Berlin Guided Architecture Walks!
I have hand picked the very best licensed architectural tour guides in Berlin. Tell me what themes and districts and histories you desire in Berlin and I will link you with a high ranking guide. This means you are sure of a fixed first-class appointment.
History will be a major theme in Berlin. You will learn that the present day German government and school system does an outstanding job in tackling the history of World war II head on - in what they call Vergangenheids-bewaeltigung = taking the past and dealing with it thouroughly and properly. Present day school youths are confronted with the events of Nazi History and throughout their school career they are taken to various concentration camps. Ouch! Sometimes too much of a good thing for them.
At Unter den Linden, the great boulevard near Museum Island, there is the outsize statue of Frederic the Great. Here his role as a military leader is stressed - we are obviously in Prussia, yes? - but guides will tell you that his role as a promoter of the Age of Enlightenment makes him really stand out as an important statesman in early modern Europe.
See Goerings HUMONGOUS Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium - Air Force Ministery. For some unfathomable reason all of the allied forces air raids missed this outsize building. Present day it is the HQ of the Finance Ministery and thus a butt of many jokes among people from Berlin.
The guide will also bring you to the location of bunker where Hitler met his end.
German Ministery of Finance now occupying the Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium, RLM building.
Berlin was flattened by terrific air raids and this national shrine church, once paid for by pennies gathered by the population of all of Germany, did not escape partly destruction. The ruin of this old Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church - Gedaechtniskirche completed in 1895 now stands next to the ultra modern 1957 glass tower block memorial church next to it. Inside the old building the most gripping object is the iron cross made out of nails. It is made from actual iron from ruined churches and counts as a memorial of Reconciliation - Versoehnung between Coventry and other towns seriously flattened during WWII. These stark croses are exchange gifts between those raided towns.
All in all the allied bombing raids on cities in Germany were scary as hell for all involved and had the final effect not of breaking the will and scaring them but of strenghtening the will of the German people - the heavy industry and transportation was not seriously hampered at all.
The allied leaders considered the option of using the very first two first atomic bombs to be used on Tokyo and Berlin. It did not happen that way.
Presently this Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church is endangered by the vibration of the subway line below and lots of funds are needed now to hold the crumbling structure in place.
Berlin had several tiers of local democracy before the Nazis stepped in and closed down that tradition. This is the old local parliament building standing opposite the Martin-Gropius-Bau exhibition hall. Close by is:
The Sony Center, the masterpiece of city renovation. Day and night it is bristling with locals and tourists. Great cinemas also with films in the original language and subtitles. Please be warned that other cinemas in Berlin show German-dubbed movies. Ask here at Sony center for the Original film versions!
History is all around and again it is the center of town with Berlin Central Station and other modes of transport. Those who are hungry can eat an affordable and very fresh bite at Vapiano. Open kitchen system. I tried it more than once. Nice!
The heroism of manly socialist labour is exemplified in this DDR mural brick sculpture. Me thinks the man is an architect, for he is holding a carpenters square. But why does he have an official cap?
Bookings are made through the office of Drs Kaldenbach.
Above a dangerous joke told quietly in Nazi Germany. One could be beaten and incarcerated for telling such a joke. Races and peoples must be strictly separated. What does the ideal German look like? This inside joke was whispered in the Third Reich: "Blond like Hitler, tall like Goebbels and chaste like Roehm".
Tours on offer:
1. Berlin in World War II. Walk with a historian and also one-time British officer/secret agent, who has often met with dignitaries such as Rudolf Hess. Tour incl various WW2 themes.
2. Do the Berlin architectural specialties walk with the very BEST local tour guides.
3. Berlin Cold War walk.
4. Berlin Museums with Drs Kaldenbach, arty historian. For this item I will fly to Berlin and stay with you for a couple of days. This will add up to some extra cost but what you get is world class BBC quality. Including Bauhaus by museum guides.
Bookings through the office of Drs Kaldenbach.
Introductory programme: Learn about Berlin history in a 1 hour powerpoint presentation. On request I will help you prepare for your trip to Berlin with my wonderful powerpoint presentation. Learn about the richess of the city of Berlin, its culture, museums, design and culinary specialities. I will show you around, giving you a good idea of Berlin's layout by means of birds-eye views, aerial photographs, maps, drawings, photographs.
I am fluent in Dutch, English, and I have a good command of German / Deutsch and a limited command of French and Italian, (Français & Italiano).
