Berlin An Outsiders Guide

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Contents

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Contents

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Berlin

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Tube Map

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History Berlin from 1237-1900

History

Having been the axis of so much of the world’s recent history, it might be easy to assume that this was all that Berlin had to offer in terms of historical interest. But this is not so.

In tracing back a few hundred years, it is possible to see how this came to be. Geographically speaking, Berlin came into existence as an insignificant trade town situated in between the two older towns of Spandau and Cölln. This central position worked to Berlin’s favour as it continued to grow and enveloped both other towns within its own boundaries.

It has been said of Berlin that it is the centre of Germany just as Germany is the centre of Europe.

Though Berlin can only date its own foundation from the first extant mention of Cölln in 1237, it was Berlin

Berlin is a name which conjures many images: a city at the centre of war, a conflicted and divided city. A city, if you will, on the extremes.

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that, by the mid-fourteenth century, had become the most important trading town in Brandenburg, with its own City Council and Stadtbuch. By the time of the Reformation, Berlin had become an important German town in its own right, particularly special to many being one of the first cities in Europe to embrace Lutheranism. Because of this, many French Huguenots fled to Berlin bringing with them their intellectual and industrial talents.

Enlightenment. Prussia’s third king, Friedrich the Great, transformed Prussia - with Berlin as its capital into an enlightened, politically and economically strong and religiously tolerant state.

Even today, though the name “Huguenot” has become largely insignificant in modern-day Europe, this relationship between French Protestants and Berlin is still celebrated in Mitte’s Gendarmenmarkt. Here the Französicher Dom and the Deutscher Dom, mirroring each other in design, are monuments to the great respect these two groups had for each other. Despite the years between Napoleon’s invasion of Brandenburg and the Cold War, when Franco-German relations were at a very low ebb, it is nice to see these two rivals still facing each other in friendship in the Gendarmenmarkt.

Even defeats in the Thirty Years War failed to completely destroy Prussia’s supremacy. This in time transformed the Hohenzollern dynasty into one of the greatest in Europe, related by marriage to most of the great houses on the continent.

Not only a trend-setter in religion, Berlin became a leader in the

This strength, nobility and stature were, along with the talents of

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History Otto von Bismarck, one of the main reasons why Berlin and its monarchy became the head of the newly unified Germany. Despite the later failures of this system in the early years of the 20th century, this age of a strong and enlightened German Empire, led from Berlin, remained in the European psyche for many years.

Jewish History of Berlin The history of the Jewish community is plagued by episodic persecution, Jews often being used as a scapegoat for economic and social woes. By 1295 Jewish people in Berlin were barred from many professions and effectively forbidden to become members of the artisan guilds. Throughout the 14th to 16th centuries Jews were expelled from Berlin and let back in time and again, accused of acts such as the rampant plague in Berlin and Brandenburg, which had been sweeping across Europe; and host desecration; which meant that Berlin had virtually no Jewish community for a century. Between expulsions and being banned from most other trades, the

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History Jewish people of Berlin successfully engaged in money lending and petty trade. They were confined to living in a ghetto in the Grosser Judenhof (Jew’s Court) area, and on Judenstrasse (Jew Street). Following the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War and in an attempt to achieve an economic upswing by increasing population, the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm allowed 50 prosperous Jewish families that were expelled from Vienna to settle in the Brandenburg region in 1671. They were permitted to stay under the condition that they pay an annual protection fee, engage in only certain businesses and worship only in their own homes. Finally, a Jewish community of Berlin was officially founded. Despite suffering restrictions on religion, residence and family size as well as extra taxes, the Jewish population of Berlin grew and by 1700 the city’s Jewish slums had approximately 1,000 residents. In 1714 the first synagogue of Berlin was dedicated. As excellent merchants and bankers, by halfway through the 18th century the Jewish community totaled close to 2,000 and they had become among the richest people in Berlin.

Philosopher and scholar Moses Mendelssohn arrived in Berlin in 1743, and urged Jews to integrate into secular society and by 1778 these enlightened ideas found expression in the Jüdische Freischule (Jewish Free School) that combined religious learning with general education. Though the 1812 Emancipation Edict that declared Jewish people equal citizens was in the most part quickly retracted, there was a general loosening on Prussia’s restrictions and growing equality for its Jewish population. By 1869 the new North German Confederation passed a law on the equal rights of religious confession and declared the emancipation of Jewish people within its territory and by 1871 German Jews had equal rights. Within a few years members of the Jewish community rose to prominence in government, many as close advisors to the Kaiser. By the turn of the century, there were more than 110,000 Jews in Berlin, comprising more than 5% of the total population.

In the Weimer years (1919-1933) Jewish citizens of Germany and Berlin enjoyed unprecedented levels of freedom, with plays by Max Reinhardt taking the stage, Jewish composers including Arnold Schoenberg’s works being performed, Max Liebermann and Lesser Ury creating beautiful paintings and musicians such as the Comedian Harmonists at the height of popularity. The Jewish population continued to grow and by 1933 160,000 Jews called Berlin home. At the same time anti-Semitism was on the rise and the years leading up to the ascendance of Nazi power saw increasing attacks on members of the Jewish community. Statebacked persecution ensued after the Nazis took power in 1933, and with the Nüremberger 1935 Gesetze (Nuremberg Laws) the Jewish citizens of Germany were effectively deprived of social and economic rights via the introduction of apartheid-like classifications of “racial purity”. Between 1933 and 1939 Jewish community life increased as Jewish citizens were forced to send their

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History children to segregated schools and forbidden from interacting with non-Jews. Those who could see the writing on the wall and had money escaped while they could, though even such escape was a limited opportunity, as other European countries, the US and Palestine all restricted Jewish immigration. In retaliation for the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath, who was killed by a 17-year-old Polish-Jew, Herschel Grynsypan, the Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels called for a nationwide pogrom on November 9th 1938.

History This night is known as Reichskristallnacht – Night of Broken Glass, a nationwide attack on the Jewish people that resulted in the death of 36 of Berlin’s Jews, many were beaten on the streets while passers-by looked on; the destruction of 23 synagogues and the wrecking of hundreds of shops and businesses. German Jewish citizens were then required to pay one million marks to repair the damages. By 1941 it was compulsory for Jewish citizens to wear a yellow star at all times, and the first mass deportations from Berlin marked the beginning of the systematic large-scale genocide of German Jews. Before the end of the war over 55,000 Jewish residents of Berlin were deported. In January 1941 the Wannsee Conference resolved and planned the so-called Endlösung der Judenfrage (Final Solution to the Jewish Question) – the removal of all Jews to the East and, implicitly, their extermination. The Final Solution began to be put into effect, and life for the Jewish citizens in Berlin became increasingly unbearable. All Jewish schools and institutions were closed down, the Jewish community was disbanded, Jewish

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citizens were banned from public transport, their food rations were reduced and thousands were deported, mostly to the Theresienstadt and Auschwitz concentration camps. By the end of the war, Hitler’s mass genocide had reduced Berlin’s Jewish population by around 96 per cent to about 6,500. Survivors managed to escape death often through being hidden by gentile families at great personal risk or by evading final round-ups through legal conditions such as irreplaceable skills vital to the war effort or being married to a non-Jew. Only about 2,000 returned from the concentration camps. In 1946 the Jewish community was officially recognized again as a public body, and a large number of Eastern European Jews immigrated to Berlin. As a result of intense anti-Semitic persecution in East Germany, many members of the Jewish community fled to the west. As a result, the Jewish community of East Berlin was almost non-existent,

and even by 1988 the East German Jewish community had less than 200 members. In West Berlin, the German Jewish community had about 6,000 members, constituting the largest Jewish community in Germany. After the two Berlin Jewish communities were reunited with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the federal government approved refugee status for Jews from the former Soviet Union and since then over 50,000 Jewish people have immigrated to Germany, with Berlin more than doubling its congregation members to over 12,000. Since reunification several steps have been taken to preserve Jewish history including the opening of the Jewish Museum and the decision by the German Bundestag to erect the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe) according to the design by Peter Eisenman.

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History The puzzle of the Berlin Wall An anti-capitalistic protective barrier with concrete pads, barbwire and watchtowers held the East German population from running away. “A wall is a hell of a lot better than war,” declared John F. Kennedy upon hearing about the construction of the Berlin Wall. Nevertheless, for about 28 years the 160km long wall encased a whole nation. Between 1949 and 1961, 2.5million p e o p l e escaped from the German Democratic Republic (DDR) by trying to get over the wall, or hiding in traffic that was allowed to go through the barriers. The accurate number of people who were shot down when they tried to escape varies according to different sources. Many memorials give an account of the GDR fugitives’ tragic destiny: bleeding to death after being shot by border patrol soldiers. Escape from the German republic was classified as treason,

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History punishable by death. There was nothing the Western Berlin police could do to stop this. A sad chapter in German history was put to an end when the Wall was torn down in 1989, and as a result the unification of Germany ensued. Of over 100 watchtowers three are kept. Even some of the former border crossings are still clearly recognizable, with the most wellknown transition at Checkpoint Charlie.

the historic port in Cape Town, South Africa; the entrance of the Basilica Fatima Sanctuary in Portugal; the Vatican garden; the 6km long green stream Cheonggyecheon in South Korean city of Seoul; the EU Parliament in Belgium; as well as places in Strasbourg, Riga, London, Canberra and Montréal. The biggest Wall piece outside of Germany is located in “Freedom Park” near Arlington, Virginia. The well-known East Side Gallery was painted in 1990 by 118 artists from

21 different countries; previously it was only allowed for West Germans. The Gallery is not just for the artistic exploration of the Wall’s demise, but for the memory of the dead refugees. During the Wall’s 20th anniversary former artists were brought to the capital city to remove the traces of the last 18 years. The graffiti has suffered extensive damage due to visitors and attacks from Mauerspechten (wall woodpeckers). A €2.5 million renovation is underway and should be ready by Autumn

The wall was broken up and the remaining sections becoming memorials and museums for the fallen. The Todesstreifen (death zone) can still be seen in many places. Some have been left as large areas of brown, uncultivated land, while other parts have been turned into parks. The pieces of wall that were torn down and demolished were sent to museums and universities across the world, and made into souvenirs for tourists. Wall sections decorate, for example,

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History

History

2009. The maintenance of the wall plays a major role, since it is both an important monument to the reunification, as well as a Certificate of European and world culture.

should definitely go to the following places. They will clear all important questions and satisfy your thirst for knowledge.

Anyone can acquire a valuable memory in the form of a piece of the Wall. Pieces come in different sizes, which are also available online, up to $150. However, if you want to see more than just a 2x2cm piece, the opportunity as a tourist in Berlin is huge: at Potsdamer Platz, Pariser Platz next to the Brandenburger Gate, in Mauerpark along Bernauer Strasse (National Monument, U Bernauerstr.) and in Mühlenstraße with the longest preserved part of the wall about 1.3km. Those interested in the history of the GDR and the fall of the Wall

City Museum of Berlin

www.stadtmuseum.de Am Köllnischen Park 5 U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Jannowitzbrücke Tel: +49 3 024 002 159 Tue, Thu-Sun 10am-6pm Wed 12-8pm Price: €4

Haus am Checkpoint Charlie www.mauermuseum.de U-Bahn: Stadtmitte or Kochstraße Tel: +49 302 537 250 Mo- Su 9am- 8pm Price: €7.50-12.50

Chapel of Reconciliation

www.kapelle-versoehnung.de Bernauerstr. 4 Tel: +49 304 636 034 Service to remember the victims (Sunday 10am) Tue-Sun 10am-5pm

Topographie of Terror

www.topographie.de Niederkirchnerstr. 8 Tel: +49 3 025 450 950 Oct-Apr 10am-6pm, May-Sep 10am-

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BEARLIN

Capital of the furry teddies Looking back on Berlin’s history begs the question of how the bear became its symbol. Unfortunately it is not clear what was here first; Berlin or the bear. It wasn’t until 1280 when the bear became the heraldic animal of Berlin. Today its image is still used for advertisements on different logos, certifications, newspapers, publications, agencies, stamps and even more in and around Berlin. The bear even became a permanent part of the city’s flag in 1908. Berlin bear art is scattered all over the city in the form of sculptures, plastic models and architecture, most of which are hidden amongst the less touristprone areas. Some have also just been rebuilt after they got eliminated or damaged during the Nazi regime. Today, especially in Prenzlauer Berg, there are many furry

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History

History inhabitants decorating the streets. In the middle of the public Volkspark lives the most colorful bear in Berlin. He was born in 1970 and fell pray to some graffiti artists in the last couple of years. However they decided to keep him blue and call him Käpt’n Blaubär (Captain Blue bear) which is now a great attraction for children who know this bear from TV. At the Moabiter Bridge (Bartningallee) there are four different bears designed by four sculptors each at a different location. The bridge was built between 1893 and 1894 and was rebuilt due to war damage between 1980 and 1981. The stone bears are positioned on all fours and appear to be giant when standing in front of them, their huge paws and enormous claws making them appear even larger. Their bodies look big and round, nevertheless they do not

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appear as feared creatures but rather as cute clumsy bears, which delight the pedestrians who pass over the bridge. Around this area small cafes and a cozy restaurant at the Spree River invite everybody to sit down and relax. One of the most important bear art pieces is W. Sutkowski’s refurbished fountain, which was rebuilt after being destroyed during World War II. Sutowski made his artwork out of red Lava Tuff stone which gives it an interesting pattern. This fountain is decorated with one bear in the center and eight smaller bears around, almost as if the mother bear is watching her children frolic.

Some of the bear art pieces are also used for charity. In 2001 Eva Herlitz had the idea to paint bear sculptures, sell them at auctions and give the money to UNICEF and other children aid organizations. In this way they could donate more than two million dollars in the last eight years. Jackie Chan even brought the idea of the United Buddy Bears to Hong Kong. Everybody can support this project, take part in the competition and maybe get the chance to give a buddy bear a new fur colour. If you want to get a shot of this famous Berlin symbol- just keep your eyes open and wherever you may go you will always find a bear.

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Survival Guide

B

erlin is a lovely place to see and explore, but just to make your visit that much more enjoyable, we’ve gathered some useful information to help you get by in the city.

Survival Guide •

Take carrier bags with you to the supermarket to avoid being charged.

•

Berlin generally has a laid back and accepting attitude to most things, although there is an underlying sense of respect for rules and authority.

There is often a deposit or pfand on bottles from both supermarkets and bars. If your bottle says Pfand zuruck or Pfand Flasche you can take it to the supermarket recycling machine, which gives you a slip to take to the counter and get your money back. Most bars will tell you if your glass needs to be returned to get your deposit back.

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It’s best to carry cash – few places accept travellers’ cheques and credit cards.

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Transport

Culture and etiquette

Jaywalking is both illegal and frowned upon offenders will more frequently be reprimanded by onlookers than the police.

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Although a smoking ban was recently introduced to the city, most people don’t adhere to it, especially in bars. It is best to ask before you light up.

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Service charges in bars/restaurants are normally included in the bill, although it is quite common to round up to the nearest euro in most cases.

Useful tips •

For a quick view of the main Berlin area, bus routes 100 and 200 are double-decker buses that take you Museum Island, Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Tiergarten, and Kaiser-WilhelmGedächtniskirche. Get a map from the BVG Pavillon on Hardenbergplatz.

•

Some museums stay open late on Thursdays and offer free entry from 6pm. You can also get a three day museum pass for a reduced rate. • Tip and Zitty are fortnightly entertainments guides, with concert, venue and exhibition information. These are available from all newsagents. They are in German, but the nightlife lists are easy to decipher. • Recycling is taken quite seriously – look out for separate bins for plastic and glass.

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The city has a well integrated and efficient public transport network. At first glance it may appear quite complex, but the interconnecting suburban (S-Bahn) and underground (U-Bahn) trains aided by the tram and bus services ensure you won’t be left stranded. The U-Bahn service closes between midnight and 5am, although the U1 and U9 run an overnight service during the weekends. The S-Bahn runs every ten to 20 minutes. Buses wind down at midnight, but offer an alternative night service. Most trams stop overnight where other transport is good, otherwise they run a limited night service. Although it might be tempting to not buy a ticket, undercover inspectors often make spot checks and hand out fines of €40 – better to be safe than sorry! If you buy single tickets, make sure you validate them before your journey.

Cycling in Berlin If you abhor public transport, can’t stand rush hour traffic and just want to feel the wind in your hair, then why

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Survival Guide don’t you cycle in Berlin? It’s flatter than London and less chaotic than Amsterdam. With over 800kms of flat land, parks, gardens and bike routes, look no further than Berlin’s cycling network. Many hostels will recommend or rent out bikes from a few hours to a few

Survival Guide days, but if you are spending a few weeks or longer in Berlin it is wellworth investing your money in a bike. The average price to rent is €15 per day, and most places will hold onto a cash deposit or your passport until you bring the bike back. The best place to look for secondhand bikes are flea-markets, particularly Mauer Park, where you can pick up a bike for as little as €40. Important Information If you are hardcore and bring or buy your own bike, it’s best to remember the following, whether biking or walking: • Remember that traffic is on the right-hand side of the road. Bike paths, even on the footpath, also follow this rule. • Buy a pump and tyre repair kit, or at least know a few locations of Bike Doctors, just in case. There is a lot of broken glass on the streets in Berlin.

markets are quite cheap. • Look before walking across a bike path. Sometimes cyclists look for someone to get angry with and will verbally lash out. • Buy a bike ticket if you need to take your bike on an S-or U-Bahn (outside of rush hour). Bikes are free when you have a monthly ticket.

• Keep a good lookout when riding alongside pedestrians or cars. Both can be dangerous and you’re in the worst position to go flying. • Enjoy riding around Berlin. It is good fun, keeps you fit and gets you around with a lot less stress.

• Get off your bike and walk in busy areas, or ride on the road.

Fat Tire Bike Tours www.FatTireBikeToursBerlin.com Panorama Str 1a. U-Bahn: Alexanderplatz. Tel: + 49 30 24 04 79 91. Sun-Sat 9.30am-6pm (-8pm Apr 16 – Sep 30). The perfect combination of getting to know Berlin and getting active is to combine a city tour with a bike. You get to cover more space in less time than a walking tour, and it’s more fun than being stuck on a bus. You will ride along Unter den Linden, through the Brandenburg Tor and past the Reichstag. Stops are made at all the main sights for your happy snaps, and the guides will give you all the history and stories about each place. There are also topic tours on Nazi Germany and the Third Reich, the Berlin Wall and Cold War, and a day trip to Potsdam. Fat Tire also rent out bikes (another rental-only shop is located at Zoo Station), provide Segway tours and offer computer and laundry services.

• Get a good lock. The flea

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Survival Guide Airports Tegel Airport Tel: +49 1 805 000 186 Tegel is 8km from the city centre, which is easy and cheap to reach by bus. The number 109 stops at Zoologischer Station, or you can catch the U-Bahn. Schönefeld Tel: +49 1 805 000 186 South of the city centre, Bus 171 can take you from the airport to Flughafen Berlin Schönefeld railway station. From there you can catch the S-Bahn or the fast regional trains into the city, 20kms away.

Accommodation Information Berlin has a number of hostels that provide all the necessary facilities: bed linen; lockers; internet/WIFI; laundry facilities; plus added bonuses like leisure and entertainment facilities – bar; games room; TV room; and cheap breakfasts. Sometimes these are free or you may have to pay a small fee. It’s a good idea to go through these offers and decide what is important to you and what you can do without. Booking a bed is easy and can be

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Survival Guide done in a number of ways: online; telephone; or the olde traditional way…visit the hostel and book a bed there and then. Booking online however is quick, simple and often cheaper. You could book via the hostel’s website, but we recommend using hostel search engines such as HostelWorld.com. It is one of the easiest search engines to use, even for technophobes. Search by area, price or browse the customer ratings to find the best hostel for you. Keep an eye out for discounts when booking online. How to pay: Most hostels prefer cash on arrival but each is different so keep that in mind when browsing. A small deposit is required when booking over the internet to ensure your bed is held, and is especially worth doing during busy holiday periods (May to September).

Useful words/phrases English

German

Yes, No

Ja, Nein

Please

Bitte

You’re welcome

Bitte

Thank you

Danke

Good Morning

Guten Morgen

Good Day

Guten Tag

Entrance

Eingang

Good Evening

Guten Abend

Exit

Ausgang

Goodbye (informal)

Tschüss

I would like...

Ich möchte...

Goodbye (formal)

Auf Wiedersehen

Do you speak English?

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

How are you? (formal)

Wie geht es Ihnen?

1

eins

2

zwei

How are you? (informal)

Wie geht’s?

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drei

4

vier

Today

Heute

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fünf

Tomorrow

Morgen

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sechs

Yesterday

Gestern

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sieben

Excuse me

Entschuldigung

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acht

Where is...?

Wo ist...?

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neun

How, When, Why?

Wie, Wann, Warum?

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zehn

20

zwanzig

Women’s toilets

Damen/Frauen

50

fünfzig

Men’s toilets

Herren/Männer

100

ein hundert

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Day Trips

Day Trips Day trips out of Berlin

Potsdam

When you just need some time out from the hustle and bustle of crazy city life, hop on a train and see what the end of the line holds. From castles to beaches and even film studioes, Berlin’s surroundings are just as fun as the inner city.

