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top down: City Trips: Berlin |
You stroll, you enjoy the nightlife and you shop in the big department stores and malls of Kurfuerstendamm and you find alternative pubs, individual shops, art galleries, fringe theaters and small concert halls, eccentric markets, late 19th century Gruenderzeit buildings and stylish Art Nouveau courtyards in Oranienburger Strasse, You can walk the described routes in addition to a round trip sightseeing tour taking one of the regular busses from Bahnhof Zoo - Zoo station, from Alexanderplatz - Alexander square, or from Kranzlereck - the corner of Cafe Kranzler - on the Kurfuerstendamm avenue (bus 100, 200). Each walk will take you approximately half a day not counting any museum visits, you will be faster if you go by bike, by bus, by underground or S-train. >> online city map >>
printed travel guides & maps Kurfuerstendamm Avenue and Kaufhaus des Westens Department StoreTo go hunting into the woods, Brandenburg electors rode along Unter den Linden, crossed Tiergarten park and continued along Kurfuerstendamm. Kurfuerstendamm changed from riding path to avenue after the first German chancellor Bismarck returned from Paris in 1871 - impressed by the Champs-Elysees. In today's "Kudamm" you shop in the big department stores, stroll and enjoy the nightlife: Bars and restaurants, theater, cinemas and discos keep the area busy throughout the night >> online map. You start off at Bahnhof Zoo - zoo station, pass the Zoological Garden, carry on along Hardenbergstrasse to Breitscheidplatz (S- and U-train station Zoologischer Garten, S3, S5, S7, S75, S9, U2, U9, bus 100, 200). At Breitscheidplatz, you pass the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche raised as a memorial church to Emperor Wilhelm I at end of the 19th century. Follow Tauentzienstrasse. At Wittenbergplatz, visit the famous food department on the 4th floor of the noble KadeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens, a historical department store founded in 1907 (U-train station, U1, U2). From the KadeWe you return to Breitscheidplatz (bus 100, 200) and stroll along Kurfuerstendamm, past the sharp corner of the Neue Kranzlereck cafe. Turn into Fasanenstrasse at the corner of Hotel Bristol, you find the Jewish Community Center north of Kurfuerstendamm in Fasanenstrasse 79-80. The building was put up in 1959 in place of a synagogue destroyed by the National Socialists. The remains of the synagogue are integrated into the new building.
South of Kurfuerstendamm, have a look at two late 19th century Gruenderzeit houses in Fasanenstrasse 23 and 24: today's House of Literature and the Kaethe Kollwitz Museum. In summer you sit on the terrace of the Literaturhaus cafe. Continue along Kurfuerstendamm. In the Kurfuerstendamm-Karree between Uhlandstrasse and Knesebeckstrasse you go shopping, visit the theater, or watch the multi media show "The Story of Berlin". Turn right into Knesebeckstrasse to go to Savignyplatz (S-train station, S3). Some of the scenes of the film "Cabaret" with Liza Minelli were shot in the arches of the S-train track. In Kantstrasse 12, musicals are staged in the Theater des Westens, built from 1895 to 1897 in a mix of architectural styles from Old German to Art Nouveau. Today the adjoining 1920's dance hall is used by the Quasimodo Jazz Club and the Delphi Kino art cinema. Whilst international stars perform in the Quasimodo Jazz Club, young artists get a chance around the corner in Bleibtreustrasse 1 at the corner of Pestalozzistrasse. In the A-Trane you listen to new projects and sometimes you do not have to pay for entrance. For lunch or dinner at Savignyplatz you have the choice of a large number of restaurants, bistros, cafes and pubs. Across Kurfuerstendamm in Schoeneberg - in Fuggerstrasse, in Motzstrasse, in Kalckreuthstrasse and at Kleist Park - Berlin's gay and lesbian scene has met for over a century (>> online map). The film "Cabaret" is based on Christoper Isherwood's novel "Goodbye to Berlin": the writer lived in Nollendorfstrasse 17, half a century later David Bowie and Iggy Pop moved into Hauptstrasse 155. Marlene Dietrich was born in Leberstrasse 65 in 1901, you find her grave in the cemetery at Stubenrauchstrasse.
