STAY IN BERLIN - RETURN TO VIENNA
I have never seen a town more beautifully or regularly built than
Berlin, - I mean, the town of Berlin itself, - only the finest
streets, palaces, and squares of Copenhagen would bear a comparison
with it.
I spent but a few days here, and had therefore scarcely time to see
the most remarkable and interesting sights.
The splendid royal palace, the extensive buildings for the picture-
gallery and museums, the great dome - all these are situated very
near each other.
The Dome church is large and regularly built; a chapel, surrounded
by an iron enclosure, stands at each side of the entrance. Several
kings are buried here, and antiquated sarcophagi cover their
remains, known as the kings' graves. Near them stands a fine cast-
iron monument, beneath which Count Brandenburg lies.
The Catholic church is built in the style of the Rotunda in Rome;
but, unlike it, the light falls from windows made around the walls,
and not from above. Beautiful statues and a simple but tasteful
altar are the only ornaments of this church. The portico is
ornamented by beautiful reliefs.
The Werder church is a modern erection, built in the Gothic style,
and its turrets are ornamented by beautiful bronze reliefs. The
walls inside are inlaid with coloured wood up to the galleries,
where they terminate in Gothic scroll-work. The organ has a full,
clear tone; in front of it stands a painting which, at first sight,
resembles a scene from heathen mythology more than a sacred subject.
A number of cupids soar among wreaths of flowers, and surround three
beautiful female figures.
The mint and the architectural college stand near this church. The
former is covered with fine sculptures; the latter is square, of a
brick-red colour, without any architectural embellishment, and
perfectly resembling an unusually large private house. The ground-
floor is turned into fine shops.
Near the palace lies the Opera Square, in which stand the celebrated
opera-house, the arsenal, the university, the library, the academy,
the guardhouse, and several royal palaces. Three statues ornament
the square: those of General Count Bulov, General Count
Scharnhorst, and General Prince Blucher. They are all three
beautifully sculptured, but the drapery did not please me; it
consisted of the long military cloth cloak, which, opening in front,
afforded a glimpse of the splendid uniforms.
The arsenal is one of the finest buildings in Berlin, and forms a
square; at the time of my stay some repairs were being made, so that
it was closed. I had to be content with glimpses through the
windows of the first floor, which showed me immense saloons filled
by tremendous cannons, ranged in rows.
The guardhouse is contiguous, and resembles a pretty temple, with
its portico of columns.
The opera-house forms a long detached square. It would have a much
better effect if the entrances were not so wretched. The one at the
grand portal looks like a narrow, miserable church-door, low and
gloomy. The other entrances are worse still, and one would not
suppose that they could lead to such a splendid interior, whose
appointments are indescribably luxurious and commodious. The pit is
filled by rows of comfortably-cushioned chairs with cushioned backs,
numbered, but not barred. The boxes are divided by very low
partitions, so that the aristocratic world seems to sit on a
tribune. The seats in the pit and the first and second tiers are
covered with dark-red silk damask; the royal box is a splendid
saloon, the floor of which is covered with the finest carpets.
Beautiful oil-paintings, in tasteful gold frames, ornament the
plafond; but the magnificent chandelier is the greatest curiosity.
It looks so massively worked in bronze, that it is painful to see
the heavy mass hang so loosely over the heads of the spectators.
But it is only a delusion; for it is made of paste-board, and
bronzed over. Innumerable lamps light the place; but one thing
which I miss in such elegant modern theatres is a clock, which has a
place in nearly every Italian theatre.
The other buildings on this square are also distinguished for their
size and the beauty of their architecture.
An unusually broad stone bridge, with a finely-made iron balustrade,
is built over a little arm of the Spree, and unites the square of
the opera with that on which the palace stands.
The royal museum is one of the finest architectural piles, and its
high portal is covered with beautiful frescoes. The picture-gallery
contains many chefs-d'oeuvre; and I regretted that I had not more
time to examine it and the hall of antiquities, having only three
hours for the two.
From the academy runs a long street lined with lime-trees, and which
is therefore called Under-the-limes (unter den Linden). This alley
forms a cheerful walk to the Brandenburg-gate, beyond which the
pleasure-gardens are situated. The longest and finest streets which
run into the lime-alley are the Friedrichs Street and the Wilhelms
Street. The Leipziger Street also belongs to the finest, but does
not run into this promenade.
The Gens-d'arme Square is distinguished by the French and German
churches, at least by their exterior, - by their high domes, columns,
and porticoes. The interiors are small and insignificant. On this
square stands also the royal theatre, a tasteful pile of great
beauty, with many pillars, and statues of muses and deities.
I ascended the tower on which the telegraph works, on account of the
view over the town and the flat neighbourhood.
