Berlin
Marienstrasse - a sedate 19th-century survivor
A quiet Berlin street where nothing much happens - why include Marienstrasse as one of the city's lesser known attractions?
Simply because this sedate expanse of prettily pastel-painted homes is almost unique in central Berlin: one of very few streets that remains largely as it was built in the early part of the 19th century.
The style of architecture on show is far more restrained than the later exuberance of the so-called Gründerzeit era: here, clean, well-proportioned lines are offset by sparser, elegant ornamentation.
Famous ex-residents include the composer Sibelius (look out for a plaque on number 4) and Chancellor Angela Merkel, who lived here in the 1980s.
Located just a short distance from the hustle and bustle of mid-town Friedrichstrasse, this unexpectedly lovely - and tranquil - Berlin enclave is often overlooked by city visitors.
But with the added attraction of a couple of cosy, largely tourist-free cafés, discovering one of central Berlin's sleepiest historical corners may not seem like such a bad idea.
See also:
Berlin's Charité Hospital
18th-century veterinary anatomical theatre
Marienstrasse, 10117 Berlin