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" Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German capital has rebuilt it\u2014out of plastic. Some thousand towering dominos, decorated by students and youth groups, now dot a stretch of the former border between East and West. This month they will be ceremoniously toppled to honor the anniversary of the nation&amp;#039;s reunification. That Berlin would transform the site of its previous division into an arena for celebration speaks to the city&amp;#039;s dramatic rebirth. With the restoration of its world-class museums, arrival of cutting-edge galleries, and nonstop influx of young talent, Berlin has emerged as the art world&amp;#039;s favorite hot spot, forever energized, but no longer haunted, by its storied past.  &amp;quot;Berlin is a strong, complicated city,&amp;quot; says publishing impresario Angelika Taschen, who moved here from Los Angeles five years ago. &amp;quot;It is not always easy to understand, with its intense history and constant change. Still, that is what makes it such an exciting place to live.&amp;quot;  Little could its 13th-century founders have anticipated what their twin trading posts, nestled on opposite banks of the Spree River, would become: the capital, successively, of the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich. Upon Hitler&amp;#039;s defeat, Allied powers carved Berlin into four zones of occupation\u2014divisions which calcified into East and West. Up went the wall, until late 1989, when the severed city reunited. The occasion was observed with an improbable performance by Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, whose song &amp;quot;Looking for Freedom&amp;quot; had recently topped local charts.   1 --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  That concert, however memorable, hardly reflects the city&amp;#039;s creative legacy. During the Weimar years Berlin became a laboratory for all things forward-thinking\u2014from the theater of Bertolt Brecht to the functionalist designs of the Bauhaus\u2014and has continued to attract intellectual, artistic, and oftentimes bacchanalian activity in the decades since. Here David Bowie shared an apartment with Iggy Pop, Jeffrey Eugenides completed his novel Middlesex, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the capitol in aluminum-coated plastic.  Today a new wave of bohemians has taken up that torch. &amp;quot;Artists can actually afford to live here,&amp;quot; explains Taschen, alluding to the capital&amp;#039;s cheap rents, depressed economy, and double-digit unemployment rate. And live well at that. Hipsters who elsewhere would toil away at day jobs can instead spend their afternoons in caf\u00E9s and their nights at the city&amp;#039;s myriad theaters, concert halls, and clubs. &amp;quot;There is no money, but there are good ideas,&amp;quot; Taschen jokes.  Among the struggling transplants are notables as well: Turner Prize\u2013winning photographer Wolfgang Tillmans splits his time between the city and London, Brangelina did their stint, and Danish-Icelandic global art star Olafur Eliasson has his studio in a former factory. &amp;quot;In a way Berlin has entered a second Weimar era,&amp;quot; says Tobias Meyer, the German-born worldwide head of contemporary art at Sotheby&amp;#039;s. &amp;quot;The city is very alive, with its young population, gallery scene, and liberal mayor. I always thought how cool it would be to have lived there in 1925, and today people can have that again\u2014even if just for a weekend.&amp;quot; Nowhere is Berlin&amp;#039;s creative spirit better captured than at Sammlung Boros, an exhibition space that opened last year inside a onetime Nazi bunker. The white elephant was bought in 2003 by German advertising tycoon Christian Boros, who converted it into a concrete showcase for pieces by the likes of Eliasson, Damien Hirst, and Elizabeth Peyton. Tours are available by advance appointment only. Think months, not weeks.   More historically oriented art lovers can spend a day\u2014or several\u2014on Museum Island, home to treasures such as the Pergamon altar and the bust of Nefertiti. Conceived by Prussian royals in the early 19th century as a contemporary Acropolis, this complex has undergone a massive restoration to undo the damages of war and reorganize its collections, which were scattered between East and West. And just last month the Neues Museum reopened after an 11-year renovation by architect David Chipperfield.  Click here to see the gallery for &amp;quot;ELLE DECOR Goes to Berlin&amp;quot;  --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; 2 --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  &amp;quot;Each generation has gotten a new Berlin,&amp;quot; observes German photographer Frank Thiel. &amp;quot;When the wall came down, the city&amp;#039;s landscape began a profound transformation.