Founded in 1951, the Berlin International Film Festival, is one of the world’s leading film festivals. The 61st Festival will be held from 10 to 20 February 2011, the jury will be presided by Isabella Rossellini. On February 10 the festival is officially opened with True Grit by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Retrospective will honour Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, the festival will feature three 3D movies this year (Wim Wender’s 3D dance film about choreographer Pina Bausch, Les contes de la nuit (Tales Of The Night) by Michel  Ocelot and Cave Of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog), the debuts of five films, actor Ralph Fiennes’ debut as director in Shakespeare tragedy “Coriolanus”…

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Berlin, capital of reunited Germany since 1990 and an international cultural center.
Budapest, capital of Hungary, famous for its architecture, culture and  thermal baths.
Geneva, the largest city in Francophone Switzerland.
Kraków,  former capital of Poland, famous for its medieval architecture.
Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, a small and charming alpine city.
Munich, capital of the southern German federal-state of Bavaria, famous for Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival.
Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, a well preserved city.
Vienna, capital of Austria, The  imperial city.
Warsaw, political and business center of Poland with its re-built old-town.

A boulevard of linden trees was planted from 1647 extending from the electoral palace to the gates of the city by Friedrich Wilhelm, popularly known as the “Great Elector” (Der Große Kurfürst), who wanted to beautify the route from his castle to his hunting park, the Tiergarten. By the 19th century, as Berlin grew and expanded to the west, Unter den Linden became the best-known and grandest street in Berlin. During the last days of World War II most of the linden trees (lime trees in British English) were destroyed or cut down for firewood. The trees were replanted in the 1950s. Unter den Linden is at the heart of the historic section of Berlin dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Running east–west from the Brandenburg Gate to the former site of the imperial palace (Berliner Stadtschloss), it connects Pariser Platz and Bebelplatz, crossing the Schlossbrücke (palace bridge), the Lustgarten and Museum Island. Buildings along the street include (from west to east) the Hotel Adlon, the Russian Embassy, the Berlin State Library, the Berlin State Opera, Humboldt University, Cathedral of St. Hedwig at Bebelplatz, the Kronprinzenpalais, the Neue Wache war memorial, the Zeughaus Berlin (old armory; now houses the German Historical Museum (DHM)), the Alte Kommandantur and the Berliner Dom. Well-known statues of Frederick the Great, Alexander von Humboldt, Wilhelm von Humboldt and several Prussian generals also adorn the street.

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The Ishtar gate was reconstructed in Berlin and is at Pergamom Museum. It is one of the eight gates of the inner city of Babylon and was built during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (604- 562 BC). Only the foundations of the gate were found, it has been reconstructed  from the glazed bricks found. The king dedicated the great Ishtar Gate to the goddess Ishtar, it was the main entrance into Babylon. The gateway was completely covered with beautifully colored glazed bricks. Its reliefs of dragons and bulls symbolized the gods Marduk and Adad.

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