Spreebogen

Spreebogen is the name for the pronounced loop the Spree makes in the Mitte district north of the historic Spree island, between the Marschallbrücke in the east and the mouth of the Landwehr Canal in the west. Today the term mostly refers to the area south of the first bend, where Berlin's new government quarter went up after reunification. The Reichstag building, the Federal Chancellery, the Paul-Löbe-Haus and the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus line up along the waterfront here.

The redevelopment goes back to a 1992 competition and the winning "Band des Bundes" concept, which strings the parliamentary and government buildings into a continuous ensemble laid across the Spree, symbolically stitching together the formerly divided city. The Chancellery opened in 2001 and the parliamentary buildings followed in the years after. Where an old industrial area stood until 1994, pale exposed concrete and glass now define the view.

A walk along the riverside promenades leads from the Reichstag across the bridges into neighboring Moabit and the Tiergarten. From the water, on a Spree boat trip for example, the government buildings look especially impressive. The paths and squares are freely accessible; the best photo spots are the Gustav-Heinemann-Brücke and the riverbanks around the Chancellery in evening light.