S-Bahn: 7. Potsdam Hauptbahnhof for regional trains. Only twenty minutes by train, Potsdam has just as much history as Berlin. With the royal Park Sanssouci and the film park Babelsberg, there are many activities to fill your time. Historically Potsdam has been around since AD 993, although it was bombed heavily during World War II. Potsdam is a small town and the main street is your average cafe and shopping strip. A lot of buildings are also being rebuilt. Wander a little further and you will find the original Brandenburger Tor, smaller but still impressive. The royal palace - Schloss Sanssouci - was home to the Kings of Prussia until 1918. The important Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, where the Allies all met to discuss how to deal with Germany after World War II. When you walk from town, take the back entrance into Park Sanssouci. Walk through Friedenskirche, Church of Peace, where the view between the concrete pillars will make you feel like Alice in Wonderland, looking out into a splash of colour with the lake, trees and flowers in full bloom.

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Schloss Sanssouci, built between 1745 and 1747, is flanked on either side by smaller palaces one for paintings and one for guests. King Friedrich’s summer palace stands above four layers of steps, gardens and greenhouses – these were built into the walls to protect the hundreds of fig trees during winter. Maybe they were a personal favourite of Friedrich the Great? Hike over to the Orangerie, a palace built to house foreign royalty and guests, and climb to the top for a view overlooking the whole of Potsdam.

Spend some time wandering the palaces and grounds. There are 700 acres of park to explore, picnic, and be surprised in. Head back to town and take in the film park Babelsberg. This was where many films, including those of the silent era and Nazi propaganda were produced. It is still an active and important part of European film production. Some of the more recent films produced there include The Pianist, 2001; The Bourne Trilogy; Valkyrie, 2008; and The Reader, 2008.

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Day Trips

Day Trips Freibad Müggelsee Fürstenwalder Damm 838, Rahnsdorf. Tel: +49 0 306 487 777. S-Bahn: Friedrichshagen, Tram 61: Strandbad Müggelsee. May-Sept 9am-6pm. Cost: €4; €2 reductions. Though not Berlin’s most central swimming area, this is a perfectly pleasant sunny day outing. With volleyball and basketball courts, snacks and drinks for sale, and a restaurant close by, this inland beach on the north shore of East Berlin’s biggest lake boasts a large sunbathing and swimming area. Although a sandy forefront, the

water is natural and flat. It’s great for throwing a ball around and playing horse with your friends. As the beach does get quite crowded, especially on sunny weekends, getting there early to claim a prime sun-bathing spot is recommended. From Alexanderplatz, the trip takes about 45 minutes.

there to gawk will be treated with some hostility, so make sure you’re ready to fully participate in this aspect of German culture if you choose to visit the nudist area.

The Freikörperkultur (nudist) section of the beach is separated from the Freibad (open-air bathing area) by 200m of forest. If you’re interested in experiencing some of Germany’s nudist culture get off the tram at Fürstenwalder Damm/ Müggelseedamm for the FKK section of the beach. Tourists who are just

Allied Museum: www. alliiertenmuseum.de. U-Bahn: OskarHelena-Helm. Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun 10am-6pm.

Krumme Lanke S-Bahn: Schlachtensee. Lake: Open all day, every day; free.

Wannsee Villa at Am Grossex Wannsee 56-58. Haus der Wannsee Konferenze: www.ghwk.de. Mon-Sun 10am-6pm; free. To get there, catch Bus114 from Wannsee, get off at stop “Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz”.

for €2-5. On a sunny day it can get quite busy, so head there early to claim a spot. If you can’t beat your sightseeing addiction, nearby is the Allied museum, good for a visual understanding of the Berlin Airlift and American presence in the city during much of the 20th century. Also close by is the Wannsee Villa, where the Nazis mapped out the fate of Europe’s Jews in the 1930s. All in all an enjoyable day out worth having if just to see another side to the multifaced city.

If you’re looking for a change from the busy and hectic city centre, a short trip to Schlachtensee Station is a great way to spend a relaxing (and free!) day out. Only a 100 metre walk from the station, Krumme Lanke is surrounded by the trees of the Grunewald Forest and can provide the tranquillity and rest your feet so much desire. It’s possible to swim, row and walk around in the area, and you can grab lunch from a cheap but cheerful café next to the station. Currywurst, bratwurst and more go

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Day Trips

Day Trips S a c h s e n h a u s e n Concentration Camp and Memorial www.gedehstaette-sachsenhausen. de. Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen. Straße der Nationen 22, Oranienberg. S-Bahn: Orianenberg. Tel: +49 33 012 000. Daily 8.30am-6pm. Admission free. Reminders of Berlin’s turbulent past are all over the city, however a visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp near Oranienberg is particularly

thought-provoking and encompasses the many horrors of recent German history.

that the Nazis deemed as racially or biologically inferior such as homosexuals and Jews.

The camp was built in 1936 under Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler as a model for future concentration camps. Between 1936 and 1945 more than 200,000 people were interned at Sachsenhausen. Initially, the majority of these prisoners were political opponents of Hitler’s government: communists, social democrats and trade unionists. This soon widened to include anyone

During this period, tens of thousands died at the camp from starvation, forced labour, mistreatment and extermination. Soviet and Polish forces liberated the camp on April 22, 1945 - sadly however, 300 of the remaining inmates died from malnutrition and illnesses before they had the chance to leave. The mass grave in which these prisoners are interred is a particularly distressing part of the camp. The horrors of Sachsenhausen did not cease after the fall of the Nazis. From August 1945 the Soviet secret police reopened the camp for the detention of their own political prisoners and war criminals; this included anyone suspected of opposition. By 1950 more than 60,000 prisoners of war, suspected former Nazis and Soviet political dissenters, were incarcerated there. After the fall of

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the GDR the remains of some 10,000 prisoners were found in mass graves. The extensive horrors which took place at Sachsenhausen during the Nazi and GDR years are memorialised by the national monument that towers over the grounds. The barren landscape and the original barracks, prison and security fencing are eerily suggestive of the extensive suffering which occurred. In particular the grim sights of the mortuary, living quarters and infirmary invite visitors to contemplate experiences of the prisoners. Invest in the audio guide for €3 in order to fully grasp the harrowing historical importance of the site. First-hand accounts displayed in the museums and played on the audio guide serve to emphasise the traumatic effect Hitler’s fascist rule had on millions of lives. A visit to Sachsenhausen is an eyeopening experience which reiterates the cold reality of World War II and the subsequent Soviet regime.

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Mitte

Information Unter den Linden is one of Berlin’s most famous Boulevards, a 1.5kmlong stretch panning east from the Brandenburg Gate up to Museum Island. Developed as a showpiece since the 18th century, where it was then used as a horseriding route to Tiergarten, the road has become a gallery for some of Berlin’s greatest sights. Museum Island is a must see, with some of the worlds finest art and sculpture. Whilst in the area, a quick diversion to the governmental quarter of Berlin is defiantly worthwhile. The Spreebogen, a horseshoe shaped bend of the Spree River, houses several buildings running in an eastwest direction to symbolically tie the two halves of the city together. The Reichstag, situated in the middle of this unison, is a favourite amongst visitors, as the glass dome gives spectacular views across the city. Nicknamed ‘Alex’ by locals, Alexander

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Platz is perhaps one of the busiest places found in Berlin. Cluttered with shops, a central station and various fountains, it is something to be seen if only for the novelty. And of course, it is home to the communist commissioned TV Tower - a great landmark to locate yourself with when lost. Pretty much deserted during the GDR era, the Spandauer Vorstadt has been overtaken by squatters, artists and anyone with a flair for renovation. Its focal point lies in Hackeschen Markt and the bustling streets surrounding it, crammed with busy (and expensive) restaurants and shops. The area to the west – Grosse Hamburger Strasse and the touristy Oranienburger Strasse – formed the heart of Berlin’s pre-war Jewish district. At the end of Oranienburger Strasse lies the graffiti-covered Tachles, an anarchic 1990s artists’ squat still preserved as such today, providing a good starting point for Berlin’s nightlife.

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Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Today, the Gate serves as a tourist must-see, with families and travellers posing for photos in front of the impressive structure.

Berlin Hauptbanhof www.hbf-berlin.de. Europaplatz 1.

Brandenburg Gate Pariser Platz, S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100/200. Designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans and built in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate has become a focal point in Berlin’s turbulent history. Originally, it was recognised as a symbol of German solidarity, as it looks out onto the impressive Siegessäule, marking Prussian military victories. With many of Berlin’s main roads leading towards it, the Gate is something almost impossible to miss. The site has witnessed many important events in Berlin’s history, including being a meeting place for revolutionaries in 1848 ad 1918; a favoured rallying point for the Nazis’

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torch-lit marches; and with the wall enclosing the Gate in the Eastern sector in 1961, it soon became a symbol of the city’s division. Nearby observation posts became a hot spot for visiting politicians, including Kennedy and Thatcher, giving them a rare glimpse at life on the other side. Sitting on top of the Gate is the equally historic Quadriga, the horsedrawn chariot that was once snatched up by Napoleon and relocated to France (only to be returned to its original home a few years later). The GDR also did its own fiddling with the statue, including the removal of the cross and it being turned around to face the West during the cold-war era.

Nicknamed the “glass cathedral” by locals, this central station offers not only an easy route to almost anywhere in Berlin and Europe, but also a master class in glass and steel architecture. The Gothic-style construction was built primarily for the 2006 football World Cup, and hosts many shops, eateries and meeting points one would expect in such a large station.

a symbolic central point of Europe, with trains coming from Rome and Copenhagen, Moscow and Paris. Hop on any one of the S-Bahn lines going through this station and you will get a great tour of the main sights of Mitte, including the Reichstag, the Spree and the Siegessäule. If you don’t have a need to travel, simply a quick trip here to look around is worthwhile as the architecture is remarkable.

Designed by two Hamburg-based architects, Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkin Marg, it has become Europe’s biggest train hub, boasting a capacity of 300,000 travellers, running on 1,100 trains per day. Unlike other stations in Berlin and across Europe, its cleanliness and peacefulness are dominant, with little to no graffiti or rubbish in sight. Since its initial drawing-board stages, the station was always planned to observe a north-south, eastwest axis, cutting through the long circle line. This axis now serves as

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Arts & Culture Neue Wache (New Guard House) Unter den Linden 4. S-Bahn: Unter den Linden. Daily 10am – 6pm. Entrance Free.

Arts & Culture Teeming with important historical sites, Unter den Linden is indisputably fascinating yet sometimes exhausting. The Neue Wache (or New Guard House) is perfect for quiet contemplation: a momentary repose amidst a hectic day of sightseeing. The mourning sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz stands alone in the centre of the room, as a powerful symbol of the emotional torment that ensued after the Second World War. It was the first building designed by the important German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel in Berlin (18161818). It notably emphasizes the popular German Neo-Classical style of architecture, which swept through Germany in the 19th century. Until the end of the monarchy in 1918, the Neue Wache functioned as the royal guard house. Since then, this compact, yet simultaneously stately building has served as a memorial for victims of war. The German architect Heinrich Tessenow first made changes to the building in 1930-31, creating a “Memorial for Those Who Fell in the Great War”. He inserted the oculus in the centre of the ceiling, through which light filters into the dark chamber, creating an atmospheric Neue and almost eerie sensation – when

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the building tourists.

isn’t

packed

with

Bombing from the Second World War left the building scarred, and as a result, in need of serious repair. From 1960, the GDR restored the building, renaming it “Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism”. Inside the chamber, an eternal flame burned. In 1969 the Neue Wache housed the remains of an Unknown Soldier and concentration camp prisoner. In 1993, after German reunification, the hall was declared as the “Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany”. Having been described as a “monumentally void interior hall”, the Neue Wache is nonetheless worth a visit for its atmospheric and emotional resonance.

Fernsehturm w w w. b e r l i n e r f e r n s e h t u r m . d e . Panoramastrasse 1a. U-Bahn: Alexanderplatz. Tel: +49 2 423 333. Mar-Oct 9am-12am, Nov-Feb 10am12am. Price: €4.50-9.50. Towering above Berlin, the Fernsehturm or T.V. tower serves as a beacon for visitors and locals alike to orientate themselves, since it can be seen from all corners of the city. The structure offers 360˚ views of Berlin with a rotating café on the

Nikolaiviertel (St Nicholas Quarter) U-Bahn: Alexanderplatz. Combined ticket for Nikolaikirche, KnoblausHaus and Ephraim-Palais: €3-5. Free Wednesdays. A short walk from bustling Alexanderplatz one finds a quiet square centred around the Nikolaikirche and Nikolaikirchplatz. Although the so-called Nikolaiviertel appears to be one of the last remainders of medieval Berlin, aside from the Nikolaikirche, founded in 1240, most of the original buildings in this area were either destroyed by bombing or pulled down during the 1930s and Soviet era. In a small twist of irony, many buildings were rebuilt in 1987 by the GDR government to look like the originals, using photographs from the 1920s as reference. For historic interest, there is a series of placards on various buildings in the area giving information on personalities who lived there or events which took place. In terms of museums, there is the Nikolaikirche, the Knoblaus-Haus and the EphraimPalais, together offering a fairly comprehensive portrait of Berlin’s history from its foundation to the

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Arts & Culture nineteenth century. This is a neighbourhood that plays on its medieval heritage as much as possible, from cafés proclaiming to have been established in the 13th century, to antiquarian booksellers taking advantage of the archaic atmosphere. However, there is an obvious attempt to cash in on this – you will find a lot of souvenir shops around Nikolaikirchplatz and the restaurants tend to be a little overpriced. The square also backs onto the river which offers more restaurants and a nice spot to eat or rest. upper floor, completing one rotation every 30 minutes. The Fernsehturm is 368m high and was completed in 1969. The tower was built with the intention of demonstrating how technologically advanced the East was. This symbol of progress became a source of embarrassment for the German government. When hit with direct sunlight, the tower creates the reflection of a cross, the same symbol the government had tried so hard to banish. The West Germans called this “the Pope’s Revenge” since all crosses had been removed from East German churches. No matter what the East Germans did,

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Arts & Culture the cross remained.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe www.stiftung-denkmal.de. Stresemannstraße 90. Tel: +49 3 026 394 311. Memorial: Accessible at any time. Information Centre: Apr-Sep 10am-8pm, Oct-Mar 10am-7pm. Admission free. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is one of the largest in the city and consists of 2,711 concrete blocks covering 19,000 square metres. Each block varies slightly in height and is built on unevenly sloping ground. The memorial is accessible from all sides, allowing visitors to find their own path through the grid pattern, although there are specially marked routes through the memorial for wheelchair users. The Information Centre, located under the south-east corner of the memorial, gives an explicit and emotional account of Jewish persecution between 1933 and 1945. Photographs, personal accounts and biographies emphasise the harsh reality of the harassment, expulsion, and extermination of entire families. Here you can find information that documents the geographic spread of genocide as well as being presented with the number of victims from each occupied country further highlighting the extent of these horrific events. There is also a room where visitors can search for victims’ names in a database that contains more than three million entries. Although admission is free, audio guides available for €3. If you visit on a Sunday at 4pm you can take the guided tour, in English, also at a cost of €3.

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Arts & Culture Hamburger Bahnhof w w w. s m b . m u s e u m / s m b / h b f / . U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. Tel: +49 3 039 783 411. Open: Tues-Sun:10am-6pm. Price: €6/€3 concession. An abstract collection of works, from German artist and theorist Joseph Beuys to Andy Warhol, are displayed beneath the roof of this former railway station turned contemporary art museum. Open since 1996, the surreal collection has been in the making since the mid 1970’s, and highlights both the limitless boundaries of abstract art

Arts & Culture and the strong association Beuys had with some of the art world’s most unconventional and reputable artists. A modest glimpse into the bizarre and borderline ridiculous nature of contemporary modern art itself, the gallery undeniably reeks of inspiration and creativity that either inspires or repels the passing masses. Although guaranteed to split the opinions of visitors, the collection is well worth a look if not for ‘what is’ displayed then ‘why’ it is displayed. Most visitors pop in for a quick glimpse of the numerous original

works on display from pop arts front man Andy Warhol, including ‘Mao’ (1973). The real gems are found in the quotes scattered around from the charismatic and controversial Joseph Beuys, the clashing placement of life-like pieces opposing walls of absurdity, and the general conceited nature of many of the passing visitors.

Neue Synagoge (New Synagogue) www.cjudaicum.de, Oranienburger Str 28-30. U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Oranienburger Tor or Friedrichstr. Tel. 030 880 28 316. Sun-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri: 10am-5pm. Closed on Saturdays and Jewish Holidays. Cupola open to visitors AprilSeptember. Price: €1-5. The New Synagogue of Berlin with its golden cupola rises high above the center of the city. Though it has faced desecration and destruction, it still remains a city landmark. Built in 1866, the synagogue was once the center of Jewish worship housing over 3000 congregants. The rise of the Nazis, though, hindered this community. During the November 1938 pogroms, known as Reichs-Kristallnacht, a night where most Jewish sites were vandalized

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and damaged, this synagogue was salvaged by Wilhelm Krutzfeld, the district police chief of the time, who forced the arsonists to leave claiming it was under protection as a city landmark. Although services continued afterwards until 1940, it was then taken over and used as a storage place for uniforms. Consequently in 1943, the synagogue was bombed by the Allied Forces, severely damaging it. In 1958, the destroyed main hall was torn down, only the front of the building remaining. However in 1988, the main dome and the two corner towers were restored to look exactly as they

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Arts & Culture did before the destruction. It now functions as a community center and contains a permanent exhibit, titled “Open ye the Gates”, which features pictures and documents on Jewish history, and more specifically the synagogue’s history, as well as showcasing artifacts found during the restoration. The upper floor is used for temporary exhibits as well as ceremonies and lectures. The synagogue is still used for services, though only seating eighty members as it is no longer the main synagogue of the Jewish community.

Arts & Culture Reichstag

across the city.

Platz der Republik 1. S-Bahn: Unter den Linden. Tel: +49 3 022 730 027. Mon-Sun 8am-12am.

The Reichstag was built in the late 19th century as a parliamentary office, but in reality had little purpose under the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm I. In 1918 the Weimar Republic was declared here from a window by Philip Scheidemann and for the next 15 years it controlled the first democratic body in Germany. The Reichstag fire in 1933 however gave Hitler the perfect opportunity to exercise an emergency degree, thus effectively allowing him dictatorial power over the country.

One of Berlin’s most striking landmarks, the Reichstag, which today houses the German parliament, has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in Berlin’s history and is definitely worth a visit. The original imposing neoclassical facade is contrasted with a striking glass cupola supported by a soaring mirrored column, which offers stunning 360-degree views

At the end of World War II the Reichstag was symbolic of the Allied victory, when Russian soldiers positioned the Soviet flag on the roof. The building was then left mainly unoccupied until the fall of the wall in 1990, when the government of a reunified Germany finally decided to resurrect it as its new parliament. Following extensive remodeling under plans from British architect Sir Norman Foster, it once again provides a cornerstone of the Regierungsviertel (government quarter) in Berlin. Queues are expected, arrive very early or late in the day to avoid disappointment. Tours in English

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offered on Tuesdays (outside of parliamentary sessions), book in advance.

Buchstabenmuseum (Museum of Letters) w w w. b u c h s t a b e n m u s e u m . d e . Leipzigerstrasse 49. U-Bahn: Spittelmarkt. Tel: +49 1 774 201 587. View by appointment only. If you are interested in letterforms, Buchstabenmuseum is worth a visit. The museum is made up of two rooms of large-scale type examples, mostly interesting signage from buildings. The space is small, but there is still plenty to look at. They have a good variety of different type styles, from modern san serifs to black letter. It is great to see attention brought to an area of design which is often

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Arts & Culture Tacheles www.tacheles.de. Oranienburgerstr. 54-56a. U-Bahn: Oranienburgerstr. Tel: +49 302 826 185. Originally created as a non-profit organisation, a vision that it still retains to this day, Tacheles is currently a key centre for art creation and exhibition near the centre of Berlin. Not to be confused with the separate collection of bars, commonly referred to as Studio 54, that are scattered behind and in the lower section of the building, it aims to focus on the creative processes behind art and tries to do away with the organisational ties that official museums hold. Housed in an old department store, the building has a strong appeal with graffiti adorning every visible space, and all sorts of characters roaming freely within. As a result of its volatile history and unique atmosphere it holds a strong attraction for tourists, especially backpackers, as well as the artists

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Arts & Culture from all over the world that head there to work and live. The Kunsthaus (art-house) Tacheles was built at the beginning of the 20th century as a large enclosed space for small businesses, before becoming a department store, and has since served many purposes including housing an SS office. The building was damaged during the Second World War and only occasionally used throughout the Cold War. The section that stands today is just a small part of the original building. In 1990, shortly after the collapse of the wall and two months before the building was due to be demolished, an artists’ initiative group called Tacheles, which translates as plain or honest in Yiddish, occupied the building. From then on the future of the building, and the non-profit organisation housed within, has been far from certain. A lease was agreed with the current owners, with a token rent of €0.50 paid each month. This

lease has recently expired however, and with the property owner’s bank seeking administration rights, it is more uncertain than ever before as to the future of this unique cultural site. Problems are also had with the various bars, also on site, which all originally had leases agreed with the Tacheles organisation. Currently only one bar continues to pay rent and this causes a large amount of tension. Despite the ongoing legal wrangling and the internal problems it has, Tacheles still has plans and high hopes for the future. These include the creation of a foundation to support non-profit cultural projects; the formation of a limited company to outsource economic activities; the creation of a sculpture park on the roof and the expansion of brand marketing to gain revenue for cultural projects. Tacheles is key to retaining the spirit of cooperation and the ‘art for art’s sake’ attitude brought about in its formation almost 20 years ago. Yet whilst this is an admirable position to take, and arguably the cornerstone that makes Tacheles such an attraction today, it is also an aspect that causes it to struggle in a modern world dominated

by profitable organisations and establishments with a heavilyrefined corporate image. Despite this though, and the uncertain future ahead, Tacheles is keen to take the original aims of the organisation into the future and create an artistic legacy for generations to come.

