To celebrate 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, CNN iReporters shared their favorite things about the city. One of Berlin's most famous sites is the Brandenburg Gate, captured here from the east side by Jill Thornton: "I had a seat on the curb and marveled at how far we'd come in just a couple of decades. It was an impressive moment," she says.
Courtesy Jill Thornton
2. Tempelhof Airport —
Tempelhof Airport: One of Arthur Yatsenko's favorite places in Berlin is the former Tempelhof Airport. Opened in 1923, it was one of Europe's busiest airports by the 1950s, coming third to only London and Paris. It closed in 2008 and now serves as a recreation ground for Berliners, hosting events like the kite festival shown here.
Courtesy Arthur Yatsenko
3. Trabant —
When Brazilian Jetro Falcão visited Berlin, he was charmed by the iconic Trabant car, affectionately referred to as "Trabi". The car was not known for its high performance, but was nonetheless extremely popular in East Germany during the Cold War . "For me, it is like an important stamp of that era," he says.
Courtesy Jetro Falcão
4. Playful spirit —
Playful spirit: "Berlin is a playground," says Frank R. Schröder, editor-in-chief of the iHeartBerlin blog about hip happenings in the city. "People have an interest in new things here, the resources seem unlimited, a lot of skills and enthusiasm and an eagerness to get involved in things makes this a good fertile soil for all sorts of creative endeavors," he adds.
Courtesy Frank R. Schröder/iHeartBerlin
5. Street art —
Street art: "No city comes close to Berlin's exquisite array of talent and diverse street art," says Diane Oshin, who explored the city on a bike. "This example celebrates the reunification after the Wall fell -- one of the 'aliens' shows an E with his hand, the other shows a W," she adds.
Courtesy Diane Oshin
6. YAAM club —
YAAM club: CNN freelancer Phoebe Parke spent a year studying in Berlin, and found a slice of authentic Jamaica in the heart of the city: "Right next to the East Side Gallery, a painted section of what is left of the Berlin wall, is YAAM, an outdoor club and beach which plays music and serves Caribbean food all day long, right on the river Spree," she says.
Courtesy Phoebe Parke
7. Urban innovation —
Urban innovation: "In Berlin, old buildings find new life with glass roofs and atriums," says Bahadir Kaleagasi. "It's a city which is far from the Mediterranean, but cherishes open-air urban life -- cafes, parks, bicycles, courtyards and the riverside beach atmosphere."
Courtesy Bahadir Kaleagasi
8. Tolerant nature —
Tolerant nature: "Berlin is such an easy-going and cool place, not only students and tourists visiting the city, but also the zombies during the Halloween season," says Raymond Angeles, who captured this crowd doing a spontaneous flashmob.
Courtesy Raymond Angeles
9. Soviet memorial —
Soviet memorial: Photographer Dario-Jacopo Laganà who runs the Elephant in Berlin blog was captivated by the timeless quality of the Soviet memorial in the city's Treptower Park. "In Berlin history is not something far and old, but something vivid and still in the air," he says. Around 80,000 Red Army soldiers were killed during the battle for Berlin in World War II, and 5,000 of them were buried on this site.
Dario-Jacopo Laganà
10. Mauerpark karaoke —
Mauerpark karaoke: Every Sunday in spring and summer thousands of people gather to sing karaoke late into the night. The performers are normally welcomed with rapturous applause and Olivera Lazarevic who was spending the summer in Berlin was captivated by the city's friendly spirit: "If you don't know how to sing it's even funnier, and the best thing is there is no judgment at all," she says.
Courtesy Olivera Kecojevic
11. Green spaces —
Green spaces: Audrey Ng enjoyed Berlin's serene parks which offered respite from the city''s vibrant nightlife. One of her favorite was Treptower Park: "It's perfect to go there for a day to enjoy some peace, bask in the sun and forget you're in the city," she says.
Courtesy Audrey Ng
12. Berlin Wall —
Berlin Wall: When Cindy Schultz first stood next to the remnants of the Berlin Wall, she was moved to her core: "I had seen many black and white photos of the Wall growing up, " she says, "especially heartbreaking photos of people being shot trying to go over it to see family. I couldn't believe I was there," she adds.
Courtesy Cindy Schultz
13. Mauerpark flea market —
Mauerpark flea market: Matthew Foley's favorite spot in the city is the Mauerpark flea market: "There are different groups performing around the field, so you get a small taste of many subcultures of Berlin," he says. "There was also a karaoke amphitheater, which was crazy entertaining," Foley adds.
Matthew Foley
14. Pergamonmuseum —
Pergamonmuseum: The museum houses a large collection of classical and near-east antiquities, as well as one of the most remarkable collections of Islamic art outside the Islamic world. Joel Navarro Camaya says he was mesmerized by the Ishtar Gate and its Processional Way which have retained their color.
Courtesy JOEL NAVARRO CAMAYA
15. Berlin Cathedral —
Berlin Cathedral: Thomas Yu visited Berlin in 1999 and says that at the time the city was still getting over the Cold War. "The one thing that continued to stand out to me, even after all these years and many countries, was the beauty of the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral)," he says.
Courtesy Thomas Yu
16. Cafes —
Cafes: Roberta Cucchiaro enjoyed Berlin's many cafes with their offering of fine coffee and delicacies: "It's also this hipster feeling that you sense all around the city, I just absolutely love it," she says.
Courtesy Roberta Cucchiaro
17. Hidden lake —
Hidden lake: Jesus David Cortes Gil found a peaceful oasis in the middle of Berlin's hustle and bustle, by a lake close to the Berlin Zoo. "It is a secret place in perfect harmony with the busy city. My wife was one month pregnant with our child then, and we chose a German name for him inspired by mystic Berlin," he says.
Courtesy JESUS DAVID CORTES GIL
18. Berlin bear —
Berlin bear: The bear is Berlin's city symbol, and this sculpture on the Moabit Bridge is Klaus Gaffron's favorite spot.
Courtesy Klaus Gaffron
19. The fighting lion —
The fighting lion: This sculpture reminds Berliner Renate Straetling of the city's difficult past, but also of its strength in unification.
Courtesy Renate Straetling
20. River Spree —
River Spree: For Wolf Mellen, Berlin is "politics, history, culture. Berlin is fast, quiet, a playground, colourful, grey, romantic and many thing else."
Courtesy Wolf Mellen
21. Flower Kiosk in Charlottenburg —
Flower Kiosk in Charlottenburg: "I lived in West Berlin when the Wall fell. I experienced that day first hand," says Antje Schirmer. "The city has changed so much since then, but this flower kiosk represents the old Berlin," she adds.
Courtesy Antje Schirmer
22. Berlin zoo —
Berlin zoo: "There are so many moments which put a smile on my face at that place," says Simone Guski of the Berlin Zoo. "I really like that it's in the middle of the city center. It amazes me again and again."
Courtesy Simone Guski
23. Sony Center —
Sony Center: "What was a fallow ground in years of the 1990s is now a place for modern architecture," says Hedwig Gehrmann. "Despite of the dimensions of the Sony Center, the roof constructions seems light and filigree. The roof becomes as a symbol for the new Berlin."
Courtesy Hedwig Gehrmann
24. Checkpoint Charlie: Karine Carpentier was struck by the historical importance of Checkpoint Charlie, the best known crossing between East and West Berlin.
Courtesy Karine Carpentier
25. People —
People: For Kai Kniepkamp, Berlin's highlight are its people: "They keep their beauty in secret, they sail close to life, one can not get them down, they are tomboyish, but always loving and absolutely lovable. They are what constitutes Berlin."