FriedrichstrasseIn Friedrichstrasse at close range you pass from former East to West Berlin, across the former Berlin Wall to the new architecture of the reunited city (S- and U-train Friedrichstrasse, S1, S2, S25, S3, S5, S7, S75, S9, U-train U6 stations between Hallesches Tor and Oranienburger Strasse). Before the First World War Friedrichstrasse area was a business and amusement center with hotels, operetta theaters and shows. The headquarters of Deutsche Bank and a branch of Dresdner Bank resided in Behrenstrasse, a cross-road south of the Unter den Linden avenue. During the Weimar Republic Friedrichstrasse remained Berlin's amusement center though it lost importance compared to the Kurfuerstendamm avenue. The Berlin Wall split Friedrichstrasse. In the south Checkpoint Charlie connected east and west, in the north the U- and S-trains of the divided city crossed Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse station (>> online map). "Traenenpalast" - palace of tears was Berlin's nickname for the departure hall of Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse station, where West Berlin transit travellers departed from their East Berlin relatives and friends. Today Traenenpalast has been turned into a concert hall. Follow Friedrichstrasse from the station to the north and pass under the railway bridge. You arrive at the Haus der Presse built in 1910. At the back of the Haus der Presse you find the Admiralspalast built in 1910 as a spa and ice skating hall. Later variety acts were shown. In 1946 the forced unification of Communist and Social Democrat Parties in the Soviet Zone took place in the building. From 1955 onwards the Metropol Theater staged operettas in the Admiralspalast. The Metropol Theater reopenend in 2006 with a performance of Bertold Brecht / Kurt Weill's "Three Penny Opera".
You cross the Spree river on the Weidendammbruecke bridge constructed in 1895. On the left hand side on Schiffbauerdamm the Berlin Ensemble has its seat. The Theater am Schiffbauerdamm opened in 1892, in the 1920's Bertold Brecht first performed his Three Penny Opera here. Bertold Brecht and Helene Weigel became the directors of the theater in 1954. Today, in the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm plays by Lessing and Shakespeare, Thomas Bernhardt, George Tabori and Peter Handke are staged and - of course - plays by Bertold Brecht. In 1867 a market hall opened at the corner of Schiffbauerdamm and Friedrichstrasse, later circus acts were shown, by the Zirkus Salomonsky, the Zirkus Renz, the Zirkus Schumann. In the 1920's showgirls danced in the stylish Friedrichstadtpalast building designed by Hans Poelzig. Staging 1920's style shows, today's Neue Friedrichstadtpalast was built across the road in 1983, in 1986 Hans Poelzig's building was demolished. Continue along Friedrichstrasse to Oranienburger Strasse (U6, Oranienburger Tor) with the Tacheles art and culture center and the New Synagogue. Friedrichstrasse ends at Chausseestrasse, you find the Brecht Haus there and a famous cemetery, the Friedhof der Dorotheenstaedtischen und Friedrichwerderschen Gemeinde. In the cemetery there are the graves of Bertold Brecht, Helene Weigel, Anna Seghers, Arnold Zweig, Heinrich Mann, Heiner Mueller, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel...
The Franzoesische Friedhof - French cemetery next door opened in 1780. Theodor Fontane's grave is further north at Woehlertstrasse, a cross-road of Chausseestrasse. When you return along Friedrichstrasse and cross Unter den Linden you see Berlin's new architecture - from the Lindencorso designed by Christoph Maeckler (bus 100, 200) to the Friedrichstadt-Passagen with the Quartier 207 by Jean Nouvel and the Quartier 206 by I.M.Pei, Cobb und Freed. Quartier 207 hosts the French department store Galeries Lafayettes, in Quartier 206 you find several stylish shops.
Between the U-train stations Franzoesische Strasse (U6) and Stadtmitte (U6, U2) turn left into Jaeger- or Taubenstrasse. You arrive at one of Berlin's few preserved historic squares: the Gendarmenmarkt. The two cathedrals at Gendarmenmarkt, the Franzoesische and the Deutsche Dom date back to the beginning of the 18th century. The Franzoesische Dom was built for Berlin's French Huguenot Community, the Huguenot Museum in the cathedral informs on the history of the French protestant immigrants. In the Deutsche Dom an exhibition commemorates the barricade fights of 1848. Karl Friedrich Schinkel built the Schauspielhaus theater from 1818 to 1821. The Schauspielhaus used to be one of Germany's leading theaters, from 1934 to 1945 Gustav Gruendgens was director. Today the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Berliner Symphonieorchester reside in the building.