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Arts & Culture

Food & Drink

Hackesche Höfe

Berlin’s Street Food

Rosenthaler Strasse 40-41. S-Bahn: Hackesche Markt.

Berlin is no way lacking in the fast-food culture. In fact, it may be the best part of Berlin for the wallet-weary backpacker. On any street, travellers can find stands selling Döner kebab, China-Box or Currywurst.

The ivy grows up the walls, framing the windows and even trying to creep into them. One courtyard has a children’s play area, another has a small fountain.

In a country known for its hearty meat and potato dishes, Chinese takeout may seem an odd choice but the heaping dish of noodles, veggies and fried egg is now equally as typical as a rotwurst stand.

A newly refurbished complex of buildings that run from Oranienburgerstrasse and Rosenthaler as far as Sophienstrasse is what makes up the 20th century Hackesche Höfe (Höfe means yard) complex. Originally designed by Kurt Berendt and August Endell in 1906, the Höfe was damaged during the war, but has since been restored to a place of many means. Although the buildings above are offices and apartments, the nine

Berlin loves its simple currywurst dish; a sausage sprinkled with curry powder and smothered in plenty of ketchup. You can ask to forego the sauce if it’s not to your taste.

interconnecting courtyards are filled with bars, restaurants, boutiques and even its own theatre. The courtyards are beautiful and green, transporting you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Designer shops sport trendy clothes, quirky ornaments and arty books. The Ampelman store is hidden in one of the courtyards where you can buy merchandise with the little green ‘walk’ and red ‘don’t walk’ men. In a city developing so fast, and new concrete structures appearing daily, it’s nice to have a hidden piece of natural beauty in the city.

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Chips are found on many a street corner as well. Besides the usual dipping sauces of mustard, ketchup or mayo, many stands try to shake it up a little with some unique creations. These could range from mango curry to peanut sauce, jalapeno-cheese or even apple sauce. The best location to try out these condiments is Becker’s Fritten, located on Oranienburger Strasse across from Studio 54. Another form of quick and cheap eating happens in the numerous Berlin bakeries. This is most often a healthier and incredibly satisfying way to eat through the day. For only a few dozen cents, most bakeries offer up great fresh bread. Not to be missed are the pumpkin seed rolls. There are also donuts, danishes and cakes, but the highlight in these establishments are the fresh sandwiches. Diners can shell out no more than €2 for either a slice of baked bread with cold mince, pickles and onions or large sandwiches layered with sliced eggs, lettuce and herbed mayo. While Berlin can be a little pricy in the way of admission fees and shopping, be assured that you will have no problem eating cheap, though it may not always be very healthy. Thankfully, the city provides a great setting for exploring on foot, allowing you to lap up these goodies and then burn them away.

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Food & Drink

Food & Drink Theodor Tucher

Zur Letzten Instanz www.zurletzteninstanz.de. Waisenstrasse 14-16. U-Bahn: Alexanderplatz. Tel: +49 302 425 528. Mon-Sat: 12pm-1am.

Klosestrasse,

From the moment you walk through the tiny, unassuming doorway you are immediately greeted by a lavish ceramic throne. Sit at this throne and you’ll find yourself occupying the same spot as Napoleon did when he frequented the Zur Letzten Instanz. His bust ever peering over patrons’ shoulders as they squirm to find a comfortable position in a chair that could have only been designed to fit the Lilliputian emperor. Immaculately fusing history and typical German cuisine, this quaint eatery stands as Berlin’s oldest inn serving the Eastern side of the city since 1621. The decor is simple and unpretentious, all the while keeping its untouched charm immaculately preserved. The atmosphere is pleasant and calm, yet reminiscent of days when the inn housed raucous booze ups. The food is typical Berlin style: Pickled pigs knuckles, bloodwurst, red cabbage and dumplings. But the flagship dish of the inn must certainly be their beautiful roast leg of pork. Nestled in a bed of rotweil and au jus, it is almost impossible to keep the meat from falling off the bone, and even harder still to ignore the beautifully crunchy and decadent crackling that guards the large bone bisecting the impossibly tender flesh. A must have for meat lovers. A superbly priced restaurant, the most expensive dish runs at around €16.

www.thementeam.de/neu/tucher/. Pariser Platz 6A. S-Bahn: Unter Den Linden. Tel: +49 22 489 464. MonSun: 9am-1am. Price: €10-25 This gem could easily be shrugged off, taken for another overpriced, posh, tourist trap. However Theodor Tucher, tucked away in the right hand corner of Pariser Platz under the looming shadow of the Brandenburger Tor, offers so much more than good, if a little pricey, fare. The dining area is quite large, both inside and outside and it is possible to choose a seat with an armrest, looking out over the square for an afternoon of drinking and people watching. The highlight of Theodor Tucher is their Lunch-special trio, changing daily to fit the mood of the chef. The small plates range from chicken and potatoes with mustard sauce to a goat risotto. Included in the special price of €13.90, a dessert also comes at the end of the meal.

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Those looking for something else will find it hard to choose between a stylized currywurst plate, gigantic, fresh salads topped with spiced nuts and fried pita bread, hearty meatand-potato stews or freshly dressed baguettes, just to name a few. The desserts will also surely tantalize the diner with plates such as mousse of rose petals with chocolate medallions and mango salad. There is even something new to discover with their fresh selection of unique drinks such as strawberry punch and red-currant spritzer, crisp juices that come in a jug, rather than a single glass. After a delicious meal in this small café, the diner can head upstairs to the literary house, a loft with hardwood floors, walls lined with old books and old Victorian style furniture. This upstairs haven is nearly soundproof, blocking out the clamor of the other diners below, leaving the guest in a relaxed stupor for however long they would like to visit after their meal.

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Nightlife

Nightlife mid-evening snacks. If you want a low-key alfresco evening, then look no further.

Bang Bang www.bangbang-club.de. Neue Promenade 10. S-Bahn: Hackescher Markt. Tel: +49 3 060 405 310. Price: €5-10.

Strand Bar Mitte www.strandbar.de. Monbijoustraße 1-3. U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Alexanderplatz. Mon-Sun 10am-late. Strand Bar Mitte is well known for having started the urban beach bar trend, for which Berlin is now famous. This unique bar sits alongside the River Spree, overlooking Museum Island. Connected to the theatre next door, it is a fantastic place to sit and enjoy a cold beer at reasonable prices. Lounge in the comfy deck

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chairs by the river and watch the world go by, or try your hand at salsa on the dance floor. Be it day or night, the Strand Bar is a delightfully relaxed environment which is frequented by all ages. Watch out for the setting sun tinting the façade of the Bodemuseum across the river; it is particularly beautiful. The fairy lights, urban beach and deck-chairs all add to the holiday atmosphere, while the pizzeria by the bar makes for great

Her fangs tore into the body of a raw whole pineapple, the juice causing red lipstick to drip down her chin and pool onto the stage. Dressed in burlesque, she reared her head back and spit the tropical pulp into faces of a screaming crowd pumping fists of devil horns. Bleeding eardrums pressed against speakers as the tongue of this rock goddess slipped pieces of the luscious fruit between audience members’ drooling lips. If you’ve been searching for an intense nightlife scene of live music, tight DJ mixes, and kisses for sale, then the hunt ends at the Bang Bang Club in Mitte. Under the thunderous

tracks of the Hackescher Markt S-Bahn, this dimly lit hole in the wall is a hotspot for colourful characters that will guarantee an interesting and usually entertaining night. The dress code varies from drag and burlesque to teenagers sporting a casual attire of shorts and T-shirts. The music as well is diverse with DJs spinning 60s pop hits, indie tracks, and even the heavy riffs of Black Sabbath and Rage Against the Machine. The bar unfortunately is not cheap, beer runs €3 for .33L and cocktails are €6-7. Berlin’s nightlife typically begins quite late, in fact most clubs are not in full swing until well after midnight. So if you decide to show up at the Bang Bang around 11pm, make sure that you have the energy to exercise your dance skills and head-banging fury to the early hours of the morning. Visit the website to see the event lineup and choose the night that best suits your interests.

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Prenzlauer Berg

Information Today Prenzlauer Berg is one of the most picturesque areas in Berlin. The area is dominated by wide open boulevards and many of its buildings are now occupied by übercool cafes, shops and restaurants. As a result the area has undergone a process of gentrification since reunification with many of the buildings renovated after a period of neglect under the East German government. Prenzlauer Berg is known for having a high proportion of young families; attracting British and American immigrants, who are drawn by the area’s continuing reputation for art; and for students. Only a few old buildings give a reminder of the area’s past. Created in the latter half of the 19th century under the plans of James Hobrecht, it was initially intended to be a workingclass district. After a while the area became known for punks and then, having survived much of the post-war rebuilding, it subsequently became a hotspot for students, intellectuals and artists under the GDR. A place for alternative forms of culture was established and as a consequence it was a place where resistance could be found.

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Prenzlauer Berg

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Arts & Culture

Kulturbrauerei

Jüdischer Friedhof

w w w. k u l t u r b r a u e r e i - b e r l i n . de Schonhauser Allee 36. U-Bahn: Eberswalder Straβe. Tel: +49 3044 35 260.

Schönhauser Alle 22-25. U-Bahn: Senefelder Platz. Tel: 925 08 33. Mon-Thu 8am- 4pm, Fri 8am-1pm.

Once a Schultheiss brewery, Berlin’s Kulturbrauerei is now the ultimate venue for exhibitions, plays, concerts and markets. The artistic nerve centre of the creative city includes an eight-screen cinema, a Pool and Cigar bar and even a cooking school for experimental culinary lovers. Why not head to SODA Club for €4 Salsa classes every Thursday and Sunday before practicing your moves at the evening Salsa party? Or for a unique fortnightly shopping experience, visit The White Market for locally made clothing and accessories from the likes of Barbara Viktor and Friederike Porscha.

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Along a nondescript road lies a poignant place of remembrance. The Jüdischer Friedhof is Berlin’s oldest Jewish cemetery and, like any cemetery, there is something of a sombre air upon entering. This is perhaps even more significant in Berlin when considering the context of history. Unlike other Jewish cemeteries in Berlin it survived the wrath of the Nazi state. Nevertheless damage was still done in 1988 when it was attacked by East German neoNazis with fallen tombstones providing the evidence. Much remains though and the canopy of trees provides a fitting resting place. Indeed nature is a key theme when visiting, as moss and ivy are now beginning to wrap themselves around the weathered tomb stones. The rows of tomb stones provide a sense of order but this is broken by the many small paths that criss-cross the cemetery and provide a more natural feel. As a consequence small corners can easily be found, especially at the end of the cemetery, allowing that poignant moment. Famous burials Mayerbeer and artist Max Liebermann.

Kollwitzplatz U-Bahn: Senefelder Platz Influenced by the designs of Reinhold Linger, Kollwitzplatz is great for any number of activities. Some may be inclined to sunbathe, while others may want to practice their tabletennis skills, or simply relax with friends. Alternatively, once past the trees that encircle the plaz, the clearing provides a perfect spot for that reflective moment or a chance to simply admire the ornate buildings that are a feature of the area.

The platz also includes a great playground, and despite its closed surroundings, it is still possible to hear the bustle of various eateries which surround the platz and provide the chance for pleasant refreshment. The platz itself is named after the famous artist who lived in the area, Katty Kollwitz, and whose statue watches over you. Designed by Gustav Seitz it is very much in keeping with Kollwitz’ own work. Indeed the presence of a work that conveys such sombreness and reflection is a theme that could describe the whole platz.

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Arts & Culture

Shopping Who Killed Bambi? w w w. w h o k i l l e d b a m b i . o r g Eberswalder Straße 26, 10437. Tel: +49 4849 4574. Opening hours: Monsat 12pm – 8pm

Volkspark Weinberg Weinbergsweg, between Rosenthaler Platz and Fehbelliner Str. U-Bahn: Rosenthaler Platz. Don’t let finances get in the way of fun! There are many activities in Berlin that are free of charge. Not least of these are the parks and playgrounds scattered about the city. For those who are mature enough to admit they still enjoy a good tire swing or jungle gym, then Volkspark Weinberg will provide an enjoyable cost-free evening. During the day this park is dominated by parents and their children, as nightfalls this place is left empty for the bigger

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cobalt hills amid a dune sea, blue pyramids spurting water, and a behemoth of a jungle gym, even the most grown-up of people will feel the urge to summon their inner child. The shallow wading pool provides a nice place to cool your feet, or your bum for that matter after receiving slideburns over on the play structures. Even if you stop by in the daytime and a younger crowd occupies the games equipment, there are still two cafes, the lily pond, and the rose garden to enjoy. Merely sitting on a bench listening to the church bells of the nearby Zionskirche is a relaxing experience. So if your wallet is feeling the burn, don’t be afraid to let the kid within you out!

Note: this clothes store has nothing to do with Disney. Offering a generous selection of alternative attire for both men and women, Who Killed Bambi is the place to go for fun, rock/punk fashion. Housing a range of street-wear labels from the locally produced Made in Paradise to European favourite Desigual, Prenzlauer Berg’s kooky shop is the largest of three in Berlin. Browse the racks of kitsch, beaded hangers for that attention-grabbing purchase, or lust after the unique Who Killed Bambi bowling bags.

A little something extra ... Photobooths Kastanienalle, Eberswalder Straße U2. Ever wondered where the old fashioned photo booths which gave you four different passport photos went? Well it seems they have been all scattered around Berlin. Walking along Kanstanienalle or outside Warshaw Strasse s-bhan station, you could easily pass them by. But keep your eye keen - for only 2€ fun memories can be captured (and can also be used to make your friends at home jealous!)

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Shopping Interview with Karin Nieto, Organiser of The White Market. TheWhiteMarket.com. KulturBrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36. U-Bahn: Eberswalder Platz. 12pm – 7pm. Log on to the website for the next The White Market event. The White Market is a new fashion event based in the diverse shopping area of Prenzlauer Berg. Locals and tourists alike visit the chic, outdoor market for a taste of original Berlin craftsmanship at KulturBrauerei, the city’s cultural hub. Having hosted only four events of its kind so far, organiser Karen Nieto speaks to us about this unique project and the exciting prospects for The White Market. When did you first come up with the idea for The White Market and what made you decide to pursue this venture? The idea for the White Market was conceived in 2008, during one of

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Shopping those shopping ruts everyone gets into sometimes. Berlin is a creative city, bustling with talented designers, but shopping can be inconvenient and uninspiring sometimes. Since moving here two years ago, we’ve been flying every season to New York or Paris to get our fashion fix. In these cities, shopping more than just a means to an end, it’s an experience. We recognized Berlin already had all the elements: talented designers, good quality craftsmanship, endless sources of inspiration, etc. All we had to do was connect the elements. Our concept was simple: bring the best designers under one roof (or umbrella in our case) and present their collections in a pretty white package – and voila, the White Market shopping experience was born. How did you come up with the name ‘The White Market’? We chose the name ‘The WhiteMarket’ because that’s how we visualized the

beginning: outdoor summer shopping under rows of white canopies. Plus, the name suits the philosophy of the market: all products are unique and hand-made; the exact opposite of what you might find in a black market. How do you select the designers that exhibit at The White Market, and how many do you choose to show at any one event? Each designer must submit images of their collections, and we review them based on the following criteria: original design, craftsmanship, and small production runs. We show approximately 40 designers per market, and we make sure there is an equal number between clothing and accessory designers. What items can we find on sale at The White Market and is there an average price range? The White Market only exhibits handmade items from independent designers with non mass-produced collections. In order to remain true to the initial concept of the White Market, it is exclusively a fashion market selling clothing and accessories. The price range is very broad starting at ten euros goingup to 200 euros.

Describe your typical ‘The White Market’ customer. The White Market attracts people from all walks of life who have one thing in common: an eye for fashion. Tourists come in droves and Berlin locals are equally excited by the prospect of a new shopping experience to discover. You are located at KulturBrauerei in the popular shopping area of Prenzlauer Berg. How did you decide on the area in which The White Market is held, and how important do you think this is to the project’s success? Prenzlauer Berg has a very chilled out atmosphere; it’s trendy and not overly-touristy like other districts in Berlin. The neighbourhood has a perfect blend of a young creative set that keeps the area exciting and inspiring and young families with a more disposable income keep it prosperous. The KulturBrauerei is incredibly charming, and it’s a Berlin landmark. The fact that everyone knows it, means we don’t have to give directions and the location gave the market a sense of establishment from the get go. Are you a designer yourself, and if so do you exhibit any of your items at The White Market?

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Shopping

Shopping integral role in local fashion. Berliners take the term ‘eighties or nineties throwback’ to a new extrem e that stretches into each fibre of its aesthetic culture from furniture to architecture and clothing. Berlin’s endless array of second hand shops and various flea markets caters to ones every nostalgic whim. The White Market has been embraced because though it exclusively presents is new things, it encourages home-grown individuality and creativity: integral facets of Berlin fashion. Where do you see The White Market five years from now?

Yes, I’m an architect and clothing designer. I’m launching a line of jewellery to sell at the White Market – I just need to find time to make it! What do you think sets Berlin apart from the rest of the world in terms of fashion and style? Berlin’s unique history plays an

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As a destination for trend forecasters and shopaholics alike –a Berlin fashion establishment. We have already received international interest in the White Market which would be the natural next step for us to take for the market

Flohmarkt am Mauerpark (Flea Market) Bernauer Straße 63 – 64. U-Bahn U8 Bernauer Straße Sunday 9am – 5pm Prenzlauer Berg may not have the alternative edge of areas like Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg, but the now affluent area retains some of its bohemian cool. This makes it the perfect place for secondhand shoppers who want to snap up some of the residents’ castoffs. The massive market on Bernauer Straße is on every Sunday, and with plenty of great food stalls and bars, it’s easy to spend the whole day here.

Everything from household goods to clothing, records, books and bicycles can be found here. There’s undoubtedly a lot of junk, but a good rummage through the cardboard boxes should yield a worthwhile reward. Prices start off pretty low, but if not don’t be afraid to barter, as there are plenty of bargains to be had. Vintage dresses can be as cheap as three euro, books from about 50 cents, and bicycles for about 30 to 50 euro. It gets very busy so be sure to leave plenty of time to make your way through the crowds.

to grow organically. In addition, the possibility of a White Market label is also on the cards. The label would present collections of selected market designers. The designers would change along with the seasons and the White Market label would serve, like the market, as a springboard into the global world of fashion.

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Shopping

Tausche www.tausche.de Raumersraße 8. U-Bahn: Eberswalder Straße. Tel: +49 30 40301770. Opening Hours: MonFri 11am – 8pm, Sat 11am – 6pm. Tausche is no ordinary bag shop. This contemporary store sells Berlinmade, multi-functional, multifaceted messenger bags which are unique in their ability to alter both purpose and appearance. Tausche bags are available in eight different sizes (ranging from €45 - €139) and come with two exchangeable cover flaps upon purchase. Just unzip the front and transform the bag’s aesthetic in one swift movement with another cover. Visit the

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Shopping exhibition-style store in Prenzlauer Berg and browse through the collection of covers decorating the shop’s interior in order to customise your chosen style. From pretty florals, to iconic local images like the Berlin TV tower, the range of designs is seemingly endless. Team these with an additional inset in black or orange to accommodate for individual, practical needs. The cushioned Bürokrat can be inserted to hold a 15” laptop, while the Rabenvater offers space for baby food, nappies and anything else the little one might need. Insets start at €25 for a simple separator, with the more expensive laptop compartment costing €55.

and is a perfect spot for a picnic or sunbathing in the summer.

Pigasus Poster Gallery www.pigasus-gallery.de, Torstrasse 62. U-Bahn: Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Tel: +49 3 028 493 697. Mon-Sat 2pm-7pm

U-Bahn U8 Bernauer Straße Sunday 9am – 5pm

A gallery that is a little bit different, Pigasus offers a broad range of posters for sale. Among them are designs that were originally printed for film, theatre, opera and exhibitions. There are both vintage and more contemporary posters, and those on show are continually changing. Prices range from €15, to over €200 for rarer pieces. There is also a good selection of CDs by Polish, Russian and Ukrainian artists to buy.

Arkonaplatz is a smaller market, with higher quality goods and prices to match. The focus is on vintage and retro clothes and household goods, with a particularly impressive selection of sunglasses. The market is also good for vinyl enthusiasts, with plenty of boxes filled with records. There is also a great collection of interesting old record players. Afterwards, you can relax in the pretty little park next door, which is

Go downstairs and there is a small but substantial enough changing exhibition, focusing on the work of one particular artist or theme. A movement known as the Polish Poster School emerged in the 50s, the main protagonist being Henryk Tomaszewski. Polish poster designs tend to have a handmade feel, even the more modern ones, and often contain a political statement. Browse and enjoy at your own leisure.

Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz

Supaife Kiosk Raumerstr. 40, 10437 Berlin, Phone: 44 67 88 26, Email: kiosk@supalife. de, Mon.-Sat. 12am-7pm, Sun. closed, U-Bahn: Senefelderplatz Supalife Kiosk is a must for anyone interested in street art or graphic design. This store sells both books on the subjects as well as small-edition prints and artists books. Silk-screened t-shirts, postcards and stickers round out the selection. Supalife Kiosk also serves as a gallery for art exhibitions, with the openings often featuring live music. With a diverse collection of various kinds of graphic arts, this store is the perfect place to pick up an affordable work of art.

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Shopping

Shopping Sentimental Journey Husemannstr. 5, 10435 Berlin, Phone: 030/44328664, Email: journey@ arcor.de, Mon.-Sat. 12am-7pm, Sun. closed, U-Bahn: Eberswalder Str. With the funky sequined dresses hanging outside and a stencil of Elvis above the door, you know you are in for a real vintage treat when you enter Sentimental Journey. Inside, clothing, shoes and hats from the early 20th century until the present await. Sentimental Journeys is everything a vintage shop should be, with crowded racks of dresses, scary mannequin heads with ostentatious hats, and even a white and black checked floor. To top it all off, in one room there is a shrine to Elvis, complete with a piano and velvet stool, a large cut out of The King himself, and a ceramic band arranged on top of the piano. Many treasures await discovery in this store: collapsible top hats, cocktail dresses, and even a hat featuring a knitted grand piano made by the owner herself. Although the prices may be on the higher end (said hat costing upwards of 100 euro), it is still worth a look if just for the feeling of nostalgia for a time when you weren’t even around.

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Stiefelkombinat Eberswalder Str. 21/22, Tel: 51 05 12 34, Mon.-Thurs. 10am-10pm, Fri. and Sat. 10am-12pm, Sun. closed. Stiefelkombinat is overwhelming to say the least. The experience begins before even entering the premises, as its contents spill out onto the street, making it hard to miss. Inside, shag rugs and furry stools are used in abundance, providing a suitably retro decor on which to display the clothes. Shoes dominate the secondhand merchandise. There is a wide selection of both boots and heels, which are all helpfully organized by size with clearly marked sections. Various choices abound,

ranging from fetish ware to 60s go-go boots. There is also a large collection of vintage clothing, mostly from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Variety abounds, with everything from chunky knit sweaters to bathing suits and 80s prom dresses. Crammed up to the rafters, the shop can be a little hard to take in fully and discover that perfect find. But when you do, it is the result of an enjoyable treasure hunt through the fashions of yesteryear. Next door there is also men’s clothing and shoes, as well as furniture more likely to be spotted in a 70s sci-fi flick. Prices here are not cheap, but they are justified on the whole by the quality.

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Food & Drink Babel

Focacceria Naturale

Kastanienalle33, U-bahn: Eberswalder Straße noon midnight

Kastanienalle 4, U-bahn: Eberswalder Straße. Mon-Sun, open from 12-12.

For a kebab you won’t regret the morning after, Babel is the place to go. Serving deliciously authentic meals at the walletfriendly price of just three Euro, this makes the perfect spot to stop off for a quick bite between bars. Particularly recommended are the chicken schwarma or grilled haloumi. Sitting on the terrace outside is a good spot to watch the well-todo hipster inhabitants of the surrounding area go preening and prancing about their business. The restaurant itself is run by a couple of genial Lebanese guys and attracts a healthy mix of homesick Arabs, clued-up locals and boozed-up bar hoppers. So revered is this place in fact that it has even made local guide Tipp’s list of Top 20 places to eat in Berlin.

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For a quick pit stop during shopping ventures on Kastanienalle, this ciabatta-cum-pizza café is a great alternative from the often meatheavy Kebab and Currywurst stalls so readily found in Berlin. With toppings varying from spinach, ham, tuna, mozzarella, tomato and goats cheese, and a sizeable slice costing only 2€, the relaxed café is a perfect place for refuelling. What’s more, the juice bar along the counter offers similar variety. Freshly stocked from the vibrant fruit and veg shop next door, prices range from a pocketfriendly two to four euro depending on how much fruit you want thrown in. All in all, the perfect place to take a pause and plan your next shopping venture.

Tabeyo Danzinger Straße 14, U-bahn: Eberswalder Straße Tel:304 435 7402 At Tabeyo, you can eat like a prince on a pauper’s pocket. Offering freshly made sushi with good quality ingredients at the overtly generous price of two euro for six rolls, it is easy to see why this place has become

a lunch hotspot for Prenzlauer Berg’s discerning residents.

salad and a mount of crispy leaves, peppers, tomato, cucumber and succulent chicken will arrive a short while after (perhaps a little longer than you may like). If a salad is not what you’re after, soups, bagels and ciabatta sandwiches are also available for a more pocket friendly price. There are also generous happy hour(s) and limitless wifi.

W-Imbiss www.w-derimbiss.de Kastanienallee 49, M8 M1 M12, Rosenthalerplatz.4302 0678 noon-midnight.

Fellas www.fellas-berlin.de Stargarder Straße U-bahn: Schonhauser Allee. Tel:46796314; 10 am- 1am. If a big hearty salad is what you’re looking for, then head to Fellas. With enough greenery to last you a week this dimly lit, wooden furnished restaurant-come-bar is a great place for private dinners or long lazy lunches. Although fairly expensive, you’re money will defiantly go a long way. Order a Sportsfreund

Best described as an Indian-ItalianCalifornian fusion restaurant, W-Imbiss lies on the stylish edge of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. It takes its name from the German ‘Imbiss’ meaning ‘fast-food’. Its logo is the notorious golden arches turned upside down hinting that W-Imbiss is no ordinary fast food joint. Chef, Gordon W, dishes out everything from naan pizzas to black bean quesadillas, producing scrumptious, eccentric, gastronomy in minutes. A tannoy system declares your food is ready to be collected from the postage stamp sized kitchen. Choose to take away or eat outside among large plastic orange tables.

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Food & Drink Hans Wurst Café w w w. m y s p a c e . c o m / hanswurstvegancafe. Dunckerstr 2a. Tram: M10 Husemannstrasse. U-Bahn: Eberswalder Strasse. Tel. 030 41 71 78 22. Mon-Sat: 12pm12am. Sun: 11am-12am. Prices: €49, lunch specials from 12-3. This vegan organic café is an excellent alternative to those who like unconventional menus. Its quaint atmosphere and relaxing ambience makes you feel welcome right from the start. It is filled with antique sofas and comfy chairs, inviting you

Food & Drink the delicious food. Fear not if your German is not yet fluent, the friendly staff will help you with translation; they will happily consult an online to stay for as long as you please with access to free wifi. Juxtaposed to the antique furniture are the modern light fixtures, fresh flowers on every table, as well as the natural food choices. All of the dishes contain variations of tofu, including salads, burgers, sandwiches, and stir fry. There are

Lorbeth Feine Kost Pappelle allee 84. Eberswalder Straße

U-bahn:

Lorberth – Feine Kost specialises in traditional German cuisine with a contemporary twist. The café come restaurant provides traditional foods including Bratwurst, Spàztle, and Schnitzel, brought into the 21st century when mixed with usual and exciting flavours. Greeted by a mishmash of tables and umbrellas surrounded by leafy plants, you can choose to eat indoors or out. Whether stopping by for a full-blown dinner or just tea and cake, the menu changes daily so you will never get bored of

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various cakes and cookies for dessert. Additionally, the cafe hosts several parties a month introducing bands from all over the globe.

German translator to decipher the delectable German menu. Doggy bags are available as is free WiFi.

The Bird www.thebirdberlin.com. Am Falkplatz 5, U-bahn: Schonhauser Allee. Tel: 510 532 83; Mon-Sat 6 pm - midnight, Sun. noon-midnight Two words: Meat heaven! Vegetarians are advised to stay away from this rustic, boozy pub/restaurant where even the Ceasar salad has steak in it. Serving the best burgers in Berlin, devour a freshly ground Iowa steak patty, sandwiched between a toasted English muffin served up with a crisp salad and a side of homemade fries. Its witty menu (which includes an obituary to a once popular burger no longer in production) will tempt you with a wealth of toppings from blue cheese to bacon. If burgers don’t whet your appetite then try the surprisingly cheaper option of steak also accompanied with salad and fries. Although cutlery is provided for the steak, eating burgers with your fingers is strongly advised! No need to worry about the mess though as kitchen roll accompanies the condiments on every table

Nocti Vagus www.noctivagus.com. Saarbrücker Str. 36-38. U-Bahn: Senefelder Platz. Tel: +49 3 074 749 123. Prices start from €49 including a show, and Mondays are cheaper with set menus starting from €29. Treat yourself to a high quality dinner in the dark in the original dunkelrestaurant Nocti Vagus. Prepare to awaken and revitalise the only four senses you have left… smells of the succulent food passing by will waft up your nose, noises of the anonymous patrons and blind waiters will fill your ears as you orientate yourself at your table by touch, and finally when your food arrives your taste buds will explode with the culinary delights the chefs have prepared especially for you.In this restaurant you will experience what it is like to be blind. You will form judgements, based not on appearance but, on how a person speaks to you. A trip to the toilet is not so easy when you’re blind and you will have to call for an escort to lead the way. Even pouring your drinks in the dark may prove difficult. Choose to eat with a knife and fork, or just get messy with your hands. Will you even find

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Food & Drink your food and be able to tell what it is without sight? The challenges you’ll experience being blinded by the dark will open your mind and may change your preconceptions of what you thought it was like to have no vision.On arrival you will be welcomed into the restaurant bar which is located upstairs in the light. Here is where you decide what you would like to eat. Ordering c o u l d n ’ t be simpler, with three set menu’s incorporating three courses including a vegetarian option and a fourth tailored surprise menu for those feeling a tad more daring. Once your order is placed a waiter will lead you down to the basement restaurant where the excitement begins.If eating in the dark does not sound enough of

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Food & Drink an experience, this restaurant also offers various shows to accompany your meal. These shows include various readers, singers, and actors who take to the dark stage for your entertainment. The timetable for these events is available on the website with dates for non-German speaking tourists pointed out. Once you finish your meal and are welcomed back into the light, prepare to be surprised by what you thought you ate and what you thought your blind waiter looked like. Also make sure you check your shirt for debris; you never know what you dropped down there in the dark! Make a call and reserve your table because this place can get busy, then prepare for the unexpected.

Zur Rose

Erdbeer

Weinbergsweg 26 .U2 RosaLuxembourg Platz, M8 to Rosenthaler platz 030-22-30-8802 Open 9am1am,

Max-Beer Straße 56.U2 RosaLuxembourg Platz Open Summer 2pm – Late daily, Winter 6pm – Late daily. No credit cards.

Sandwiched between a little row of the many eateries found in Rosenthaler Platz, is this bustling hangout. Its rustic style, with antique furnishings found in the back and small garden tables squeezed in the front, makes a pleasant place to sit back and contemplate a days sight seeing. The food comes in generous portions and budget friendly prices, where breakfasts and lunches range from 3-5€, and dinner plates including pastas and salads from 5-9€. Make sure to check out the “tap your own beer” service, where you can help yourself to your own pints (Aprox.€3 each). Cocktails are also good (and strong), and average around €5.

Erdbeer’s proximity to the array of bars at Rosa-Luxembourg Platz and Rosenthaler Platz makes it the perfect place to start an evening. Its reputation for mouthwatering and varied cocktails is well deserved, and the extensive menu only presents one problem: which drink to choose! Be prepared to splash out, as cocktail prices begin aaround Seven Euro. However, for the delicious drinks and intimate atmosphere, it is money well spent. During the week, an eclectic mix of music is played in the background at a fairly low level, offering guests the rare chance to have an audible conversation in such an environment. Over the weekend, DJs play sets to get guests revved up for the night ahead. The candle-lit tables, pink décor and mismatched chairs all add to the charm of this quirky bar. Erdbeer is a low-key and relaxing venue, which also serves a wide selection of beers and non-alcoholic refreshments for noncocktail drinkers. Well worth a visit.

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Nightlife

Nightlife

White Trash w w w. w h i t e t r a s h f a s t f o o d . c o m Schönhauser Allee 6-7: U-Bahn: RosaLuxemburg Platz Tel: 030-50348668 Mon-Fri from 12pm, Sat & Sun from 6pm. Dining at White Trash is a sure-fire way to induce a sensory overload. This converted Chinese restaurant, replete with gaudy Oriental flourishes and garnished with bizarre bric-abrac, serves up decent American-style dishes with incendiary titles such as “The Marquee de Fuck Burger”. Wolfing this down whilst being serenaded by a thrash metal band in what resembles a schizophrenic bordello provides a uniquely entertaining experience. When you’ve finished, or given up on, your outrageously large portion, head downstairs to dance off the calories in the misnomer that is though if easily offended. The Diamond Lounge, the dingy basement club. Here the music is loud and the acts vary from local

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Dr Pong upcoming indie bands to occasional internationally-known acts. As if all this wasn’t enough, there’s also an in-house tattoo parlour if you feel like permanently marking your body is the perfect accompaniment to a meal. The service has been known to be shoddy at times, and explicitly

rude at others. By all accounts, you’re more likely to hear “Fuck off!” from your waiter than “Bon appetit!” However, go in expecting something a little different from your average culinary experience and you’ll be pleasantly sated. Perhaps best to steer clear

Eberswalder Straße 21 Sun 14:00late Eberswalder Straße, U2, M1, M10, 12Mon-Sat 20:00-late, Hidden away on a busy street in Prenzlauer Berg, with nothing but dim lighting and occasional cheers to suggest it being open for business, is a cheap and a great way to spend an evening. Grab a beer (2.50€), a bat (a 5€ deposit is needed) and head to the sparsely decorated ,high ceilinged room whose focal point is a large ping pong table. The rules are simple: every time a new round starts, join the rotating circle of competitors and take turns in hitting the ball back to each other. If you miss a shot, join the many who simply come along to watch. Hit every shot and you will find yourself in the five-round-finale where although discreet, the winning title will gain you respect from Berlin’s tabletennis megafans. Rounds can start with as little as 3 to as many as 30 players, so be confident to ensure you get a swing in. Best to come

in smaller groups, as large swathes of tourists can irritate the loyal punters. It empties out after awhile, so hold on if you’re finding it a bit overwhelming. Chessboards are also available if table tennis isn’t your thing.

Rosengarten www.rosengarten-berlin.de. Weinbergsweg 13. U-Bahn: Rosenthaler Platz. Mon -Fri 4pm-12pm, Sat-Sun 1pm – 12pm. Rosengarten is an excellent place to rest your feet with a cool drink after a day’s sightseeing or shopping. Beautifully situated by the eponymous rose garden in Volkspark Weinberg, the atmosphere is exceptionally laid back. Striped deckchairs are set out next to the small outdoor bar where super friendly staff serve beer, wine, soft drinks and cake. A great program of events is on offer, such as film screenings and live music. On Wednesdays at 7pm there are even hula-hoop workshops.

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Accommodation

Accommodation Alkatraz

East Seven Hostel

w w w. a l c a t r a z - b a c k p a c k e r. de Schonhauser Allee 133a. U2 Eberswalder Strasse Tel: +49 (0)30 48496815

www.eastseven.de. Schwedter Straße 7. U-bahn: Senefelder Platz. Tel: 936 22 240

S 40, D 25, T 22

S 37, D 50, T 51, Q 78

4 bedroom dorm 18

Linen: 3

8 bedroom dorm 16 Apartments (4 people) 106, people) 116, (6 people) 126

(5

Linen: 2 Towels: free on demand This urban, hip hostel located on the busy street of Schönhauser Allee stands out from the rest. With its unique exterior of graffiti, it’s hard to walk past without being intrigued by what lies within. You can find all kinds of travellers residing here from students, backpackers, walkins and occasionally families. The small intimate courtyard is an ideal place to sit back and unwind. The common area with TV, table football, books and leaflets galore make sure you will be kept busy. There is a lobby where computers are located with free internet access (you can also access the internet with your own notebook via wi-fi). The selfservice kitchen/lounge is bright and colourful and has a relaxed vibe.

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Dorm: 17

Towels: 1euro Visa and Mastercard accepted (small fee of 1euro per 100euro to cover costs) Situated just north of Berlin’s über-hip Mitte district, this small, comfortable hostel offers travellers a wide range of clean, high quality affordable accommodation. With spacious bathrooms and hot showers

on every floor, what more could a budding traveller ask for. Not to mention being surrounded by cafes, restaurants, nightlife and of course lots of shops. A trip to the famous Mauer Park fleamarket on Sunday is a must. Or relax in the cosy garden house/barbeque area among other guests. The friendly and welcoming staff are always on hand 24/7 with tips and tricks to help you make the most of your time in the city. The hostel offers a range of services including: laundry service, free lockers in rooms, free luggage storage, free maps and free wi-fi. The East Seven Berlin hostel fosters a relaxed atmosphere all year round.

“Wash your own dishes, or we’ll make you eat your passport!” – is the note you will find in the kitchen of this laidback hostel. The bright

Lette’m Sleep

orange and blue walls of Lette’m Sleep fit in nicely with Prenzlauerberg’s vibrant scene. This relaxed hostel hosts a mixture of nationalities all year round; backpackers from Finland, a family from Spain, an American biker… you’ll find them here. With its no curfew policy travellers may come and go as they please. The little common room has everything you could need including free internet, tea, coffee, and a great DVD collection. This hostel has the vibe of Berlin built in. It’s downto-earth, nonchalant cool.

www.backpackers.de. Lettestraße 7. U-bahn: Eberswalder Straße. Tel: +49 (0)30 44733623 Fax: +49 (0)30 44733625 7 bed dorms 17€, 6 bed dorms 18€, 5 bed dorms 19€, 4 bed dorms 20€, 3 bed dorms 21€ Twin room: 49€ Apartment: 69€/room a night for two people Linen: Included no charge Towels: 70cent

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Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten

Information Potsdamer Platz is Berlin’s newest quarter. Showcasing architectural gems such as the dramatic Sony Centre, the square is dominated by mainstream commercial success. Providing three multiplex cinemas, a shopping mall, The Ritz Carlton, Europe’s largest casino and a multitude of non-descript bars and restaurants, the development of Potsdamer Platz has not been without its critics. That being said, the bustling centre continues to attract tourists and locals alike. Whether it is for the impressive architecture, the selection of museums, events such as the Berlin Film Festival (held at Cinemaxx), or simply as a means to witness the enormous renewal of the square, there is no doubting that this is one of Berlin’s busiest areas.

Platz turned to rubble, and when the Berlin Wall was erected straight through the heart of the square in 1961, all transport connections were cut. Potsdamer Platz became a ghost town. Situated close to Potsdamer Platz is Berlin’s answer to Hyde Park: Tiergarten. Originally laid out as a hunting ground in the 17th Century, today Tiergarten is a popular spot for relaxing in the sun after a day of cultural activity. Escape from the city in the green open space or visit Berlin’s zoo situated on the outskirts.

It could be said that Potsdamer Platz is a version of its former self. In the early 20th Century the square was one of Europe’s biggest traffic centres that defined Berlin and it is even said to have housed Europe’s first electric traffic lights. While a replica of the lights can now be seen as soon as you step off the S-Bahn, little else exists that acknowledges the history of the area. During WW2, much of Potsdamer

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Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Kulturforum Potsdamer Platz U-Bahn or S-Bahn: U2, S1, S2, S26 Potsdamer Platz The Kulturforum is a complex of some of Berlin’s main galleries and museums. It was planned out post World War Two, after several important cultural institutions were cut off from West Berlin, and build on a site that had been cleared for Hilter’s Germania. The Neue Nationalgalerie was built first in 1968, at a time when the Nationalgalerie on Museumsinsel was separated by the wall on the Eastern side of the city. It now contains an unmissable collection of 20th century art, even if the permanent collection often gives way to (also excellent) temporary exhibitions. The Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) is also world-

class, with its collection of European Old Master paintings. Joining this building are also the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Art), the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings), and the Kunstbibliotek (Art Library). The Philharmonie is home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and is an astounding golden, Expressionist, ship-shaped masterpiece of a building designed by Hans Scharoun, and has a reputation for superb acoustics. Next door, the Musikinstrumentenmuseum is a small museum of musical instruments from the sixteenth century on, with guides giving performances on Saturdays at 11am. And if all that wasn’t enough, the Staatsbibliotek (State Library) is also here, another Scharoun building (haunted by angels in the classic Berlinbased film Wings of Desire) and has a great selection of books in English.

Bargain time... Buy a day ticket for any one of the galleries or museums at the kultureforum and get free entry into any of the others! This includes the Gemaldegalerie (picture gallery), Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts), Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings), Neue Nationalgalerie (20th Century Art) & Musikinstrumenten-Museum (Musical Instruments Museum).

