Leaving the government district behind us,
we carried on along the Spree past lovely buildings and under intricately built bridges.
until we reached the Museum Island. Water traffic rules meant we had to pass down the left of the Bode Museum at its northernmost tip. The right-hand side is actually a canal. The river had become unpassable for boats after a dam was built to power watermills in the 13th century. Increasing trade called for a through route, so the city moat of Cölln was dug out and a lock built during 1578. This canal loops around and creates an island.
We passed the Berlin Cathedral, currently covered in scaffolding and then on to the Berliner Schloss. A building with much history, it was most recently rebuilt in 2020. The reconstruction reinstated the original appearance of the facade along most outer walls. I am unsure why this wasn’t done along the northern edge, it does provide for peculiar-looking corners.
At the other end of the artificial island, we tied up at the side waiting to pass through the Mühlendamm Schleuse. A lock was first built here in 1894 reopening the Spree to boat traffic. The current one was built in 1942 and is listed as a historic monument.
travel tales 