This is an academic tour preparation by scholar-lecturer, art historian Drs. Kees Kaldenbach* Read a biography. Download my PDF file of my company flyer.
Kaldenbach Menu:
Powerpoint presentation of Amsterdam.
Powerpoint presentation of Athens.
Powerpoint presentation of Barcelona.
Powerpoint presentation of Berlin.
Powerpoint presentation of Copenhagen.
Powerpoint presentation of Florence.
Powerpoint presentation of Helsinki.
Powerpoint presentation of Istanbul.
Powerpoint presentation of Naples.
Powerpoint presentation of Rome.
Powerpoint presentation of Split.
Powerpoint presentation of Stockholm.
Powerpoint presentation of St. Petersburg, Russia.
Powerpoint presentation of Tallinn.
Powerpoint presentation of Venice
Menu presentation of walks and museum visits in Towns in Holland.
My home is Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I will travel to any address you require to give this powerpoint presentation to you, your business partners, family and friends.
You may pay me by credit card. For further information please contact kalden@xs4all.nl. Specify your (client's) personal needs, date, time AND THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS of both your mobile telephone and your hotel. Our company is stable and trustworthy - that is why we have long standing contracts with VISA, MasterCard and American Express.
As an art historian based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, I can meet your clients in major capitals around the world such as Barcelona - but also in Dutch cities such as Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Haarlem, Leiden, Gouda, Rotterdam. Right there, I will present a personalized guided tour of art museums and historic centers. Or we may combine art with nature in places such as the Kröller Müller Museum in Otterlo.Complete Listing of tours See client testimonials.
Experience beauty and local history together. Clients will enjoy themselves and learn while strolling and discussing the country's past, art and culture. In doing so, they may touch many bases - spanning not only fine art and architecture but also a city's background and current social issues.
Starting at your hotel I will take you on the wonderful private cultural walking tour of your choice. My guided itinerary offers you accessable informative conversation in Dutch, English or German (my French and Italian are more limited).
Fine Print / Legal issues
Bookings are finalized with a downpayment. I will send detailed instructions. Cancellation: The charges for cancellation more than 48 hours in advance are covered by your deposit. Charges for client cancellation 24-48 hours in advance: 25% of the agreed sum to be billed to the client's credit card. Charges for client cancellation less than 24 hours in advance: 60% of the agreed sum to be billed to the client's credit card. When booking, you agree to these arrangements.
You may also arrange this VIP treatment for business contacts or friends. We will ensure an unique and memorable experience.
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach is your private "scholar-lecturer on culture tours" *.
*Martha Gellhorn, Travels with Myself and another, p. 182.
Endorsements
The Rijksmuseum has done me the honor of linking the main Rijksmuseum site to my website.
I conduct Rembrandt walks in Amsterdam for the Netherlands Bureau of Tourism, the London and New York City offices. Their clients include important journalists.
The travel site www.luxurytraveler.com has devoted a main feature to my tours and walks.
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach has been featured in television and radio documentaries, including BBC2 TV, BBC2 TV, was interviewed in the Atlanta, Georgia CNN studios, and appeared on NTV Japan, Danish TV and Radio Netherlands World Service. In July 2004 he was interviewed about Delft artists by Tetsuya Tsuruhara for the leading Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun. In 2004 and 2005 he acted in an advisory role to additional BBC teams. Kaldenbach has written extensively on Vermeer and 17th century Delft, on Vincent van Gogh and on other art history topics. He also lectures on cruise ships. Kaldenbach has written extensively on Vermeer and the 17th century, Vincent van Gogh and on other art history topics. In 2008 he was the author of a Museum Guide book.
Read further client testimonials.
Further information is available on his encyclopedic web site: www.johannesvermeer.info
Contact
information:
Drs. Kees Kaldenbach , kalden@xs4all.nl
Haarlemmermeerstraat 83 hs
1058 JS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel.: 020 - 669 8119 (from abroad +31 20 - 669 8119)
Cell phone: 06 - 2868 9775 (from abroad 31 +6 - 2868 9775)
Reaction, questions? Read client testimonials.Open seven days a week.
Member of the VVV Tourist information and the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel).
Email responses and bookings to art historian Drs. Kees Kaldenbach.
This page forms part of the 2000+ item Vermeer web site at www.xs4all.nl/~kalden
Launched October 5, 2009. Updated Feb 6, 2011.
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Complete Listing of tours