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Gemäldergalerie Matthäikirchplaz 8, Phone: 266 2951, Tue.-Sun. 10am-6pm, to 10pm Thur. U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz The Gemäldergalerie, part of the Kulturforum, is impressive to say the least. This picture gallery houses European works spanning the 13th through the 18th centuries. Pieces by masters such as Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Dürer are the crown jewels in an already stunning collection. Aside from the 1500

works housed here, the other half of the collection remains in the Bode Museum in Mitte. The museum itself consists of a large central hall flanked by series of galleries on either side. Advance through history as you move through the museum, with the newest works at the back. Due to the sheer number of works, it would be advisable to spare a couple of hours to see the whole collection. If you don’t have that much time to spare, then choose a couple centuries or artists to see for a shorter, less intensive visit.

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Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Neue-national Gallerie www.neue-nationalgalerie.de. Potsdamer Strasse 50. U-Bahn/SBahn: Potsdamer Platz. Tel: +49 30 266 424 242. Tue-Wed, Sun 10am6pm; Thur 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat 10am-8pm. Price: €5-10. Visiting the Neue Nationalgalerie is in itself not to be missed. Designed by Mies van der Rohe, the building hosts special temporary exhibitions that can last for a couple of years as well as works of classical Modernism and 1960-70s art work. The permanent exhibition is located in the lower part of the gallery. The temporary collections focus on representations of Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism and the Bauhaus. Currently the Bilderträume (Dreams in Pictures) – Die Sammlung Ulla und Heiner Pietzsch exhibition is running up until November 2009. The Bilderträume is an unmissable opportunity to view possibly the most private collection in Berlin. What makes this exhibition so unique is the collection is solely based on two distinctive styles; Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. The art of Surrealism is a style that was first developed from direct Surrealist influences in New York following

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WWII and is still recognised today. This forms the core of the collection while the second part of the collection focuses on the early works of Abstract Expressionism. The Ulla and Heiner Pietzsch collection began over 40 years ago and comprises of over 180 artistic pieces by some of the world’s most influential artists, such as Max Ernst, Joan Miró and Dorothea Tanning. Walking around this remarkable gallery are amazing pieces of art that go from stunning to bizarre, fantastical to grotesque. What’s more the artists’ surreal and abstract styles are perfectly presented throughout the exhibition, giving a sense of curiosity and wonder around each corner. The exhibition illustrates the development of abstract expressionism and surrealism and it is truly amazing how each artist individually conveys this style. Forthcoming exhibitions can be found on the website.

Museum fur Film und Fernsehen (Film/TV Museum) w w w. d e u t s c h e - k i n e m a t h e k . d e . U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Potsdam Platz. Tel: +49 3 024 749 888. Tues-Sun:10am6pm, Thu: 10am-8pm. Price: €6/€4.50 concession A treasure to film enthusiasts and

Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten

history nuts alike, this museum focuses on the last 100 years of German film history. A particular emphasis is placed on the golden era, when Berlin came close to matching those of Hollywood. Upon entering, be sure to grab the free audio guide. Take a wander through the permanent exhibition. Images invert and skew and reflect as mirrors and irregular walls almost convey a walk within the confines of the lens of a camera. Black and white films are beautifully juxtaposed against the modern interior decor and each exhibit is insightful and to the point. Presented chronologically, classic film fans will relish behind-the-scenes glimpses of films including “Das Cabinet Des Caligari” (1920) and “Metropolis”

Marlene Dietrich. Accompanying the permanent exhibition is a temporary “Moments in Time 1989/1990” display. Following the fall of the Berlin wall and aware that their protest could no longer be stopped, Berliners increasingly felt a desire to capture events on film. Taken by private individuals in diverse and personal ways, the presentation sheds some additional light on the most important period in post-war German history in a colourful and insightful manner. Leaving as much to the imagination as objectively illustrating the events and emotions felt at the time, the display is a rare insight into the events of 1989 Berlin from the perspectives of directly affected individuals set comparatively against worldwide news reports issued at the same time.

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Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

Zoologischer Garten Hardenbergplatz 8, U-bahn Zoologischer Garten tel. +49 (0)30 25401- 0, [email protected] in 1844, it is the oldest zoo in Germany and one of the largest zoos in the world, with the widest variety of species which doesn’t fail to impress from the moment you step through the gates. The park itself is visually stunning with lush green trees and intermittent water features. Even if you’re not interested in the surrounding the sheer range of species won’t leave you disappointed. With around 14,000 animals, there is plenty to see and a lot of ground to cover. Give yourself plenty of time for the visit as it is

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very easy to spend the best part of the day there, and comfortable footwear is definitely recommended. There are plenty of places to get a drink or snack within the park and also there is a large restaurant, Schuler’s GastZoonomie, located at the heart of the zoo. One of the best times of day to see the animals is at feeding time and the times are posted on signs at the enclosures. Unfortunately there are no free maps and information leaflets, although there is a map in the back of the zoo guide book (Zooführer) which will set you back €4. If you don’t want to shell out for a book there are maps located at regular intervals around the zoo and it is fairly easy to navigate or you can download a plan of the zoo from their website.

Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten

Kunst und Trödel Märkte

Arkaden am Potsdamer Platz

www.berliner-troedelmarkt.de. Strasse des 17 Juni. Tel: +49 3 026 550 096. S-Bahn: Tiergarten. SatSun 10am-5pm

www.potsdamer-platz-arkaden.de Alte Potsdamer Straße 7. U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz. Tel: +49 3025 59270. Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10am–9pm.

The Trödelmarkt and neighbouring Kunst und Kunsthandwerkmarkt are bustling, busy Berlin weekend markets that offer an interesting and distinctive experience. They boast unique artifacts and clothing and there are great bargains to be had, especially if you’re ready to haggle.

For the mainstream shopping experience, head to Arkaden. Situated in the heart of the bustling Potsdamer Platz, this three-storey complex epitomises what this oncehistoric site now has to offer. The commercial shopping mall houses European fashion favourites such as Mango, H&M and

At the Trödelmarkt, amidst the muddle of second-hand and vintage clothing and jewellery, antique furniture and silverware, old paintings, collector’s coins and used records and books, there is sure to be something that catches your eye. The Kunst und Kunsthandwerkmarkt is located just through the Charlottenburg Gate and across the Landswehrkanal from the Trödelmarkt. Here local artists and designers display and sell their work including jewellery, wooden toys, ceramics, paintings and clothing. The selection ranges from gaudy to tasteful but all items are certainly original.

Zara as well as Tommy Hilfiger and Swarovski for the high-end shoppers. While including internationally renowned stores and commonplace establishments like McDonalds and Starbucks, Arkaden does incorporate a moderate selection of German gems. Take a look in Bree for a selection of Berlin-made leather handbags or try Sergio Engel for locally produced jewellery.

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Arts & Culture Rowing in the Tiergarten Lichtenstein 2. U-Bahn: Tiergarten/Zoological. Tel:30 25 44 930. The lake in the Tiergarten is the perfect place to relax. On the grassy shores of Neuer See are relaxing deck chairs where you can take a nap, or enjoy a beer from the nearby beer garden (see page). For those looking for a bit of fun, you can also rent rowboats and go exploring. On jumping into the boats, it doesn’t seem like you have far to go. Although the late isn’t huge, there are many little passageways that adventurers can paddle through and explore. Watch out for fish, ducks, and the rare turtle. The odd collision with another boat is always a possibility. Prices for the boats start at €5 for 30minutes and €10 for 60minutes. Up to five people can fit in the boat and life vests are provided if needed. The rental is inexpensive for budgeting travellers who have a few friends to share the boat with.

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English Garden Lichtenstein 2. U-Bahn: Tiergarten/ Zoological. Tel:30 25 44 930. Price: €5-15. Charm and atmosphere surround this quaint little beer garden nestled in the north-west corner of the Tiergarten. Seamlessly blending in with the surrounding green areas the English Garden remains one of the hidden gems in the massive park. This particular stop can prove a bit challenging to find due to its size and unpretentious demeanour, however a little navigating and exploring will yield a highly enjoyable experience. Sitting in the shade of a thatched-roof cottage, it’s not difficult to see why the beer garden has been granted its moniker. Echoing scenes of English countryside, this establishment provides a well needed break from the hustle and bustle of Berlin outside the Tiergarten boundaries. Look for the English Garden on a weekday and you could easily miss it. Look for it on a weekend, and all you need to do is follow the jazz music. Every weekend the English Garden is host to a slew of jazz ensembles which draw a large crowd to the otherwise calm watering hole.

Food & Drink

Music played until sunset combined with the beautiful urroundings makes this place an inevitable stop on a weekend Tiergarten stroll. Fairly priced drinks ranges from €2 to €4. Food starts from €4 with their menu (although slightly limited in hot foods) provides an extensive icecream and milkshake list. On the weekends, during jazz concerts the English Garden also opens additional food stands serving up, Thai, Turkish and other world cuisines.

Cafe an Neuen See Lichtenstein 2. U-Bahn: Tiergarten/ Zoological. Tel:30 25 44 930. Price: €5-15. Set in the lovely Tiergarten this beer garden tops the list. Cold beer, good food and a magical atmosphere awaits your visit. Close to the Zoo, and hidden in the trees, you can rent boats and row around the lake or take over some deckchairs on the grass. Dinner will set you back around 10€. Grab eine Maß (a pint of beer) and fresh leberkäse (a baked loaf of finely ground corned beef, pork and onions) with potato salad, snuggle onto one of the communal tables – don’t be shy, and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere with some friends.

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Food & Drink Let’s be honest... Potsdammer Platz is expensive, touristy and lacking in quality when it comes to food and drink. You would be much better hopping on the U -Bahn and going elsewhere. If you absolutely must dine here, listed below are a few places you could try. If they don’t tempt you numerous generic restaurants and bars can be found in the Sony centre.

Weilands Wellfood www.weilands-wellfood.de Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1 U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz Tel: 30 25899717 If feeling a bit bloated after too much beer and bratwurst, head to this wholesome self-service buffet. Satisfying the most health conscious consumers, benefit from salads, stir-fries and whole-wheat pasta dishes. Reasonably priced averaging 6€ for a large salad. Be warned that flavours may differ from what’s advertised. Free WiFi available.

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Billy Wilders www.billywilders.de Potsdamer Straße 2 U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz Tel: 030-26 55 48 60 Much like its namesake, Billy Wilder’s offers something a little different from its contemporaries. Surrounded on all fronts by corporate brands and identikit bars, this bar is a pocket of character in an otherwise bland area. Presided over by a large portrait of the acclaimed director, responsible for the classic Some Like It Hot, sitting around the curved bar drinking tall drinks whilst admiring the sleek art deco interior is glamorous nostalgia, all the more emphatic in its contrast to the concrete jungle outside its doors. Just a lift ride away from the Museum of Cinema, there is no more fitting way to reflect on the golden age of Hollywood. They say they don’t make like they used to; well, in this case they do. Prices are however indicative of the area so best to get there during happy hour.

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Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten

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Freidrichshain

Information An up and coming neighbourhood in East Berlin, Friedrichshain offers travellers a look into Berlin’s vibrant bar, café, club, and restaurant culture. The neighbourhood boasts an extensive nightlife where travellers can bar-hop on Simon-Dach-Strasse, enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the beach bars on the Spree, experience the underground punk scene, or have a sleepless weekend gyrating on a dance floor until Sunday afternoon. Friedrichshain is unmistakeably a neighbourhood of the East with Socialist architecture and its grand boulevard aptly named Karl-MarxAllee, formerly Stalinallee. The East Side Gallery is the star tourist attraction of this district. It is the longest intact part of the Berlin Wall, with many murals created by known and unknown artists alike. Gentrification is quickly closing in on this eccentric neighbourhood. The O2 World Arena recently opened and there are plans to continue developing and do away with many of the quirks like its famed beach bars, which make this neighbourhood tick. Hopefully, the area will survive this demolition and continue to flourish under Berlin’s counter culture.

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Freidrichshain

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Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture East Side Gallery w w w. e a s t s i d e g a l l e r y. c o m . Muhlenstrasse. S-Bahn: Ostbahnhof/ Warschauer Strasse. Free Admission. Located in an area where sightseeing is all but void this 1.3km long stretch of the former Berlin Wall is now home to murals created by 118 artists around the world. Opening as a gallery in 1990 the section is a celebration of the fall of the wall and a symbol of freedom and expression. It is also the longest remaining section of this concrete divider left in Berlin.

by Dmitry Vruhel in 1990, which portrays communist leaders Erich Honecker and Leonid Breznev locked in a passionate embrace. Another iconic mural by Bergit Kinder boldly illustrates an East German Trabant bursting through the Wall in a symbolic representation of a failed escape attempt. A visit to the sight before the final section is repainted allows the visitor the form their own opinion on which best represents freedom and expression.

Upon approaching this outdoor gallery the €2.2 million restoration process taking place is evident. Freshly reconditioned murals shine out beside the rawness of original sections scarred by weathering and often less artistic graffiti. The gallery is now being renovated in stages in preparation for the 20th anniversary of the reunification of Berlin. Controversy surrounds this ‘clean up’ process as only 80% of the original artists were able to be contacted to restore their own pieces. Famous murals which have been replicated without the artists’ permission include “God help me to survive this deadly love”,

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Food & Drink Qrazy:Ling’s www.qrazylings.com. Tram: M13 Wuhlischstrasse. Tel: +49 3 029 493 157. Mon-Thu 4pm-12am, Fri 4pmlate, Sat-Sun 1pm-late. Cost: €5 to €9. The strikingly colourful graffiti façade of Qrazy:Ling’s may not scream out authentic Vietnamese cuisine, but on entrance you’ll find an intricate hand-made décor and an impressive menu of mouth-watering delights.

Food & Drink Vietnamese food is all about fresh ingredients and fragrant aromas and Qrazy:Ling’s food certainly embraces this tradition. Whether you go for the traditional simple-yet-tasty noodle soup Pho or the rice noodles with deliciously marinated beef Bun Bo Hue, you will be surprised at how much flavour one mouthful can deliver. The main meals are generously portioned with affordable prices so you won’t go home feeling hungry at the slightest.

Qrazy:Ling’s is actually connected via an arch to art store Quality Lovers which explains why this traditional Vietnamese restaurant has such a quirky modern feel and a relaxed atmosphere to match. Service can be slow with big groups, but for Ling’s utterly delectable food, it is definitely worth the wait.

Cayetanom Mediterranean Restaurant Simon-Dach-Strasse 14. U-Bahn: Frankurter Tor. Tel: +49 3 054 730 042. Price: €5-10.

fare. Intimidating in size and lavishly doused with tangy feta and balsamic, the salads are perfect for lunch and not to be missed in the evening is the filling spätzle dishes: small potato dumplings smothered with fresh herbs and dotted with mushrooms, carrots and chicken. Vegetarian options are also available. Whether it’s for a fueling breakfast, a quick lunch break or a relaxing dinner, Cayetano offers it all in the way of a smiling staff, filling food and a soothing setting. If you’re in the area on Sunday, Cayetano also offers an all-you-caneat brunch on Sundays from 10am3pm.

Settled in amongst trendy shops, ice-cream parlors and cobblestone pathways, Cayetano is perfectly located for a mid-day sustenance break. A number of outdoor tables provide a cool, shaded atmosphere for eating, drinking and peoplewatching and the servers are courteous and hospitable. The portions are generous and come with a fresh side salad as well as soft, white bread. The diner can choose between a number of items, ranging from American-style burgers, Italian pasta dishes and typical German

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Food & Drink Don Sushi and Cocktail Bar www.don-restaurant.de. U-Bahn: Frankfurter Tor or Samariterstrasse. Niederbarnimstrasse 12. Tel: +49 3 021 237 935. Mon-Fri 4pm-12am, Sat-Sun 5pm-12am. Price: €1-10. Situated on a busy street bursting with worldwide cuisines at every turn, Don is the place to be for deliciously fresh sushi and fantastic cocktails. Don Sushi offers a daily happy hour of up to 50% off selected dishes from 4pm till midnight. With maki’s starting from €1.50 to €4 per dish, it’s a great way of trying the large range of sushi they have on offer. You can even watch the sushi chef at work as he makes your sushi, which adds a personal touch, and you can be guaranteed that the fish is fresh! Although the portions are slightly on the small side the reduced price that you pay means you are getting your money’s worth, rather than being overcharged for normal prices. Sushi is usually associated with sake and green tea, so it may seem odd that Don Sushi offers a variety of cocktails alongside its sushi menu. Starting from €4 per glass, they are refreshing little treats at the end of

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Food & Drink a long day or alternatively the start of a long night of exploring the city. A handy tip: there is only one sushi chef so it is recommended to go in smaller groups to avoid a long wait, as all orders for the same table arrive together.

Cafe Sibylle Karl Marx Strasse 72. U-Bahn: Weberwiese or Strausberger Platz. Mon-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 12pm-8pm. Price: €0-5. With a unique history spanning back to the Stalin-era, Cafe Sibylle, originally Milchtrinkhalle, doubles as both a cafe, and a communist museum.

wait, but it does provide a great view of the expansive Karl-Marx Allee. This historical street, renamed after Stalin was removed from power, was where East Berliners used to watch the tanks roll by during the annual military parades. With some coffee, cake, and communism, this is an enjoyable way to learn about an important piece of German history.

The cafe offers an assortment of freshly baked cakes, ice-cream, sandwiches, as well as a great selection of cocktails, and nonalcoholic drinks. While waiting for your order, you are free to walk around, and look at their collection of Eastern Germany-era artifacts. Cafe Sibylle offers both indoor and outdoor seating. This unusual, half-furnished cafe does a great job meshing together modern art with its utilitarian past. Behind the brightly colored statues and paintings, it is still possible to see the bland colourless walls from its GDR days. With rhythmic jazz music in the background and their eclectic décor, indoors is a great place to sit and chat, or to get some work done. Outdoor seating might require a

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Nightlife Lebowski’s www.kneipe-lebowski.de. Niederbarnimstrasse 23. U-Bahn: Samaritastrasse. Tel: +49 1 733 561 828. Mon-Sun: 6pm-late.Price: €2-5. An upside down bowling alley peering down on patrons as they happily sip away at their white Russians sets the scene for this Friedrichshain institution. Lebowski’s, a bar based around the cult movie The Big Lebowski, attracts a vast array of colourful characters, most of which have taken the movie’s main character, The Dude, as a style icon, donning trench coats, long hair and even longer unkempt beards. Lebowski’s manages to avoid the common corny and trite pitfalls that other themed bars tend to suffer from. Managing to perfectly strike a balance between paying tribute to the cult movie while maintaining the charm and charisma of the Berlin dive bar scene, this watering hole serves up heaps of personality. Wooden columns and secluded nooks provide an intimate and fun atmosphere for a relaxed drink or an absinth-soaked night of craziness.

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Nightlife The walls are covered with effigies of actors Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, portraying their characters in the movie and during themed nights the movie is played repeatedly on screens throughout the bar; walk into the restrooms of this weird and wonderful bar and you can hear The Big Lebowski through the loudspeakers dubbed into German. This drinking establishment has certainly been built by fans of the movie for fans of the movie. As such, no fan should leave without having a White Russian, The Dude’s favourite drink. White Russians will run at €4.90 while draught beer runs at under €3.

Cassiopeia www.cassiopeia-berlin.de. Revaler Straße 99. S-Bahn/U-Bahn: Warshauer Straße. Tel: +49 304 738 594. Entry: €4-8. Along Friedrichshain’s infamous Simon-Dach-Straße you can find a vast array of bars but for something a bit different head towards Revaler Straße to stumble across the underworld that is Cassiopeia. There are two club floors that host a wide range of musicians and djs from a local standard right up to internationally renowned acts. Open every night of the week except Mondays you can enjoy hip-hop, funk, rock, hardcore, electro, reggae, drum n bass and much more but be sure to check on their website to find out what’s on. Set in over 4,000m² of old factory halls there is plenty of space to let yourself go and soak up the unique experience that this place has to offer. Once inside the compound there is a great feeling of separation from the outside world due to the high factory walls and towering trees but you are given an enormous sense of freedom by the sheer vastness of it all.

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Nightlife

Nightlife

Astro

Kptn A. Müller

Simon-Dach-Strasse 40. S-Bahn/UBahn Warshauer Straße. Tel: +49 3 029 661 615.

www.kptn.de. Simon-Dach-Strasse 32. S-Bahn/U-Bahn: Warshauer Straße. Mon-Sun from 6pm.Drinks €0-4.

This sci-fi themed bar is always an excellent place to start or finish the night. It’s often guaranteed to attract a fairly young crowd including a number of tourists and with the intimacy of the place it’s great for meeting new people from all walks of life. Hanging from the ceiling are robots and behind the bar is made to look like the control panel of a space shuttle. Go through to the back room and they even have the game Asteroids playing behind glass panels. Aside from the space adventure the drinks are reasonably priced and the bar staff are often very friendly. There are a wide range of cocktails which are all large and very strong highly recommended is the caipirinha for €5. There is always good music playing from electro to punk to reggae and on weekends there are live DJ sets. Granted there is no room to dance but foot tapping and moderate hip movements are encouraged.

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There is one reason you have to visit this bar – the drinks are cheap, cheap, cheap! Although the mismatched decor might be as well, it just adds to the atmosphere and at €1.50 for half a litre of Sternburg who’s complaining? It’s not just the beer either, cocktails are mostly available at around €3.50 and they are not shy of alcohol either. Basically your first €10 will get you a long way. The only downside is that it can be a little cramped and the outside seating and tables are packed away at about 11.30pm. However this should not deter, if all the seats are taken you can stand up and play table football in the back room.