&amp;quot; The alterations to the environment have provided ample fodder for Thiel&amp;#039;s own large-scale works: stunning images of scaffolding, peeling paint, and other urban ephemera. Several capture the recent demolition of the Palast der Republik, the glass-and-steel eyesore that housed the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In its place, the city plans to rebuild the Hohenzollern city palace erased by the GDR from that very plot. Whether the government can find the half billion or so euros and army of stone carvers needed remains to be seen.   Re-creating a Baroque royal residence seems a surprising decision for a city associated with progressive design. However, Berlin as a whole continues to evolve in new and unexpected ways. In the past 20 years alone, down-and-out areas in the former GDR have been reborn as tony havens of chic\u2014their vacant housing stock repopulated and storefronts converted into galleries and boutiques. Initially colonized by writers and artists during the 1970s and &amp;#039;80s, Prenzlauer Berg has most recently morphed from a gritty enclave into a residential oasis. Some locals pine for the grungy days of yore, but gentrification has its perks. A delicious array of ethnic food exists along Kastanienallee, a bustling thoroughfare nicknamed Casting Alley for its catwalkworthy residents. Try the naan pizza at W-Der Imbiss, then head down nearby Oderberger Strasse to Kauf Dich Gl\u00FCcklich, a charming ice-cream parlor whose mix of bright furniture is for sale. For more vintage finds, check out the flea market at nearby Mauerpark, or Kunst-a-Bunt, an antiques shop overlooking leafy Kollwitzplatz.  Mitte (German for middle) has meanwhile retaken its rightful place as the heart of the city. Here restored landmarks line Unter den Linden\u2014a grand boulevard stretching from the Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island\u2014and Fernsehturm, the distinctive TV tower, looms over Alexanderplatz, East Berlin&amp;#039;s onetime commercial center. To its northwest, the former Jewish quarter now teems with hip shops such as Bless, the cult fashion label&amp;#039;s flagship store, and Apartment, a subterranean showroom filled with edgy clothing. Retail-weary wanderers can refuel at stylish restaurants before exploring the area&amp;#039;s famous art scene, including neighborhood pioneers Galerie Eigen + Art and Kunst-Werke Berlin.   The culinary landscape has shifted as well. Berlin has long suffered from notoriously lackluster cuisine. &amp;quot;People don&amp;#039;t necessarily come here for fine dining,&amp;quot; concedes Tim Raue, Germany&amp;#039;s 2007 chef of the year according to GaultMillau. Thanks in part to Raue, however, that stands to change. Last year he opened twin restaurants inside the historic Hotel Adlon Kempinski\u2014the loungelike Uma, with a Japanese menu, and adjoining MA Tim Raue. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a mix of old-world Berlin and trendy Mitte,&amp;quot; the chef says of his eponymous eatery.   Of course, the art industry remains the driving force behind the city&amp;#039;s renewal, with galleries popping up on every corner\u2014from the shadows of the modern Hauptbahnhof railway station (where Haunch of Venison has opened an outpost) to Checkpoint Charlie. The latest crop can be found along the monumental Stalinist boulevard Karl-Marx-Allee, including Krome Gallery and Capitain Petzel.  Strolling that street today, it&amp;#039;s easy to forget demonstrations of military might were once held here. History, however, forms the foundation of the city&amp;#039;s ever-evolving identity, mixing easily with the creativity for which the capital is now known. The combination, as Cabaret heroine and iconic Berliner Sally Bowles might say, is perfectly marvelous.  Click here to see the gallery for &amp;quot;ELLE DECOR Goes to Berlin&amp;quot;  --&amp;amp;gt;   --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; 3 --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt;  --&amp;amp;gt;  ESSENTIAL BERLIN  The country code is 49.  Climb the Reichstag. The German parliament, with its glittering dome by Norman Foster, is a required stop for its panoramic views and ingenious melding of old and new (Platz der Republik 1; bundestag.de).  Gallery-hop. New ones keep cropping up in every corner of the city, from Karl-Marx-Allee to Checkpoint Charlie, but the highest concentration remains in Mitte.   Break on through. Twenty years after its fall, a few stretches of the Berlin Wall still stand. The longest is in Friedrichshain at East Side Gallery (M\u00FChlenstrasse).  Explore Museum Island. The UNESCO World Heritage site is home to five institutions (including the newly opened Neues Museum), with treasures from ancient times to the 19th century. The Pergamon altar is especially awe-inspiring.   Walk Unter den Linden. Stretching from the Brandenburg Gate to the vacant site of what was the Palast der Republik, this historic boulevard is dotted with stunning neoclassical, Baroque, and rococo buildings.   Let the music play. With three state-funded opera houses and the legendary Hans Scharoun\u2013designed Philharmonie concert hall, Berlin is a classical-music-lover&amp;#039;s paradise.  