Back along Friedrichstrasse you pass the former checkpoint between the US and Soviet Sector Checkpoint Charlie at Zimmernstrasse. The history of the Berlin Wall is documented by the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. In the area around Kochstrasse and Zimmernstrasse Berlin's newspapers and publishers used to have their headquarters. Next to the wall the Axel-Springer-Hochhaus was built in 1966. Nearby in Kochstrasse, the headquarters of the left-alternative daily paper TAZ named their building after Rudi Dutschke who led the demonstrations against Axel Springer's highly influental and controversial yellow press paper Bild in 1968. The Ullstein Publishing House resides in Zimmernstrasse. The remodeling for the Italian restaurant "Sale e Tabacchi" in the Rudi-Dutschke-Haus was done by the Swiss architect Max Dudler. Continue Friedrichstrasse to the end, you arrive at the Jewish Museum in Kreuzberg (U1, U6 Hallesches Tor). U-train U6 follows Friedrichstrasse, you can enter or leave the train at the Oranienburger Tor (Oranienburger Strasse), Friedrichstrasse, Franzoesische Strasse, Stadtmitte, Kochstrasse and Hallesches Tor (Kreuzberg) station. The regular 'sightseeing' busses 100, 200 pass Friedrichstrasse at the crossing of Unter den Linden. On both ends of Friedrichstrasse, in Oranienburger Strasse and in Kreuzberg, there is a large selection of cafes, bistros, pubs and restaurants. Oranienburger Strasse, Spandauer Vorstadt, ScheunenviertelAround 1900 the Spandauer Vorstadt - Spandau suburb was Berlin's central Jewish quarter with the New Synagogue, the Academy for Jewish Science and the Jewish boys' school, that once was co-founded by Moses Mendelssohn (Oranienburger Strasse, S1, S2, Oranienburger Tor, U6, Hackescher Markt, S3, S5, S 7, S75, S9). Today you find pubs here, trendy shops, theaters, art galleries and - again - Jewish organizations (>> online map). Start at Oranienburger Strasse, corner Friedrichstrasse (U6, Oranienburger Tor). On the right hand side you see the remains of the department store built from 1907 to 1909, now the Tacheles art center makes use of the space. At the corner of Tucholskystrasse you pass the former post office from the end of the 19th century - originally built with stables for 300 horses! Tucholskystrasse 9 was the location of the Hochschule fuer die Wissenschaft des Judentums - the Academy for Jewish science: Leo Baeck taught here. In house No. 40 the Center of the Israelite Synagogue Community has its seat.
Further down Oranienburger Strasse you arrive at the Heckmann Hoefe with passages through to Sophienstrasse - a residential and commercial complex constructed from 1845 to 1890. You find shops here, and at a candy manufacturer you watch the production of the sweets you buy. Heckmann is the name of a family of businessmen closely connected to Berlin history: Friedrich August Heckmann and his wife Mathilde were the model for the main characters in Theodor Fontane's novel "Frau Jenny Treibel". Eduard Knoblauch designed the New Synagogue. The Synagogue opened in 1866 and could be preserved through National Socialist times. You visit an exhibition there on the history of Berlin's Jewish community. Turn left into Grosse Hamburger Strasse. In the Jewish cemetery - destroyed by National Socialists - on the right hand side are the graves of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, of Frederick the Great's mintmaster Veitel Heine Ephraim, the banker Daniel Itzig was buried here, too. House No. 27 was the Jewish boys' school, you find a memorial plaque there. Passing the Baroque Sophien church you arrive at Sophienstrasse. Art galleries, studios and an exhibition hall have moved into the renovated residential and commercial complex Sophie Gips Hoefe at No 21, built from the middle to the end of the 19th century. In 1905 the Artisans Club moved into Sophienstrasse 17-18. In the rooms of the Artisans Club Karl Liebknecht proclaimed the revolution, the Spartakusbund was founded, and in 1920 KPD and USPD united here. Today you go to the Sophien-Saele for dance performances, theater and concerts. From Sophienstrasse you arrive at Rosenthaler Strasse at the Hackesche Hoefe (Hackescher Markt, S3, S5, S 7, S75, S9). The Hackesche Hoefe were once the largest residential and commercial complex in Europe. The buildings are connected by eight courtyards with shops, a restaurant, a cinema, a variety hall and a theater performing yiddish plays. Along the bars, pubs and restaurants at Neue - new - and Alte - old Schoenhauser Strasse, you pass Mulackstrasse walking through the Scheunenviertel - named after the barns - Scheunen - that were built here in the 17th century (Weinmeisterstrasse or Rosenthaler Platz, U8, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, U2). In the decades around 1900 workers, artisans, petty criminals, prostitutes and Jewish immigrants from East-European countries lived in Scheunenviertel, a social mix described in Doeblin's novel "Berlin Alexanderplatz", Max Fuerst's autobiography, Sling's and Joseph Roth's reports, and the drawings of Heinrich Zille. If you wish to feel the cosiness of the pubs of 1900, travel to the Gruenderzeit Museum of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The museum owns the