Internationales Berliner Bierfestival www.bierfestival-berlin.de. KarlMarx-Allee. U-Bahn: Franfurter Tor or Strausberger Platz. First weekend of August. Free admittance. On the first weekend of every August Karl-Marx-Allee is transformed into what has been dubbed as ‘the longest beer garden in the world’. Running from Frankfurter Tor to Strausberger Platz, the Berlin ‘Beer Mile’ encapsulates over 700,000 guests sampling 1800 varieties of beer from around the world.

mishmash of unique architecture, novelty hats and quirky waitresses make this event well worth a visit. However be aware of a change in atmosphere after dark as the relaxed environment is often disrupted by those who have had one too many in the sun.

The International Beer Festival is a vibrant blend of entertainment, eating, drinking and a great place to catch a glimpse of Berliners at play. Attracting a mix of young, old, tourists and locals alike the crowd is as diverse as the choice of beers. An assortment of live music keeps the slow moving crowd entertained as they amble through. Taster mugs, available on entry for €3.50, are a convenient way of sampling the vast range of beer on offer. Also be sure to stop at one of the reasonably priced food stalls for a beer-complimenting snack such as currywurst or potato salad. A

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Accommodation Eastern Boat

Comfort

Hostel

www.easterncomfort.com. Mühlen Strasse 73-77. S-Bahn/UBahn/Tram: Warschauer Str. Tel: + 49 3 066 763 806. Reception 8am12am. Prices: 1st class cabins: €64-78 Second class: 4 bed cabin for €19 Dorms: cost €16pp Camping costs €12pp For those looking for a bit of adventure on the open seas, or in this case the open Spree, the Eastern Comfort Hostelboat is ideal. Straddling two up-and-coming neighbourhoods, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, the boat is docked in the ideal location. The hostel itself has kept its original design and offers first- and second-class cabins on the upper and lower decks of the ship. First class is on the upper deck, and includes private rooms with their own bathrooms and views of the East Side Gallery or the Spree River. The lower deck is for aspiring sailors with a tight budget. The rooms are

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Accommodation dorm style complete with their own bathrooms and portholes overlooking the river. There is also an option for campers, who can set up tents on the back of the boat. The floating lounge on the top deck is a must see. * * * * * * *

Internet available Free wi-fi Breakfast €4 Bedding €5/byo No curfew Bicycle-hire Laundry service

Ostel - Das GDR Design Hostel www.ostel.eu. Wriezener Karree 5. S-Bahn: Ostbahnhof. Tel: +49 3 025 768 660. Prices: Dorm room: €9 Single room: €33 Double room: €54

metres from the Ostbahnhof station, which is just a few stops away from Alexanderplatz and the rest of Mitte. * Breakfast €4.50 * Bike rental * Wi-fi

Feeling a bit Ostalgic and want to re-live the days of the GDR before the wall fell? Then the Ostel Hostel is an excellent choice. The hostel has embraced the idea of Ostalgie, the feeling of nostalgia for life in the former GDR, which is still present in Berliner society today. Each room had been decorated to emulate the GDR lifestyle, complete with typical GDR household items, such as patterned wallpaper, mod lamps, and shag carpeting. The hostel is not the most social hostel since rooms are spread out between a series of apartment buildings, but each room is immaculately clean and has its own bathroom and a balcony. The staff are very friendly and helpful and always willing to answer questions. The hostel is located a few

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Kreuzberg

Information Kreuzberg is Berlin’s bastion of counterculture, famous for its punks, squatters, alternative art scene and May Day riots. The Eastern section, from Kottbusser Tor to the Spree River, is the grittiest, and the place where the squat scene developed during the Cold War. The area remains Berlin’s centre of alternative politics and nightlife, with a profusion of riverside bars and clubs. Oranienstraβe is one of the main streets, and Wiener Straβe, Skalitzer Straβe and Schlesische Straβe are also good for nightlife and cheap eateries. Along with its bohemian residents, Kreuzberg is home to Berlin’s largest Turkish community, with one in three residents of Turkish origin. Immigrant ‘guest workers’ were invited to Berlin after cheap East German labour was made unavailable when the wall went up. It was in Kreuzberg that Turkish-born Mahmut Aygun invented the doner kebab. His restaurant, Hasir, still stands close to Kottbusser Tor. The area teems with kebab shops, and every Tuesday and Friday a Turkish market spills out along the river at the Maybachufer. The area to the West of Kottbusser Tor is slightly more upmarket.

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Kreuzberg

Mehringdamm, Bergmannstraβe and the streets around Viktoriapark are some of the liveliest for shops and cafes. The more conventional tourist attractions are also in the West, and include the Jewish Museum and Checkpoint Charlie.

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Arts & Culture Berlinische Galerie (Berlin Gallery) Alte Jakobstrasse 124-128. U-Bahn: Kochstrasse or Bus 129. Tel: 78 90 26 00. Wed-Mon 10am – 6pm. €0-8. A vivid yellow field of seemingly jumbled letters initially lures the eye at the entrance of the Berlinische Galerie: Berlin’s Museum of Modern Art, Photography, and Architecture. Inside the gallery almost overflows with themes including the secessionists, Fluxus, Dada, New Objectivity, Jungen Wilden group, Russians in Berlin and the avante garde. Originally a private institution situated in the Martin-Gropius Bau, the gallery relocated to its new location in 2004, designed by Huhn Malvessi, and has flourished into an excellent national gallery with an international reputation. The industrial hall holds many temporary exhibitions to accompany its permanent one, as well as lectures, archives, a library, movies and music.

Arts & Culture Anhalter Bahnhof Askanisher Platz Anhalter Bahnhof.

6-7.

S-Bahn:

For a fragmentary glimpse of one of the greatest structural triumphs of Berlin, Anhalter Bahnhof is an essential place to pay a visit. Today you are faced only with its imposing façade on Askanischer Platz. Yet it is the station’s strong visual presence and its history that should inspire you to visit.

100 people at a time. Nearly 10,000 victims were deported by means of this station to await their fate. Bombing in the Second World War partially ruined the Bahnhof. After falling into decay and disrepair, it was sadly demolished in 1961, leaving only its present remnants. First built in 1839, in the relatively early days of locomotives, the train station was modest in size and

appearance. The 19th century, the age of mass industry, cried for a greater demand for passenger and freight trains. These demands were before long answered and in 1875 the architect Franz Schwechten (who also designed Kaiser William Memorial Church) received the task of enlarging the station. Considered a masterpiece of railroad station construction in its day, Anhalter

Alongside the architectural and technological grandeur of the station, lies the horrific role that it played in holocaust history. In total, the Bahnhof sent out 116 deportation convoys, usually consisting of 50 or

First Monday of the month has the cheapest entry at only €2. There is also reduced admission with a ticket from the Jewish Museum on the day of visit and the next two days.

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Arts & Culture Bahnhof was the “Gateway to the South” for Berliners.

Jüdisches Museum (Jewish Museum) www.jmberlin.de. Lindenstraβe 9 – 14. U-Bahn: Hallesches Tor. Tel: +49 3 025 993 300. Mon 10am - 10pm, Tues-Sun 10am – 8pm. Admission: €2.50-€5. Since its inauguration in 2001, the Jüdisches Museum has attracted over 350,000 visitors. Thousands came even before the museum was fully open to marvel at Libeskind’s bold and innovative architecture. The museum’s alien appearance demands attention, and it is worthwhile to take a moment before entering to stop and appreciate this. The museum’s exterior, an angular external structure, resembles a thundering lightning bolt, possibly representing a deconstructed Star of David. Its modern metallic facing is at odds with the baroque facade of the Kollegienhaus, once an administrative building to the Court of Justice in the 18th Century. This now serves as the entrance to the Jewish Museum, and connects to the Libeskind building via a black slate staircase which leads you to the

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Arts & Culture main exhibition space. Upon descending the stairs, you are presented with a path system of connecting axes, symbolising three realities in the history of German Jews. The Axis of Emigration details the Jewish Diaspora of the 1930s, eventually leading outside to the Garden of Exile. The slanting floors and narrowing walls channel the visitor along the corridor, until you open the heavy iron door to step outside into the disorientating and confusing maze of concrete pillars. In comparison, The Axis of the Holocaust is a dead end. It exhibits personal items of Holocaust victims, such as letters and photographs, and terminates at the end of the passage with the commemorative Holocaust Tower. The Axis of Continuity connects the Old Building with the main staircase, which leads up to the vast permanent exhibition on the second floor. Be sure to stop half-way up the main staircase and explore Kadishman’s abstract sculpture, Salechet (Fallen Leaves), dedicated to victims of war and violence. The cavernous hall is filled with 10,000 iron faces, a look of open-mouth terror hacked into each one. Strewn across the floor, the faces clank together as

people walk though the room, shattering the silence. At the top of the staircase the permanent exhibition begins, showcasing 2000 years of Jewish history and culture in Germany. Whilst their struggle for integration is well-documented, it is their achievements that are the focus of the exhibition. The museum uses artwork, photographs, letters and biographies of both ordinary Jewish people and prominent historical figures, to fully illustrate the impact Jewish people had on society. The central theme of the museum is the enormous contribution the Jewish population makes to Western culture, and they are presented as a race alive with intellect, creativity, perseverance and strength of faith. The Jüdisches Museum is an example of an architect wanting visitors to approach the museum with willingness to engage with his work and create an emotional link between people and exhibits. The museum is completely out of the ordinary, and an utterly

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Arts & Culture Alternative Living Berlin’s alternative scene is vast and runs deep within the city’s districts. From the peculiar cabaret to the scene of punks that frequently doze on the lawn at Warshauer Strasse, ‘Alternative’ is a strong and growing culture here. For many the attraction of the underground scene is its secretive and elusive nature. The remarkable old squats along the river at Köpenickerstrasse prefer to remain tourist free – utmost respect must be practiced at all times if a visit is made, after all it is somebody’s home - and those who are in the know, often like to keep it top secret. This helps to maintain the immensely mysterious air to the scene. The glowing history of Berlin’s squat scene and the acquisition of such buildings often follow a similar story. The fall of the Berlin Wall saw a swarm of people move from east to west which left many buildings in the east uninhabited. These began to be snapped up either by artists who desired such spaces for their work, or by those who disliked the capitalist culture of the west. Thus the squatting culture in East Berlin was born. The artistic and political aspects still remain and may be seen

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Arts & Culture in the large-scale graffiti art or the anarchical symbol ‘A’ scrawled on flags and buildings. Although Kreuzberg now resembles the - graffiti-covered - cloak of eastern districts, it was actually located in West Berlin. Being surrounded by the wall on three sides and a stone’s throw from East Berlin, it was deemed an undesirable location to live, although very cheap. The low costs attracted a population of students, immigrants and artists, subsequently turning

Kreuzberg into an important hub of multicultural, artistic and intellectual development. After the fall of the wall the migration of artists to eastern Berlin allowed Kreuzberg to flourish into the vivacious district that it is now known to be. Kreuzberg’s pulsating, and often rather quirky, nightlife means that getting lost is often an exciting venture and can be rewarded by a great find. Despite this, orientating oneself in Berlin can also be quite a struggle at times and although the prospect of traipsing the tourist sites of the city with a large group isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, tours are a great way to become familiar with certain areas. An Alternative Tour is a great introduction to Berlin’s underground scene as it offers an historical overview of the numerous squats and street graffiti art. There are a few companies that run them on a daily basis (Alternative Berlin and New Berlin). Many squats are now categorised as housing projects as they have contractual agreements

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Arts & Culture and pay (a very minimal) rent. They run local community projects offering, among other things: Kino cinema screenings; Voku - low priced food; and a range of workshops to disadvantaged people in Berlin. There are art galleries and poetry readings in others. The Raw-Tempel in Friedrichain is a great place to get a feel for the community-minded mentality that runs through much of the underground scene in Berlin. There are around 60 different projects running there ranging from night clubs to circus schools. A huge and impressive skate park has been built and acts as a centre piece for the old squat. Residents allow the public an opportunity to wander through, grab a coffee, take pictures of the graffiti and truly participate in the projects they run or the parties they throw. So take a stroll or get a bike and explore the streets of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain to see what you can find.

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The Alternative Tour www.alternativeberlin.com. Tel: +49 1 628 198 264. Meets every day at 11am and 1pm, outside Starbucks, under the TV tower at Alexanderplatz. The Alternative Tour was a great way to see a whole different side to Berlin. The first thing to remember is the difference between tagging and art, although Berlin has a lot of both. The laws here don’t require building owners to remove graffiti, and as it is such an expensive process, many just don’t bother. Because of this, Berlin’s street art is forever changing. An informative guide takes you all around the city, through some of Mitte’s back streets, past the Raw Temple in Friedrichshain, and especially around Kreuzberg. Some artists are well-known, such as El Bacho; and characters such as Little Lucy. After the tour you will see a whole new Berlin, and constantly be on the lookout for particular artists.

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Arts & Culture

Deutsches Technikmuseum

railways to filmography.

Schwules Museum

www.sdtb.de. Trebbiner Strasse 9. U-Bahn: Möckernbrücke. Telephone: +49 30 90 254 275. Tue-Fri 9am5.30pm, Sat-Sun 10-18 hours, closed Mon. Price: € €2.50-4.50.

Formally one of Berlin’s industrial sites dating back to 1874, which is easily noticeable in the buildings architecture, it has become one of Berlin’s most appealing museums.

w w w. s c h w u l e s m u s e u m . d e . Mehringdamm 61. U-Bahn: Mehringdamm. Tel: +49 30 6931172. Open 2-6pm Mon, Wed-Thurs. Admission €5, concessions €3.

The German Technical Museum offers a cultural history of Germany’s industrial technology. Don’t be fooled by the title because this museum offers interest in many different areas extending from

The layout comprises of eight different sections, each is astounding and unpredictable. From walking through the textile and papermaking machinery visitors come face to face with life-size ships and planes, some planes dating as far

The only museum in the world dedicated to the homosexual lifestyle, this little museum plays a big part in chronicling nearly two centuries of Gay history and social change. The museum houses a remarkable collection of photos, paintings and other assorted art work about Gay life in Germany.

back as 1918. From there you go on to the rail sheds, with some of the first trains on show. The next building leads you through to photo technology, the science centre and the Vintage Car Depot. This is a massive insight into how beneficial the industrial revolution was to Germany and there are plenty of hands-on activities to take part in. Why not climb aboard the ships or step under giant locomotives, watch an old fashioned picture film or discover the art of brewing? And to finish the tour off visitors can walk outside into the Museum Park where there are windmills and the water tower.

The Deutsches Technikmuseum.

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There’s something for everyone and, in Berlin museum style, there are many visitor activities and guided tours making the visit that much more impressive and extraordinary.

Tracing the gradual acceptance of the homosexual existence with its many trials and tribulations in Europe, there is a big focus on Berlin during the World Wars. The ground floor allows for temporary exhibits, presenting the work of famous Gay Germans such as Herbert List and other local Gay artists. Comprehensive and informative guides are available in many languages to assist in your visit and the volunteer staff are both helpful and friendly.

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Arts & Culture Exploring an Sculpture Garden

Urban

U-Bahn: Schlesisches Tor. Berlin, famously described as ‘poor but sexy,’ is undeniably rich in public art. From the iconic ‘Molecule Man’ sculpture to the provocative work of street artists such as Alias and El Bocho, art is impossible to avoid in this city. Visitors are sure to encounter plenty of impressive work even if they never set foot in a museum. One of Berlin’s most compelling examples of public art is the Menschenlandschaft, a diverse collection of sculpture that sprawls from a leafy pocket park near Schlesisches Tor station toward the River Spree. Don’t expect to find much respite here from the grit and gristle of Kreuzberg – this sculpture garden is unabashedly urban. In fact, to walk the length of this ‘human landscape,’ which features work by seven different sculptors, visitors

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Arts & Culture must cross two busy streets and pass under the U-Bahn tracks. The experience of visiting the Menschenlandschaft is punctuated by urban noise – trains thundering above and traffic roaring nearby. But instead of being an unwelcome distraction, this setting actually enhances the meaning of the work. The sculpture garden was commissioned to address the immigrant experience in Kreuzberg, a neighbourhood which has absorbed an enormous immigrant population, while more recently struggling with the growing pains of gentrification. The placement of these art pieces, in the ‘leftover’ space surrounding a major transit hub, encourages the viewer to consider the extent to which immigrants are integrated into – or isolated from – the social and economic fabric of the city. Walking east along Schlesisches Strasse, look for two voluptuous

bronze nudes reclining in the traffic median. Follow the concrete footpath across the street toward the garden’s centrepiece, Turkish sculptor Mehmet Aksoy’s 1987 work Arbeitsmigration. Emerging from the grass like alabaster totems, Aksoy’s sculpture conveys stylized and sometimes disturbing human forms: dislocated body parts, isolated figures, and huddled masses striving to ‘escape’ from the marble. Continuing across the street toward the river, look for several more works of sculpture scattered throughout the park. Perhaps the most distinctive is Rudolf Valenta’s ‘Line Space,’ a stainless steel structure which resembles an enormous bent paper clip. At the end of this sculpture safari on the south bank of the Spree, sightseers are rewarded with a perfect view of the magnificent Oberbaumbrücke.

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Shopping NGBK www.ngbk.de. Oranienstraβe 25. U-Bahn: Görlitzer Banhnhof. Tel: +49 306 165 130. Mon-Fri 12pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-8pm. Wander the streets of Kreuzberg and you are likely to stumble across many individual art exhibits and bookstores; visit NGBK and you will experience a unique combination of both. The NGBK bookstore is well-stocked in a number of genres, particularly the Arts, with many titles available in English. Berlin receives special attention with a vast selection of books covering all aspects of the city. The relaxed and open atmosphere encourages those browsing to pick a stool and read at leisure. To the rear of the store, free entry to the

Shopping adjacent NGBK exhibition space awaits. Here, through the medium of visual art, questions and issues of social importance are depicted and explored. Exhibits change throughout the year and are often supplemented by discussions, lectures and other events. Upcoming exhibits in 2009-2010 include: Shared. Divided. United, which aims to draw comparison between the divisive experiences of Germany and Korea; and Amerikana, documenting the mythology of US society and the response of US artists to such myths. The NGBK bookstore alone warrants a visit, but time things correctly and you may be fortunate enough to inject some art into your shopping trip.

Box Off Berlin w w w. b o x o f f b e r l i n . d e . Zimmerstraβe 11. U-Bahn: Kochstraβe. Tel: +49 (0) 30 44 70 15 55. Daily from 10.30am. Sidle away from the tacky tourist shops surrounding Checkpoint Charlie and discover a refreshingly different approach to souvenir shopping. Box Off Berlin offers a variety of quality souvenirs created by local designers. Think more cutting-edge design, less souvenir shot glass. Treat yourself to a fashionable Berlin print, a unique tote or a glossy hardback on Berlin street art. Fair trade and environmentalism are key concepts, so enjoy a fair trade coffee from the coffee bar as you browse the store and its compact contemporary art gallery. Prices and products are wide ranging and generally reflect the high quality and design of each item. For those on a tight budget, key rings and pens are reasonably priced at under €5.

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Fair trade, unique, souvenirs from BoxOff

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Food & Drink

Food & Drink

Modern Graphics

that’s being served.

Hakata sushi restaurant

Belegschaft

w w w. m o d e r n - g r a p h i c s . d e . Oranienstrasse 22. U-Bahn: Görlitzer Bahnhof. or Kottbusser Tor. Tel: +49 6 158 810. Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm.

Staying in the constantly long line at Mustafa’s is certainly worth the wait as it serves very possibly the best kebabs in Berlin.

Oranienstrasse. U-Bahn: Görlitzer bahnhof or Kottbusser Tor. Closed Mondays. Price: €0-5.

This shop is a haven for any fan of graphic novels, comics or other cult merchandise. It contains a huge selection of each with a more than reasonably-sized section dedicated to novels in the English language.

The choice at Mustafa’s is very simple: a kebab; dürüm kebab (in a wrap); a vegetarian or a vegetarian dürüm. All of the choices include deep-fried vegetables, an amazing selection of salad and best of all crumbled cheese to top it off. The meat kebabs include sliced chicken döner from the large rotating spit.

w w w. d i e b e l e g s c h a f t . d e . Zimmerstraβe 23. U-Bahn: Kochstaβe. Tel: +49 3 066 403 254 Mon-Fri 7:30am -6pm, Sat 8:30am7pm, Sun: 9:30 – 6:00pm. Price: €38.

The staff are helpful, knowledgeable and, most importantly, incredibly enthusiastic about the material they sell.

Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap Mehringdamm 32. U-Bahn: Mehringdamm. Having a several-metre long queue may be normal for a kebab shop at four in the morning on a week night, in an area located next to a street full of pubs and seedy nightclubs, but when there’s a queue that big the whole day long...one wonders what must be so special about the food

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What is perhaps so surprising about Mustafa’s is that it’s little more than a fixed hut on the pavement, which can hardly fit the two men who serve up the food all day long. There is no seating and only a large wooden table to the side where you can stand and eat. This minimalism is all part of Mustafa’s unique charm. To top off the effect, Middle Eastern music blares from the hut all day, so you really feel like you’re getting a full Eastern experience.