WHAT TO SEE  Gem\u00E4ldegalerie, Matth\u00E4ikirchplatz 8, 30-266-42-3040; smb.spk-berlin.de: Rubens, Vel\u00E1zquez, and Titian are only a few of the many Old Masters with works in this standout collection.  Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstrasse 50-51, 30-3978-3439; hamburgerbahnhof.de: A neoclassical train station transformed into a gleaming temple to contemporary art.   Jewish Museum, Lindenstrasse 9-14, 30-2599-3300; jmberlin.de: Two thousand years of German-Jewish history are chronicled inside architect Daniel Libeskind&amp;#039;s zinc-clad Deconstructivist icon.   Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1, 30-2639-4336; holocaust-mahnmal.de: Architect Peter Eisenman&amp;#039;s sobering and sculptural tribute to victims of the Holocaust.  Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Strasse 50, 30-266-42-3040; neue-nationalgalerie.de: Designed by Mies van der Rohe, this glass-and-black-metal box is home to modern masterpieces by the likes of Kandinsky, Kirchner, and Klee.  Sammlung Boros, Reinhardtstrasse 20, 30-2759-4065; sammlung-boros.de: A collection of works by today&amp;#039;s art stars on display inside a one-time Nazi bunker. Advance reservations required.  WHERE TO STAY  Alma Schlosshotel im Grunewald, Brahmsstrasse 10, 30-89-58-40; schlosshotelberlin.com: This 1912 villa in the former West has been lavishly made over by Karl Lagerfeld.   Grand Hyatt Berlin, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 2, 30-2553-1234; berlin.grand.hyatt.com: These 342 polished rooms are a chic retreat from bustling Potsdamer Platz.   Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, Unter den Linden 77, 30-2261-0; hotel-adlon.de: A favorite of pop stars and presidents, the legendary property boasts a luxurious spa and three Michelin-starred restaurants.   Hotel de Rome, Behrenstrasse 37, 30-460-6090; hotelderome.com: Classic meets contemporary at this opulent oasis, located in a converted bank overlooking Bebelplatz.   Lux 11 Berlin-Mitte, Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 9-13, 30-936-2800; lux-eleven.com: Apartment-style rooms in the heart of trendy Mitte.  WHERE TO EAT  Borchardt, Franz\u00F6sische Strasse 47, 30-8188-6262: Politicians and power players dine on schnitzel, bouillabaisse, and other German and French fare at this institution.  Grill Royal, Friedrichstrasse 105B, 30-2887-9288; grillroyal.com: Gourmet surf and turf, sleek decor, and scenesters in abundance at this Spree-side hot spot.  Kauf Dich Gl\u00FCcklich, Oderberger Strasse 44, 30-501-50-4791; kaufdichgluecklich.de: An ice-cream parlor that&amp;#039;s also an intriguing vintage shop in Prenzlauer Berg.   MA Tim Raue, Behrenstrasse 72, 30-301-11-7333; ma-restaurants.de: This celebrated newcomer inside the Hotel Adlon features Chinese cuisine and sumptuous interiors.   Oliv, M\u00FCnzstrasse 8, 30-8920-6540; oliv-cafe.de: Tucked among Mitte&amp;#039;s many boutiques, this caf\u00E9 is the perfect place to stop for quiche or a quick cappuccino.   Paris Bar, Kantstrasse 152, 30-313-8052; parisbar.net: Original artwork by Martin Kippenberger and fascinating ephemera fill the walls of this storied brasserie, a beloved hangout for generations of artists, writers, and ex-pats.   Sale e Tabacchi, Rudi-Dutschke-Strasse 23, 30-252-1155, sale-e-tabacchi.de: A favorite among Kreuzberg gallerists for its relaxed scene and hearty Italian fare.  WHERE TO SHOP  Apartment, Memhardstrasse 8, 30-2804-2251, apartmentberlin.de: Edgy apparel by the likes of Raf Simons and Rick Owens in an unmarked basement showroom.   Bless, Mulackstrasse 38, 30-2759-6566; bless-service.de: Avant-garde clothing for both sexes by the noted design collective.   Buchhandlung Walther K\u00F6nig, Burgstrasse 27, 30-2576-0980; buchhandlung-walther-koenig.de: With its encyclopedic array of art tomes, this bookstore is a museum unto itself.  The Corner Berlin, Franz\u00F6sische Strasse 40, 30-2067-0940; thecornerberlin.de: Expertly curated fashions (think Balenciaga and Balmain) and furnishings by the likes of Verner Panton and Curtis Jer\u00E9.   Herr von Eden, Alte Sch\u00F6nhauser Strasse 14, 30-2404-8682; herrvoneden.com: Vintage-inspired suits for men and women in handsome flannels, pinstripes, and tweeds.   KaDeWe, Tauentzienstrasse 21-24, 30-2121-0; kadewe.de: To Berlin what Harrods is to London. Don&amp;#039;t miss the gourmet spread on the department store&amp;#039;s sixth floor.  Kunst-a-Bunt, W\u00F6rther Strasse 39, 30-4435-7735; kunst-a-bunt.de: Old-world antiques, as well as Art Deco tableware, Bauhaus light fixtures, and Meissen porcelain.   Zeitlos, Kantstrasse 17, 30-3151-5631; zeitlos-berlin.de: This showroom in the Stilwerk design complex features tubular-steel furniture from the 1930s and Jugendstil pieces, among other rare finds.  Click here to see the gallery for &amp;quot;ELLE DECOR Goes to Berlin&amp;quot;  --&amp;amp;gt;   --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; --&amp;amp;gt; 4  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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