In pictures: Berlin's new station

As Germany prepares for the football World Cup, the wraps come off a new landmark - Berlin's central railway station.

The five-storey steel and glass structure has taken more than eight years and millions of euros to complete.

Featuring vast glass panels it is Europe's largest station and will handle more than 1,100 trains a day.

The station has 54 escalators and 34 lifts - some offering views over the city, looking out at the Bundestag.

It is located next to the River Spree, a few metres west of the no-man's-land where the Berlin Wall once stood.

Deutsche Bahn chief executive Hartmut Mehdorn has described it as "the most beautiful station in the world".

Chancellor Angela Merkel is to arrive on the first high-speed train to pull in at the station - the express from Leipzig on Friday.

A sound and light show will crown a weekend of celebrations to mark the opening.

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