This sushi restaurant truly is a must for any fan of Japanese cuisine. It may not visually stand out in comparison with the various other more colourful sushi restaurants in the neighbourhood (and there are several), but what it lacks in visual splendour it more than makes up for in superb taste. Herein lies this establishment’s crowning glory. The orders are taken on notes you write yourself and are served without dialogue. Indeed, you may find that Japanese can prove to be more effective than German if you are blessed with such language skills. The food orders will also take a longtime to finally emerge at your table, which can be almost torturous as you watch it being meticulously made only a few feet away. Fear not, however, for this is small price to pay – along with the pleasingly small bill - for truly authentic and delicious sushi in Kreuzberg. There is a wide range of dishes on offer along with a satisfying number of vegetarian options included in the fray.

Amongst the hustle and bustle surrounding Checkpoint Charlie lies a calm oasis in Belegschaft. This “organic quick food” café features a range of soups, sandwiches and daily specials at reasonable prices. Enjoy your meal in the café’s fresh, modern interior or while people watching outside.

Enjoy the outdoor Belegshaft Cafe.

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Food & Drink Curry 36 www.curry36.de Mehringdamm 36. U-Bahn: Mehringdamm. Tel: +49 302 51 73 68. MonSun 9am-5am. €0-5. A big fat German sausage with curry sprinkled all over, and ketchup on top. One bite and your mouth will sizzle with the contrasting f l a v o u r s . Another bite and you’re hooked on Currywurst. The lines move fast as sausages, fries and drinks are dished out with German efficiency. A delicacy that other places have tried to re-invent, Curry 36 is a family-owned business that began as a food cart and expanded over 30 years into a popular place to go for Currywurst. The food is fresh, the ketchup is homemade, and

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Food & Drink if you can’t get enough of a fix you can even buy the sausages to take home vacuum-packed. You don’t have to ask the customers twice if they enjoy it, standing shoulder to shoulder around tables some wolf their sausages down, while others seems to let the taste linger before forking the next piece. Two Currywurst with fries will set you back €4.30 or 2 Currywurst with a bread roll costs €3.20. A boulette (a German specialty of herbed mince meat, but nicer than a hamburger) with curry costs €1.50.

Rundum Mehrzweckcafe www.cafe-rundum.de. Stresemanstr 37.U-Bahn: Mockernbruke or Halleshes Tor. S-Bahn: Anhalter Bahnhof. Bus M41, M29. Tel: +49 30 53085166. Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, SatSun 10am-8pm. Hidden amongst towering concrete desolate buildings on this quiet street in Kreuzberg, Rundum Mehrzweckercafe is a contemporary, minimalistic yet charming café serving generously sized meals that burst with flavour and freshness.

guarantee you another trip back for more! On a nice summer day you can bask in the sun in the outdoor area or alternatively enjoy your meal

Highly recommended are the daily specials, which are generously portioned for the price, Mountains of pasta at Rundum. with freshly made pasta indoors whilst observing strange with parmesan, walnuts and basil abstract canvases of nature and pesto (fantastic for vegetarians), subtle nudity. Service is friendly and succulent pork and mixed greens or the staff helpful, so whether you a bowl of hearty tomato ginger soup want to enquire about a dish or to as just a few tasty examples. get directions to the nearest station There is also a good selection of they are more than happy to help! baguette fillings and with prices As Rundum say themselves this really starting from €3.90 you will be is the place to “eat, drink, chat, spoilt for choice. The homemade relax and enjoy.” desserts are worth a try, especially the blueberry muffin, which will

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Food & Drink Max und Moritz w w w. m a x u n d m o r i t z b e r l i n . d e . Oranienstraße 162. Tel: +49 3 069 515 911. Open daily from 6pm. Price: €10-15. A welcome break from the predominantly Turkish food found in this part of the city, Max und Moritz provides traditional German cuisine. It is famous for cooking up Berliner dishes in an authentic and relaxing setting. There is an impressive range of these satisfying and hearty dishes. From the traditional, time-honoured Berliner Eisbein, a pickled pig foot with Sauerkraut and potatoes, to Kutscher Gulasch, a richly spiced beef stew served with salad and dumpling noodles. The menu certainly leans more towards the carnivorous in nature however there are also a few vegetarian dishes on offer. Whatever your taste, you will find something

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Nightlife to your liking here. Its generous portions, welcoming atmosphere and wonderful food make this Berlin institution a must. The prices may be a little high for the more budgetconscious traveller with the more expensive dishes running up to €14. However there are less expensive meals of offer from around €8.50 and the setting and atmosphere is worth the little extra. The restaurant can get quite busy at times, a testament to the quality of the food, so phone ahead to reserve a table or go earlier in the evening to avoid disappointment or a lengthy wait.

Badeschiff www.arena-berlin.de. Eichenstraße 4. U-Bahn: Schlesisches Tor. S-Bahn: Treptower Park. Bus 265/N65. Tel: +49 305 332 030.Open from 8am. Admission €3. Drinks: €3-10. Badeschiff is Berlin’s riverside beach and pool where you can hang out in the sand; swim; tan; and wind down some lazy summer days. Located in Eastern Kreuzberg, it is perhaps the most famous of the area’s river venues and also one of the most imaginative. Rather than swimming in the river itself, an option probably both undesirable and dangerous, you can swim and horse-around in a floating pool docked on the river. Badeschiff has a fully stocked bar serving up whatever summer refreshment takes your fancy. Located right next door is a food bar serving up Wursts of various description for when the beers have given you some tipsy munchies. Badeschiff is a must for any summer Berlin trip. Even if you’re just around for a long weekends, this a perfect place to hang out after hitting the museums and before hitting the nightlife…that in-between afternoon time when Berliners take it easy before the nightlife really gets its pace up. Beware, however, spots on this mini piece of Caribbean beach can fill up fast so either get there early or go on a weekday to avoid disappointment.

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Nightlife Kiki Blofeld www.kikiblofeld.de. Köpenicker Straße 48. U- Bahn: Heinrich-Heine. S-Bahn: Ostbahnhof. Tel: +49 1 737 828 286. Kiki Blofeld, daughter and heiress of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the Persian catstroking evil villain and arch-nemesis of James Bond, is the patron of the garden club named in her honour. So the story goes of this bank-side bar and nightclub located on the Spree River. Covered in sand and with plenty of places to hang out, this Kikis really is big, with enough space to fit a lot of minibeach parties. Scattered across the outside area are pool- and ping-pong tables as well as an area for making bonfires. Next to the upstairs bar is a raised lounging area complete with beach chairs. The best part about this place is the downstairs dance floor, the

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Nightlife “boathouse” as it is known, which consists of a platform raised above the river on stilts. The story of this underground den is quite fascinating - it was where the East German police docked their boats when travelling across the river to the West. The platform is a U-shape and the boats would drive into the middle to dock. Instead of GDR police boats, these days a floating inflatable octopus decorates the water.

SchwuZ www.schwuz.de. Mehringdamm 61. U-Bahn: Mehringdamm. Tel: +49 30 6299088. Fri, Sat 11pm-late. €7 entry, €5 before midnight.

Downstairs has a fully stocked bar as well, serving beers for around €3. The music is techno/house, and in true Berlin style the club stays open into the next day on weekends.

Mix it up, mingle with the crowd and dance the night away at SchwuZ. This club is a one-stop nightlife hotspot which welcomes all, located within the Schwulen Zentrum (Gay Centre) in Kreuzberg. Enter via Café Melitta Sundstrom, the destination to chill out with pre-drinks and chat in-between throwing shapes on the dance floor.

The clientele of Kiki Blofeld is very local - few tourists know of it and it isn’t included in many guide books. The vibe is certainly that of the well-kept secret - a hidden paradise complete with an underground lair with sinister past Ernst Blofeld himself would certainly approve.

With three DJ rooms this venue provides clubbers with choice and change without having to venture beyond its very own walls. The variety extends to an eclectic range of themed dance parties hosted throughout the month, ranging from punk to pop, and embracing everything in-between.

Parties rotate so that they become monthly events for the clubbing calendar: nights include L-Tunes, a night for the ladies; Madonnamania, where the name says it all; and listen to disco hits mixed with a retro vibe at Bump! Check their website for more events set to make your body rock. A good night out is P o p k i c k e r, where a mix of pop and sport – fussball and pingpong especially – are thrown in for good measure. The crowd spices up their trendy dress code with a sports theme including football shirts and vest tops. The music in the main DJ room has a familiar feel with the beats of commercial and global pop vibrating their rhythms through your body and soul. Make a calendar date and mix it up at SchwuZ, you won’t be disappointed. Drinks start from €2.80 for a beer.

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Accommodation BaxPax Kreuzberg w w w. b a x p a x - k r e u z b e r g . d e . Skalitzer Strasse 104. U-Bahn: Gölitzer Bahnhof. Tel: +49 3 069 518 322. Prices: Dorm Rooms: €12. Double Room with ensuite: €25 If you like places with character then you’ll love this hostel. BaxPax Kreuzberg has a sociable atmosphere with a bar/cafe area close to reception along with lots of tourist information and advice including previous guests views, suggestions and advice on the ‘word of mouth’ board. The whole hostel is very colourful and all the dorms are large, fullyfurnished and are decorated with

Accommodation a different culture theme giving that added sense of a lively fun atmosphere. There are two huge common areas, shared/private bathrooms and kitchen facilities with a sun terrace.

There are many communal areas throughout as well as the bar and beer garden. There is a relaxing, quiet atmosphere and yet it is close to Kreuzberg’s popular tourist attractions and nightlife.

The hostel is located on the main street Skalitzer Strasse, where there are plenty of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants to suit all tastes. It is also close to Warschauer Strasse, Oranienburger Strasse and many monuments such as the Jüdisches Museum and Checkpoint Charlie.

This hostel has all the essentials for students and backpackers, from free guided city tours to the pool table, TV/DVD and tabletop soccer. The location is walking distance to some of Berlin’s major tourist sights, such as Brandenburger Tor and Checkpoint Charlie, as well as cafes, bars, restaurants and the local supermarket.

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Lockers and safe available Internet access Breakfast buffet for €5.20 Bike hire

3 Little Pigs Hostel w w w. t h r e e - l i t t l e - p i g s . d e . Stresemannstrasse 66. S-Bahn: Anhalter Bahnhof. Tel: +49 3032 662 955. 24-hour reception. Dorms: (low/high season prices) 8 bed: €13/15 6 bed: €14/16 Private double room: €31/32

Cosy and colourful in BaxPax Kreuzberg.

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The friendly staff are enthusiastic to help out with any questions or queries you have on what to do (and not to do) in Berlin plus heaps of tourist leaflets, maps, and popular places on hand at reception.

Everyone knows the story of the Three Little Pigs – how the brick house protected them from the big

bad wolf. This hostel, also made of brick, acts as a sanctuary for travellers everywhere. The 3 Little Pigs is a characteristic art deco building, built in 1910, with lots of old-fashioned features set in the heart of Kreuzberg - one of Berlin’s most popular social districts. The hostel is clean, bright, colourful and tidy throughout and is in great condition for the age of the building.

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Bed linen: €2.50 obligatory Internet access Kitchen Parking Bike rental, €12 per day Breakfast, €5 all you can eat

Meininger Hostel Hallesches Ufer

Berlin

w w w. m e i n i n g e r- h o s t e l s . c o m . Hallesches Ufer 30.U-Bahn:

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Accommodation Hallesches Tor or Möckernbrücke. Tel: +49 3 066 636 100. Prices: Dorm Rooms from 14€ to 25€ Multi-bed room (triple, twin, single) from 26€ to 60€. This newly refurbished hostel is perfect for students who love to party! Meininger Hostels have two hostels in Berlin plus more around Germany and London. One good thing about chain hostels is they tend to meet a certain living standard and this particular hostel certainly meets that. The hostel has recently been refurbished complete with clothes storage space, TV, bathroom, linen and towels. There are more than 300 beds and all rooms are cleaned daily. Female only rooms are available for the same charge as a standard room. Located on the ground floor is the newly refurbished bar complete with pool table, comfy couches, TV and daily discount bar offers. Although downstairs is the party area it is

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Accommodation separated from upstairs, which has a more chilled atmosphere. Located on the top floor is a large breakfast room and outside balcony terrace area where you can see a fantastic

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Breakfast Buffet €4

Riverside Lodge w w w. r i v e r s i d e - l o d g e . d e . Hobrechtstrasse 43. U-Bahn: Sönleinstrasse. Tel: +49 3 069 515 510. Prices: Dorm rooms €21. Double rooms €26.

view of the Kreuzberg area. The hostel is close to cafes and restaurants and for those on a budget €4 Pizza, located round the corner of the hostel, is highly recommended. What’s more the hostel offers free walking tours and is close to the Sony Centre, Deutches Technik Museum and Topography of Terrors. • Laundry €5 • Luggage Storage • Internet and free WIFI

Located in one of the Turkish communities in Berlin, this hostel is in a perfect place for those wanting to stay elsewhere from the city centre and enjoy the cultural Berlin Turkish atmosphere. · Internet €2 for the day · Breakfast for € 4.00. · Complimentary tea and coffee are available at all times.

This little charming hostel is perfect for those who want a place to chill from the busy atmosphere. Travellers are close to the action and can get a good night’s sleep. The hostel, although small, is modern, bright and tidy with plenty of space, even with the giant economy-sized lockers and the funky canoe in the large dorm. This hostel consists of one four-bed dorm, one six-bed dorm and one double room in the hostel plus three double rooms next door, which are apartment style flats. The hostel has all the basics with a kitchen, two bathrooms and it’s near to cafes, restaurants, shops and the huge Turkish market on Maybachufer Straβe every Tuesday and Friday. The markets are definitely worth a visit and there are so many different stalls from traditional Turkish meals and sweets to clothes and jewellery.

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Charlottenburg

Information During the glory days of the GDR, Charlottenburg was a pocket of West Berlin where culture flourished. Surrounded by the Berlin Wall, the area was a protected sanctuary with exceptional nightlife, cafés, cinemas and a strong community of artists, actors, and writers. After the fall of the wall, these creative communities moved East to blossoming Prenzlauerburg and Mitte and as a result Charlottenburg lost its edge. Now this area maintains its former glamour with Kufürstendamm, locally known as Ku’damm, the Champs-Elysées of the East, lined with ritzy department stores and boutiques for the wealthy to splash out whilst on holiday in Berlin. Charlottenburg is ideal for those looking for a bit of quiet in the constant hustle and bustle of a city that never seems to sleep.

is another worthwhile site to check out in Charlottenburg. Heavily bombed during World War II, the church was left as it was and is now an antiwar memorial and a constant reminder of the destruction of the war. The church was constructed in 1895 for Kaiser Wilhelm I, and now tourists can visit the church and view a collection of photographs and an explanation of the church’s history. Many museums are also located in Charlottenburg, such as the Museum für Fotografie that chronicles the life and work of Berlin’s internationally acclaimed photographer, Helmut Newton, and the Erotik Museum, for those looking for something a little different when it comes to museums.

Charlottenburg’s main attraction is Schloss Charlottenburg, a baroque palace located 3km north of Zoo Station. The palace was modelled after Versailles and its former residents include King Friedrich I, and Friedrich the Great. Its gardens are perfect for wandering on a sunny day. Kaiser - Wilhelm - Gedächtniskirche

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Arts & Culture

Spandauer Damm 10-22. S-Bahn: Westend/Jungfernheide. U-Bahn: Mierendorffplatz/Richard-WagnerPlatz. Tel: +49 30 320 911. Thur-Sun 10am-6pm. Day Ticket: €10-14.

commissioned in 1699 by the Electress of Brandenburg Sophie Charlotte. After her death, the building was completed and extended under the orders of her husband, then King of Prussia, Friedrich I, and re-named in her honour. This relatively small palace in a minor town outside Berlin became the summer residence and stately home of choice of many of the later Hohenzollerns, and still bears the marks of many of their lives and personalities.

Schloss Charlottenburg certainly has something for everyone. There is a healthy dose of history for those primarily interested in the whys and wherefores of this beautiful building, for art and architecture buffs there is a huge amount to see in this Baroque masterpiece, while there is lots of human interest if you just like a good story.

This historic site is of great importance for those interested in the growth of one of Europe’s greatest royal houses. There is special emphasis here on the women in this dynasty, particularly Sophie Charlotte herself and Queen Elizabeth, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, both of whom spent much time and energy on this building.

Schloss Charlottenburg, originally called Lietzenburg, was first

For the modern visitor, there is much to see. The site itself is in fact three

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separate exhibitions, each priced separately (though a Day Ticket can be bought which incorporates all three).

was largely impossible. These rooms now contain paintings and furniture giving a representation of the thoughts and morals of the time.

The central exhibition here is the Old Palace – Sophie Charlotte’s original building and Friedrich’s extension. Downstairs, the rooms are in the style of Sophie Charlotte’s day while the upper floor is kept (as much as possible) to how Queen Elizabeth would have known it. Many of the upstairs rooms were damaged by bombing meaning that reconstruction in their original form

The personalities of the two Queens are presented through these rooms in a very lively way, helped by the use of an audioguide, which is included in the entrance price. A must-see is the New Wing, which houses the State Apartments of Kings Friedrich the Great and Friedrich Wilhelm II. Don’t forget to enjoy the nature - take a stroll around the beautiful gardens and lakes, or even take a picnic.

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Arts & Culture Museum für Fotografie (Museum of Photography)

www.helmutnewton.com. U-Bahn: Zoologicher Garten. Tel +49 30 266 3666. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Thur 10am-10pm. Price: €4-8. Free: Thursdays after 6pm. One of history’s most daring and notorious photographers, Berlinborn Helmut Newton had a distinct risqué style; capturing the dramatic and often dangerous side of beauty. Over 1,000 works from Newton are permanently on display at the Museum of Photography. The collection of black and white photos, often focusing on nude women, explores the politically incorrect sexual nature of the human species

which noticeably influenced society’s perspective on fashion, women and portraiture. Following Newton’s fatal car crash in October 2004, shortly after donating more than 1000 of his works to the museum, the public exhibition serves to be a mesh of both bereavement and celebration; for the art and man who was Helmut Newton. On the ground floor of the museum is a rare showcase called “Private Property” which delves into the life of the photographer himself. A replication of his Monte Carlo study, family photos, and a collection of letters between Newton and other prominent members of society, including Margaret Thatcher, pay homage to Newton’s work and life. The eerie collection is a perfect introduction to the Museum itself as the display reveals a prudent quality to Newton’s extensive catalogue of often misinterpreted pieces. Situated on the first floor and probably the most highly regarded display is the temporary exhibit “Sumo”, which displays 394 black and white photographs. Originally the contents of a giant book, once limited to the coffee tables of a well-heeled few, the exhibit commemorates

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the 10th anniversary of the book’s publication. Amongst the collection are rare portraits of the likes of David Bowie, Grace Jones, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Andy Warhol. Complimenting Newton’s works is an exhibition entitled “Three Boys from Pasadena”. Mark Arbeit, George Holz and Just Loomis, three friends of Newton’s which he worked alongside and mentored, have 25 pieces of their collections on display. Selected by June Newton, Helmut Newton’s wife, the cinematic and raw style of the collections share similar undertones to a lot of Newton’s work. Together the collaborated display makes for an impressive journey into the eyes of one of the world’s most controversial and leading photographers. Although often quite confronting and uncensored, the photographs invite the viewer to push past the nude subjects and explore the world around the girl and the vision of Newton himself. The extensive collection tastefully captures the triumph of desire and the failure of reality rarely seen in such an audacious and mischievous manner, which is well worth a visit for those that search beyond a bare glance.

Gedenkstätte Plötzensee www.gedenkstaette-ploetzensee. de. Hüttigpfad 1. U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Beusselstasse, Bus 123. Mon-Sun 9am-5pm. Price: Free. The Gedankstätte Plötzensee is a small memorial in the north of Charlottenburg, dedicated to the memory of those executed under the Nazi rule. It stands on the site of a prison, first built in 1868 to house convicts with short-term sentences. It was also where some of the most famous opponents of Nazi Germany, including Klaus von Stauffenberg, were imprisoned and executed. For fans of the film Valkyrie this site, which was not allowed to be used as a location due to the controversy surrounding Tom Cruise’s religion, may be of special interest. The memorial itself is embodied by a shrine. In the main room, which still contains the hooks in the wall from where prisoners were hanged, several wreaths and flags mark the place where many atrocities occurred. In addition to this chilling reminder of the reality of the prison’s history, there is a small but informative exhibition on the history of the prison and the lives of its more prominent victims. However for a site with

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Arts & Culture such an important history, there is relatively little else to see. In a Berlin which is full of memorial after memorial to the victims of Nazi and Soviet Germany, this small exhibition may seem like one too many for the average visitor. The distance from the centre of Berlin may also be troublesome – the Gedenkstätte Plötzensee is located at least a kilometre from the nearest station, though there is a bus that stops about a 5 minute walk away, and you need to walk through an industrial estate to get there. In many ways though, this remoteness adds to the atmosphere perhaps helping one to understand the isolation of the condemned prisoners. Although this memorial is small, it is very well laid out and gives a disquieting exposition of the terrible events that took place here.