interior of the Mulackritze pub, complete with associations' meeting hall and prostitutes' lounge. In the 1920's famous artists like Heinrich Zille, Claire Waldorff, Gustav Gruendgens, Marlene Dietrich and Henny Porten were among the customers of the Mulackritze pub (Hultschiner Damm 333, Mahlsdorf, S5, Tram 62, bus 198). The collector Charlotte von Mahlsdorf herself was a Berlin celebrity. Via Schoenhauser Tor you reach Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. You enjoy a theatre performance in the Volksbuehne building financed by workers' clubs in 1914, or you go next door to see a movie in the Filmtheater Babylon designed at the end of the 1920's by Hans Poelzig. In Karl-Liebknecht-Haus the post-communist PDS resides in the former KPD communist party headquarters. From Rosenthaler Strasse you return to Oranienburger Strasse (S-Bahn-Haltestelle S1, S2, Oranienburger Tor, U6) via Auguststrasse, past trendy shops, art galleries and pubs. In Auguststrasse 69, in a renovated late 19th century Gruenderzeit lard factory whose front house dates back to the second half of the 18th century, the "Kunstwerke Berlin" show modern art. Artists work in the studios, in the courtyard a cafe caters to visitors. KreuzbergBordering on the wall, Berlin's working class district Kreuzberg became synonymous for Turkish immigration and left alternative politics in the 1960's and 1970's. When the wall fell, the area moved back to Berlin's - much sought after - center: Rising rents threaten Turkish shops, alternative businesses and artists. At Pentecost you can take part in an international street festival - the Carneval of Cultures. In Kreuzberg's center at Lindenstrasse 9-14, you find the Jewish Museum designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind after the fall of the wall (>> online map). The Alte Kammergericht built in the beginning of the 18th century is integrated into the modern construction - Berlin's only preserved building of the times of King Friedrich Wilhelm I (Hallesches Tor, U1, U6). Follow Lindenstrasse and turn right into Oranienstrasse - the 1.9 mile road is Kreuzberg's oldest shopping street - with residential houses and commercial courtyards. Many of the stores, residential houses, shops and small factories built in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century are classified as historical monuments, among them at no. 8 an apartment house with stables built in 1863, at no. 40-41 the department store Brenninkmeyer built in 1913 and at no. 161 the commercial building Stiller constructed by the theater architect Oskar Kaufmann from 1910 to 1911.
Berlin's operetta composer Paul Lincke was born in Oranienstrasse No. 126, at no 64 a plaque reminds of the Apollo music publishing house he founded. Past Moritzplatz (U-Bahn-Haltestelle, U8) Oranienstrasse gets very trendy, you stroll along stylish shops, bars, cafes, bookshops, art galleries, Turkish vegetable, fruit and doner fastfood shops. The S036 concert hall in Oranienstrasse 190 (Kottbuser Tor, U8, Goerlitzer Bahnhof, U1) was built as part of a beergarden in 1861, the present use of the building as "Konzertsaal fuer progressive Musik" dates back to the era of punks and squatters. At the end of Oranienstrasse turn left into Mariannenstrasse. Turkish and German women use the Turkish steam bath - Hamam - in the Schokofabrik - chocolate factory - women's center in Mariannenstrasse 6. Mariannenplatz square was designed by the landscape gardener Peter Joseph Lenné in 1853. In the former Bethanien hospital - Theodor Fontane was a pharmacist here - you find the studios, the exhibition area and stages of the Kuenstlerhaus Bethanien artists' house (Goerlitzer Bahnhof , U1, Kottbuser Tor, U8). Walk back via Mariannenstrasse and cross Oranienstrasse and Landwehrkanal. You reach Kreuzberg's noble neighbourhood boasting spacious Art Nouveau and late 19th century Gruenderzeit houses. Continue along Plan-Ufer bank, and follow Grimmstrasse and Koertestrasse on the left hand side. You reach the S-train station Suedstern (U7). From here Bergmannstrasse takes you to Mehringdamm - with many special shops, pubs and the Marheineke Market Hall dating back to the 19th century. At Dreifaltigkeits-Friedhof cemetery in Bergmannstrasse 39-41 you find the graves of the architect Martin Gropius, uncle of Walter Gropius, of the philosopher Friedrich Daniel Schleiermacher and of the painter Adolph von Menzel. Turn right at Bergmannstrasse to Mehringdamm. At Mehringdamm 61 the Schwule - Gay - Museum documents homosexual lifestyles from 1850 until today. In the cemetery at Baruther Strasse (U-train station Mehringdamm U6, U7) you visit the graves of the famous literary hostess Rahel Varnhagen von Ense and her husband, the composers brother and sister Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Fanny Hensel. At the church courtyard in Mehringdamm 21 you find the grave of the writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. Follow Mehringdamm to Hallesches Tor. The Art Nouveau Hebbel-Theater in Stresemannstrasse 29 was built by the architect Oskar Kaufmann in 1908. Today the theater has joined the stages in Hallesches Ufer 32 and Tempelhofer Ufer 11. Expect modern plays, dance and musical theater (Hallesches Tor, U1, U6).
