Are you a Berliner?

We continue the series of one day art & culture schedules provided by personalities to our readers. In the winter edition of The Art of Living 2014, Mr. Werner Hans Lauk, the Ambassador of Germany in Bucharest proposed a journey to Berlin to explore the art and the recent history of the city. Mr. Lauk who is ambassador in Romania since 2013 began his diplomatic career in 1977 and served in diplomatic missions in Caracas, Prague, Riyadh and Beijing and was the Head of Mission in Kabul and the General Consulate in Hong Kong, before coming to Bucharest.

A friend of mine once told me: “Art and architecture are from and for the people”. I remember his words every time I return to Berlin, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s people and their decisions that make cities and their heritages what they are now, especially in Berlin. Whether you decide to explore the city’s main art and architecture attractions by foot or by bike, or even in a loud Trabant – you can rent these – the German capital will delight your senses. Here are my suggestions for a full day of art and living in Berlin.

Since this year we celebrate a quarter of a century from the fall of the Berlin Wall. So I suggest you start your day in the Eastern part of Berlin, at Alexanderplatz. You will not only get a glimpse of modern East German architecture, but also meet people who mark the vibrant centre of former East Berlin. There are exhibitions in the Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus) or the GDR museum – one of the newest and most visited museums in Berlin – where you can start your discovery of German and international art and architecture.

Read more in The Art of Living magazine printed edition