Story of Berlin www.story-of-berlin.de. Kurfürstendamm 207-208. U-Bahn: Uhlandstrasse. Tel: +49 3 088 720 100. Price: €8-10. As the Story of Berlin goes, “The only tradition this city will accept is that it does not have a tradition”. This statement is no better proven than in this eclectic Berlin sensation. Situated on classy Kufürstendamm, inside a shopping centre, the Story of Berlin museum makes no pretence of being overly-scholarly or intellectual. Instead the museum is very accessible to all. Without assuming that the visitor has any prior knowledge, the exhibition leads through a quick-fire tour of Berlin’s history, from 1237-1930, establishing the scene for later, much more familiar, events. A lot of different media are used to create the feeling of moving through time; sound effects, videos and lifesize models in particular help the visitor to feel that they are actually there. Moving forward into the Nazi period (descending down an eerily lit narrow staircase), these effects only become more prominent. The sound of breaking glass is

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used to establish the presence of Kristallnacht and, almost before realising, the visitor walks over real book spines encased within the floor, symbolising the infamous Book Burnings in Bebelplatz. The piles of rubble to evoke post-war Berlin may seem a little heavy-handed and melodramatic to some, but the decorated living rooms of both East and West offer interesting points of comparison.

together in this way indicates how much this city has led the world in so many areas, yet somehow it remains utterly unique.

Be warned that there is a lot to read and take in at once. In addition to this no-senses-bared journey through time, there is also the chance to tour one of West Berlin’s largest nuclear bunkers. Built to hold a capacity of over 3,200 people this bunker was never used for its intended purpose, but the site remains almost exactly as it was in the 1970s. Informed tour guides give a fascinating insight into how life in the bunker might have been like had the bomb ever dropped. The sheer variety of topics covered by this large museum would almost defy belief, if they were not all linked by their relationship to the city of Berlin. This only goes to show how much depth and diversity Berlin itself has. Seeing all of Berlin’s history

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Arts & Culture Käthe Kollwitz Museum www.kaethe-kollwitz.de. Fasanenstaβe 24. U-Bahn: Kurfürstendamm. Tel: +49 308 825 210. Mon-Sun 11am-6pm. Price: €2.50-5. Käthe Kollwitz was a German artist working in the first half of the 20th century. Unusually for a female artist, she was highly successful and influential in her own lifetime. She was also a dedicated socialist and, having lost both her son and her grandson in World War One and Two respectively, was defiantly anti-war. These convictions made her a target for the Nazis, who removed her from a prestigious position at the Academy of Art and banned all exhibitions of her work from 1937 on. Kollwitz died in 1945, shortly before the end of the war. Pacifist, socialist and maternal themes are a recurrent feature of her work, exemplified by famous prints such as the Memorial to Karl

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Liebknecht (1919), Brot! (1924), and the Krieg series of woodcuts (1922/23). Her work is highly politicised and emotive. It is often bleak, executed almost entirely in monochrome, and displaying an empathy with the oppressed. The Käthe Kollwitz museum houses a collection of drawings, prints and sculptures over four floors, and you can see more sculptures in the garden. The museum also contains a collection of selfportraits from 1888 – 1938. Kollwitz’ significance can be seen all over Berlin: the central square in Prenzlauer Berg, where the artist lived, is named Kollwitzplatz and contains a sculpture of her. An enlarged copy of one of her most famous works, the sculpture Mother with Dead Son, is the focal point of the war memorial Neue Wache on Unter den Linden. Her importance to the culture of the city is clear, making a trip to this small museum a worthwhile addition to any visitor’s

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Arts & Culture Olympiastadion Olympische Platz 3. U-Bahn: Olympiastadion. S-Bahn: Olympiastadion. Tel: +49 3 030 688 100. Closed during sporting events. Price: €3-4, Family: €8. Going to watch Hertha Berlin play at the Olympiastadion is more than just seeing a football match. The iconic stadium provides a great site for football, and entry through the Olympic rings gives a sense of how history and sport have come to mix.

Once inside the home support is immediately recognisable, mainly dominating one area of the ground with customary continental flag waving and group jumping. The atmosphere is good especially when the home fans decide to get the drums and chants going. However this can be slightly lost, due to its large capacity, as the stadium only sells out when the big teams arrive in town. This though does have the advantage of tickets often being readily available

History... The Olympiastadion is probably one of the most historic sites in world sport. The original stadium, the Deutsches Stadion designed by Otto March, was built in time for the 1916 Summer Olympics. Sunk underground it became the largest sport arena in the world at the time but was unable to host the games due to World War I. The IOC decided to give Berlin the rights again in 1936 and Hitler took the opportunity to build a new showpiece stadium to replace the old one. The games were most famous for sprinter Jesse Owen’s four gold medals which were symbolic in highlighting the ridiculous nature of Nazi race policy. In surviving World War II, it remains a prime example of the neoclassical architecture that was so popular with the regime. Features such as the Marthantor and Glockenturm remain iconic. After the war the stadium was used by the British and Americans. From 1963 Hertha Berlin played there and in 1974 it played host to some World Cup games. After some debate the stadium underwent renovation work with a stateof-the-art roof being the principle addition. It has since hosted World Cup matches in 2006, including the final; and the 2009 World Athletics Championships.

with a decent price range to choose from, although it is probably best to aim for a mid-range ticket. The team itself is a founding member of the German FA and their performances have picked up in recent seasons but they still have not reached the illustrious heights of other German teams such as Bayern Munich.

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Food & Drink

Aroma

Lon-Men’s Noodle House

Der Kuchenladen

www.cafe-aroma.de. Kantstrasse 35. U-Bahn: Wilmersdorf Strasse. Tel: +49 3 037 591 628. Mon-Sun 12pm3am. Price: €3-15.

Kantstrasse 33. U-Bahn Wilmersdorf Strasse. Tel: +49 3 031 519 678. MonSun 10am-9pm. Price: €4-8.

w w w. d e r - k u c h e n l a d e n . d e . Kantstrasse 138. U-Bahn: Wilmersdorf Strasse. Tel: +49 3 031 018 424. TueFri 12pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-5pm. Price: €2-5.

On the corner of Kantstrasse and Wielandstrasse sits Aroma, a Cantonese style restaurant, and one of the bigger and older establishments in Berlin’s modest Chinatown. Aroma is one of the few places in Berlin that serves authentic dim-sum. Though it can get quite busy around noon, and on weekends, it is a nice and relaxing place to have a late lunch. The German/Chinese speaking staff are quick to serve and though the menus are scarce of any English, the colourful pictures make it much easier to pick your meal.

Lon-Men’s Noodle House is a familyrun Taiwanese eatery that serves some of Taiwan’s most famous noodle dishes. This small, simplistically decorated restaurant resembles one you would find on the streets of Taiwan. Not to be confused by the name, you can order dishes aside from noodles. Although they offer a number of rice entrees, spring rolls, and other appetizers, the dish to try is the beef noodle soup. This comes with a bowl of handmade, freshly drawn noodles and carefully seasoned soup. It is topped with savoury slices of masterfully marinated beef, and sprinkled with tangy, pickled vegetables. The meals come in two sizes: €4 for a small bowl (typical meal sized), or €8 for a large one (for the hearty traveller). This little piece of Taiwan in Berlin is definitely worth a visit, and though there are some differences from the meals served over 5000 miles away, they are a close second best.

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Nestled along Kantstrasse is a quaint cake shop called Der Kuchenladen (literally, the cakeshop). The brightly coloured wallpaper catches the eyes and draws you in, as do the chandeliers adorned with crystal ornaments. Upon walking in, you are immediately greeted by the aroma of baking chocolate. Der Kuchenladen is the epitome of a storybook sweets shop. The room is lined with a myriad of freshly baked cakes, jars of jams, and tea sets. The small, but well-equipped tables look fit for a tea party. Their selections of cakes are changed daily, and range from a simple piece of cheesecake to the more exotic Pistazienmilchreistorte. A delectable cake made with rice, pistachios, cherries, and topped with a light layer of jam. Both drinks and pastries are fairly priced, with the generous portions big enough for two.

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Accommodation

Accommodation Pension Peters www.pension-peters-berlin.de. Kantstrasse 146. U-Bahn: Savignyplatz. Tel: +49 303 122 278.

budget than the average traveller. Singles cost around 58 euros, doubles are 79-85 euros, triples are 95 euros, quads are 105 euros, and five beds are 120 euros per night. Breakfast is included in the price. The pension was opened in the 1930s and has been run by the same family for the last fourteen years. It has brand new facilities and a simple and artistic design that fits perfectly with the pension’s sleek atmosphere. Although the pension is on a busy street, most rooms surround a courtyard set back from the main road, so there is not much of a problem with noise. The quad rooms are ideal for groups because if four people split the price, the cost ends up being comparable to a hostel, and groups do not have to share their bedroom or bathroom.

Price: Singles: from €58 Doubles: €79-85 Triples: €95 Quads: €105 Located just aound the corner from Savignyplatz, Pension Peters is perfect for groups of travellers on a budget or couples with a little looser

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The pension is walking distance to many cafés, restaurants and shops, so travellers will be spoilt for choice when trying to decide where to get a meal, or where to go shopping. The main shopping street, Kurfurstendamm, is a five to ten minute walk away from the pension. * Free wi-fi * Breakfast buffet included * Includes shower, toilet, TV.

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Schöneburg

Information Schöneberg is now one of the more gentrified areas of Berlin, but it has a surprisingly radical past. Around Motzstraβe and Fuggerstraβe is the city’s oldest gay quarter, and Schöneberg is still home to the largest gay community in Berlin. Nollendorfplatz is the scene of much of the nightlife, and inside the U-Bahn station there is a memorial to homosexuals murdered by the Nazi regime. Gay life and the rise of fascism in pre-war Berlin are vividly described in Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories, which are based on his experiences living at Nollendorf Straβe 17.

is false. In fact, Berliners had such high regard for him after the speech that, the day after his assassination, the square outside the Rathaus was renamed John F Kennedy Platz. For cafes and bars try the area around Winterfeldtplatz, where there’s also a busy Saturday market.

Other famous former residents of the borough include David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who rented a flat at Hauptstraβe 155 in the late seventies. Sixties chanteuse Nico grew up here, as did Marlene Dietrich who is now buried in Friedhof Schöneberg III cemetery. Fans of famous gravestones can also visit the final resting place of the Brothers Grimm at St. MatthäusKirchhof. The area’s best known sight is Rathaus Schöneberg where John F Kennedy made his famous ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ speech in 1963. The well-known story that the president actually said ‘I am a jelly doughnut’

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Arts & Culture Trödelmarkt Am Rathaus Schöneberg John F Kennedy Platz. U-Bahn: Rathaus Schöneberg. Sat-Sun 9am – 4pm. This small but perfectly formed antiques haven is a cut above Berlin’s numerous other flea markets. The goods on offer are of high quality and there is much to choose from. In front of the impressive Rathaus Schöneberg, stalls overflow with furniture, arts and crafts, vintage clothing, vinyl records, books and jewellery. Whilst others may come away from Moritzplatz with a pair of tie-dyed Harem pants, at Schöneberg visitors barter for Art Deco chandeliers, mink stoles, antique books and silverware. Prices start out high, given the nature of what’s on offer, but haggling is both the norm and expected. Books written in English are also widely available, which sell for around €3 each. There are bargains to be had if you are ready and willing to search.

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Arts & Culture Botanical Gardens www.bgbm.org, Königin-LuiseStraße 6. U-Bahn: Botanischer Garten. Tel: +49 3 083 850 100. 9am9pm in summer. Price: €2-5. Being the second largest botanical garden in the world this beautiful reserve allows for endless wanderings and musings while offering a haven from Berlin’s nearby urban landscape. It boasts 126 acres of lawns, forests and lakes and is home to 22,000 species of flora nurtured in the many different gardens and habitats of the park. Amongst the tall trees and idyllic lakes there is an elegant Italian garden, a medicinal plant garden, and a section where you can handle unusually shaped and scented varieties of plant and flower – the fragrance and touch garden. The striking bio domes house tropical,

sub-tropical and desert climatic zones. After you’ve walked through the extensive displays of cacti, visit the carnivorous plant section. The orchid exhibit and the tropical dome are a must. You may also be lucky to spot an unsuspecting gecko or one of the green woodpeckers that were introduced to create a more authentic and stable ecosystem. The park’s museum consolidates many aspects of the garden itself, and enables visitors to see the gardens as they are in different seasons. There are exhibits that explore the different scientific plant structures and others that focus more on the complex relationship between plants and culture. So whether a nature buff, a treehugging hippy or just in need of an escape this is something that should not be missed.

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Shopping

Food & Drink meal from one of the many eateries nestled amongst the food and drink counters. The grandeur of the designerlined “Luxury Boulevard” is equally worth perusing. Whether or not you have the appropriate-sized wallet to tackle this Berlin institution, KaDeWe is certainly worth any ardent shopper’s time.

Route 66 http://route66diner.de. Pariser Straße 44. U-Bahn: Weberwiese. Tel: +49 308 831 602. Sat-Thurs: 10am2am, Fri & Sat: 10am-4am.

KaDeWe www.kadewe.de. Tauentzienstraβe 21-24. U-Bahn: Wittenbergplatz. Tel: +49 3 021 210. Mon-Thurs 10am8pm, Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 9.30am8pm. For those in need of some highend retail therapy, this seven floor “department store of the West” holds claim to being the second largest in Europe. As expected from somewhere bearing such an accolade, the assortment of goods on sale is vast, ranging from

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evening and cocktail fashion to accessories for dogs. If the enormity of this Berlin establishment seems overwhelming, then direct your energy towards the gastronomic glory of the sixth-floor food hall. The incredible array of fine foods and wines on offer cannot fail to impress. Treat yourself to some quality German confectionary or limited edition designer mineral water as you pass through. Alternatively, linger for longer and enjoy an informal

This 1950’s American diner-themed restaurant offers a broad menu of typical US and Mexican cuisine. The restaurant utterly indulges in kitsch, and is kitted out with an excess of neon lights, eating booths and mini duke boxes at each table. The steaks are juicy, the burgers wholesome and milkshakes are thick and creamy. There is substantial in and outdoor seating space and a selection of

plasma televisions that screen sport regularly. Sunday brunch is offered from 10am3pm where pancakes, muffins and eggs cooked to your preference may be guzzled. Substantial portions, with main courses starting from €5.

Rani Goltzstraße 32. U-Bahn: Nollendorfplatz or Kleistpark. Tel: +49 30 215 267. Open daily from 11am. Main dishes from €5, side dishes from €2. Slightly hidden away in the streets of Shöneberg lies this tasty Indian restaurant. There is a large selection of incredibly flavoursome traditional Indian meals available at very reasonable prices. The atmosphere is suitably casual as diners tuck into what inevitably becomes a monstrous feast as the aromas and flavours lure you into trying many of the dishes on offer. A highlight on the menu is definitely the Tikka dishes that come served to the table on a frying skillet, much to the allure of other guests in the restaurant.

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Food & Drink Joseph Roth Diele www.jrd.cumed-arts.de. Potsdamer Strasse 75. U-Bahn: Kurfursten Strasse. Tel: +49 26 369 884. MonFri 10am-12am. Lunchtime specials from €3. At first glance this small but charming German restaurant along Potsdamer Strasse appears to almost resemble a 1920’s American diner. However, the only similarity here lies in its collection of old photographs and memorabilia that give testament to the establishment’s rooted history. Named after a Jewish writer whose material can be found throughout the dining room, it provides a limited but delicious selection of meals that vary throughout the week. During the daytime, the menu is limited to a daily special (one meat and one vegetarian), and in the evening there is a slightly more expansive range of meals on offer.

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Food & Drink Value for money is key here with average daytime meal prices starting from as low as €4. In spite of the low price, the food is delicious and hearty, if not totally inspiring, and is perfect to be enjoyed in such a humble establishment. The most appealing aspect of the restaurant however can be found its art-deco style. A wonderful

Munch’s Hus Restaurant www.munchshus.de. Bülowstraße 66. U-Bahn: Bülowstraße. Tel: +49 30 2101 4086. Mon-Sun 10am-1am. Prices range from €4-€17. As the only Norwegian restaurant in Berlin, this place is definitely worth a visit if you fancy a change from Currywurst. Situated in the Schöneberg district, Munch’s Hus boasts a range of traditional Norwegian delicacies including fresh fish dishes and

delicious meatballs. For those seeking a light lunch, sandwiches and salads are also available. The restaurant’s interior adds a sophisticated touch, with large open windows, summery yellow walls and paintings by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch who lived in Berlin in the 1890’s. The light atmosphere and the affordable yet high quality food make this restaurant a hit with everyone from businessmen to students.

contrast of abstract furnishings and old photos can be found within to suitably accompany your meal. There are a wide range of barrel and bottled beers on offer, in addition to a respectable selection of wines.

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Accommodation Jungen House Aletto www.aletto.de. Grunewaldstrasse 33. U-Bahn: Eisenacher Strasse. Tel: +49 3 021 003 680. Prices: Dorm rooms: €15. Single Rooms: €35. Double Rooms: €39. This modern style hostel at first glance looks like a hotel with plenty of places to wind down after sightseeing. Jungen House Aletto has a relaxing sociable atmosphere where you can meet other travellers while drinking tea or coffee courtesy of the hostel. There’s a lot to do in and around this area as the hostel is a stone’s throw away from the U-Bahn and tram stops, which can take you to popular streets like Goltzstraβe and Akazienstraβe and the tourist spots such as KaDeWe, Gedächtniskirche and the Zoo. Each room has all the essentials and are ensuite. The rooms are compact as they’ve certainly made use of their space but there is heaps of storage so you won’t be tripping over people’s luggage. All the rooms are modern, clean and each bed is provided with linen and towels.

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Accommodation Although the hostel is on the main road, Grunewald Straβe, the whole hostel is quiet – something they pride themselves on. The only drawback is there’s no lift to this five storey building.

Sunshine Hostel

key if you arrive late at night.

w w w. sun sh in e h ouse - b e rl in . d e . Wexstrasse 8.U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Insbrucker Platz. Tel: +49 308 262 079.

·

24-Hour Reception

Prices: rooms from €19.50

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All-you-can-eat breakfast

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Linen provided

This colourful hostel is a place for travellers of all ages. The hostel has a definite community feeling with friendly English-speaking staff who are very considerate to their guests needs. Although the hostel is close to the motorway it has a huge courtyard area with plenty of places to relax in the sun or have a BBQ lunch.

The staff can also prepare breakfast for hungry travellers, which is lovely to eat outside in the courtyard or in the apartment if it’s cold. If you fancy eating out there are plenty of cafes and restaurants as well as shops round the corner from the hostel. ·

BYO towels

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Breakfast €5 by request

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Internet and WIF

The hostel has four separate blocks with four levels. Each level is similar to that of an apartment building with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small fully-equipped kitchen. All the rooms are furnished and there’s heaps of space for even the largest suitcases. There are keys to each room and each floor as well as the gates to the grounds so it is very safe. There is also a lounge/basement area with TV, foosball and comfy sofas. It’s very light, spacious and is kept clean and tidy, ready for use. Although there’s not 24-hour reception there is a code lock system to retrieve your

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Contributors

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Contributors

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Credits

Contributors Zaineb Al Hassani

Mara Pattison-Sowden

Talya Friedman

Elizabeth Janowski

Natascha Vogel

Lucy Bates

Ben Dillman

Rebecca Dopson

Adam Willsmore

Kirsten Rumbles

Sebastian Cure

Helen McFadridge

Emily Vindler

Piers Leonard

Pamela Mair

Tom Foster

Kaye Nicolson

Rosanne Visser

Daniel Smith

Alison Holland

Karolin Hosenfelder

Kieran Monaghan

Michael McKay

Jay Patani

Sierra Bucher

Alana Marmion-Warr

Sara Johnstone

Katie Clark

Jason Chen

Peter Bolton

David Vanderhoff

Michael Alhadeff

Nadine Truong

Dorothy Melander-Dayton

Charlotte Nettleship

Zoe Milne

Matt Wilson

Nicky Branagh

Amy Yu

Sheena Odwyer

Jessica Davidson

155

Editor: Mara Pattison-Sowden Layout: Mara Pattison-Sowden Zoe Milne Matt Wilson Graphic Design: Matt Wilson Art Direction: Matt Wilson Mara Pattison-Sowden Zoe Milne Sebastian Cure Rosanne Visser Photography and Photo Editing: Rosanne Visser Tom Foster Matt Wilson Nadine Truong Project City Travel Review by: www.citytravelreview.co.uk www.curso24.de

156

Credits

© All Contributors 2009 This document or part thereof may not be reproduced without express permission from the authors.

©:

Credits

Zaineb Al Hassani

Mara Pattison-Sowden

Talya Friedman

Elizabeth Janowski

Natascha Vogel

Lucy Bates

Ben Dillman

Rebecca Dopson

Adam Willsmore

Kirsten Rumbles

Sebastian Cure

Helen McFadridge

Emily Vindler

Piers Leonard

Pamela Mair

Tom Foster

Kaye Nicolson

Rosanne Visser

Daniel Smith

Alison Holland

Karolin Hosenfelder

Kieran Monaghan

Michael McKay

Jay Patani

Sierra Bucher

Alana Marmion-Warr

Sara Johnstone

Katie Clark

Jason Chen

Peter Bolton

David Vanderhoff

Michael Alhadeff

Nadine Truong

Dorothy Melander-Dayton

Charlotte Nettleship

Zoe Milne

Matt Wilson

Nicky Branagh

Amy Yu

Sheena Odwyer

Jessica Davidson

157

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