Stresemannstrasse takes you past Anhalter Bahnhof (S-train station, S1, S2) to Potsdamer Platz (S- and U-train station, S1, S2, S25, S26, U2, bus 200). Before the Second World War trains left Anhalter Bahnhof heading for Anhalt, Dresden, Halle, Munich and Frankfurt. Today, just the station's entrance is left. You cannot mistake the Deutsche Technikmuseum - German Technical Museum - on the Anhalter Bahnhof site (Trebbiner Strasse 9, U-train station Gleisdreieck, U1, U2, U-train station Moeckernbruecke, U7) with the "Rosinenbomber" - raisin bomb plane - hanging in front of the building. "Raisin bomb plane" was Berlin's fond nickname for the planes flying food to West Berlin during the Soviet blockade. The structure of the Tempodrom in Moeckernstrasse 10 is modeled on the former circus tent at Potsdamer Platz. The alternative stage has become an established concert hall (Moeckernbruecke, U7, Hallesches Tor, U1, U6, Anhalter Bahnhof, S1, S2). The Martin-Gropius-Bau building in Stresemannallee 110 is managed by the Berliner Festspiele (S- and U-train station Potsdamer Platz, S1, S2, S25, S26, U2, bus 200). At Niederkirchnerstrasse at the back of Martin-Gropius-Bau the open air exhibition "Topographie des Terrors" commemorates the victims of the SS and Gestapo who had their headquarters on the site. You also find - eroded by souvenir hunters - a piece of the Berlin Wall. FriedrichshainAfter reunification former "East" district Friedrichshain moved back to the center together with next-door "West" district Kreuzberg. The old working class residential area suddenly ranked among Berlin's best locations: Trendy shops, art galleries and hip bars opened up. To Friedrichshain, you walk from Alexanderplatz via Karl-Marx-Allee (>> online map), past monumental, uniform apartment blocks built back in the 1950s, when the alley's name changed from Grosse Frankfurter Strasse to Stalin-Allee. The blocks were supposed to offer inexpensive, comfortable living space to working class people. Karl-Marx-Allee today is classified as historical monument. (S- and U-train station Alexanderplatz, S3, S5, S7, S75, S9, U2, U5, U8, bus 100, 200). Between U-train stations Strausberger Platz (U5) and Frankfurter Tor (U5) you are in Friedrichshain. If you find Karl-Marx-Allee monotonous, shorten your walk from Alexanderplatz by taking the U-train U5 direction Hoenow. Follow Karl-Marx-Allee from Strausberger Platz and turn right into Koppenstrasse. You arrive at Ost-Bahnhof (S3, S5, S7, S75, S9), one of several Berlin stations for long-distance trains. At the back of Ost-Bahnhof turn left at the Spree river into Muehlenstrasse. Up to Oberbaumbruecke you walk along the East Side Gallery - a 0.8 mile stretch of the Berlin Wall covered with graffiti.
To the right Oberbaumbruecke bridges the Spree in the direction of Kreuzberg, turn left into Warschauer Strasse. On the site of a former lamp factory exhibitions are shown in the International Design Center Berlin (S- und U-Bahnhof Warschauer Strasse, S3, S5, S7, S75, S9, U1, 12, 15). Turn right in front of Frankfurter Tor into Boxhagener Strasse. In the area around Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Strasse a new hip quarter has emerged. There is a flea market at Boxhagener Platz on Sundays (Frankfurter Tor, U5).
