculiar multi-sided wooden cabinet with peep holes through which you can see old "3D" photos of the high days and holidays of the Empire. Every few seconds, a bell in the Panaorama goes "ting!" and the inner workings rumble, then a new hand-tinted photo appears before your eyes. Magical. [link]

Surrounded by ponderous Altbau in Charlottenburg, this time capsule has candy-striped wallpaper and chandeliers, and glass counters full of homemade East Prussian … marzipan toasted in a traditional wood-burning stove. [link]

This museum covers the history of Berlin and Brandenburg through the ages, and it's staffed by grumpy pensioners who will pursue you round the exhibitions, frowning … mightily and waiting for you to do something wrong. Includes a display of moustache nets designed to prevent facial hair from being unduly ruffled when the wearer sleeps, and also a giant, bombastic portrait of Kaiser Bill floating through the Brandenburg Gate on a cloud of cherubim, swooning nymphs, and snow-white horses. [link]