Potsdamer Platz
Once a desolate, war-ravaged 16.5-acre wasteland in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, this square has become a symbol of the new, reunified Germany. A new urban center has arisen on this, the largest building site in Berlin. The centerpiece is the complex of high-rise buildings designed by today’s star architects for multinational corporations Sony (Helmut Jahn), Daimler-Chrysler (Renzo Piano) and ABB (Giorgio Grassi), containing offices and cultural areas, bars and restaurants, apartments and hotels.
The Sony Center, which opened in January 2000, is dedicated entirely to the silver screen. In addition to an IMAX 3D cinema, it also houses the Filmhaus, bringing together institutions such as the German Film and Television Academy and the Berlin Film Museum under one roof for the first time. Other attractions include the noble Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Musical Theater and the casino.