U-train U5 takes you back from Frankfurter Tor to Alexanderplatz (S- and U-train station S3, S5, S7, S75, S9, U2, U5, U8, bus 100, 200). Prenzlauer BergPrenzlauer Berg - Prenzlau Hill - was shaped in the second half of the 19th century by a municipal housing project. Building developer James Hobrecht tried to prevent slums by designing blocks of flats connected by inner courtyards, the more expensive flats to the street front and narrow rooms for the poor in the backyard. The growth of Berlin's population and real estate speculation resulted in worse living conditions than intended. In GDR times families moved out to new development areas, artists and dissidents moved in. Today Prenzlauer Berg ranks among Berlin's most popular living quarters with a close knit network of bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs. Around Kastanienallee and Oderberger Strasse you buy young fashion design at moderate prices. The Prenzlauer-Berg-Museum fuer Heimatgeschichte und Stadtkultur in Prenzlauer Allee 227 (Senefelder Strasse, U2) documents the history of the district. Start off at Schoenhauser Allee's Senefelder Platz (U-train station, U 2) >> online map. Follow Kaethe-Kollwitz-Strasse and turn right into Knaackstrasse. In 1876 Berlin's first water tower was built in Knaackstrasse 23. The unique accoustics of the water tower are used by the Kryptonale artists for an - irregular - festival of room-dependant art. Around the water tower you find bars and restaurants. From the water tower you turn into Rykesstrasse. In the backyard of Rykestrasse 53 a Neo Romanesque Synagogue was built from 1903 to 1904. Turn left into Woerther Strasse, you arrive at Kollwitzplatz. The artist Kaethe Kollwitz lived here, her house was destroyed by the war. If you are hungry or thirsty, you can choose from a large selection of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants around Kollwitzplatz. Continue Woerther Strasse from Kollwitzplatz, you return to Schoenhauser Allee that way. At no. 22 you find the former Jewish pensioners' home founded by the bankers Manheimer. Today there is a police station in the building. Next to the police station, in the Jewish cemetery "Prenzlauer Berg" you see a grave stone of the 14th century. You find the graves of the bankers Manheimer here, of the painter Max Liebermann, of the writer David Friedlaender, of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer and the publisher Leopold Ullstein. Turn right from Woerther Strasse and follow Schoenhauser Allee, turn left into Oderberger Strasse. You pass the - closed - spa built in 1902. Cross Kastanienallee, you arrive at one of the oldest beergardens of Berlin, the "Prater", founded in 1837. Rosa Luxemburg spoke here. The Volksbuehne shows performances on the Prater's stage. Cafes, restaurants and shops hide in the courtyards - Kastanienallee is famous for young designer fashion. In No. 12 through backyards and passages you find a GDR pilot project - the Hirschhof courtyard designed by artists and landscape gardeners.
Houses in Kastanienallee were mostly built from 1860 onwards. Kastanienallee No. 77, built in 1848, is the oldest preserved house in Prenzlauer Berg. At the U-train station Eberswalder Strasse (U 2) you are back at Schoenhauser Allee. At No. 36 in the Kulturbrauerei - culture brewery - concerts, exhibitions, discussions take place. There is a cinema, a billard saloon, a restaurant and a beer garden. Here in the former Schultheiss brewery the Franz-Club opened for jazz concerts in GDR times. Walk along Pappelstrasse from U-train station Eberswalder Strasse (U 2). At Stargarder Strasse you pass the Gethsemane church, once the center of the GDR civil rights mouvement. Follow Stargarder Strasse. Lychener Strasse branches off right from Stargarder Strasse. In Lychener Strasse and around Helmholzplatz there are numerous pubs and bars. Follow Stargarder Strasse, at Prenzlauer Allee No. 80 the Zeiss planetarium, designed by Ulrich Muether, opened the doors in 1986, shortly before reunification. Across the road you find S-train station Prenzlauer Berg (S42, S42, S8). Continue Prenzlauer Allee past the S-train station, turn right into Grellstrasse, before you arrive at Greifswalder Strasse, between Grellstrasse und Rietzestrasse, have a look at the apartment block designed by the architect Bruno Taut. Rock and pop-groups give performances in the Knaack-Club, the former GDR "Youth house Ernst Knaack" in Greifswalder Strasse 224. By tram M2 you return to U-train station Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (U2), U-train station Weinmeisterstrasse (U8), or S-train station Hackesche Markt (S5, S7, S75, S9). ... add this link to your website |
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