May, 2019 | Postcards From Here and There

5 Reasons to visit Friedrichshain

Friedrichshain was formerly part of East Berlin and is now a highly popular neighbourhood with a thriving cafe/bar culture. It attracts young, artistic and dynamic people giving it a nice atmosphere and feel. It is certainly an area worth spending a little time in on a visit to the city.

East Side Gallery

A 1.3 Km section of the Berlin Wall with over 100 murals which are free to view 24 hours a day. Access can be either from Ostbanhof or Warschauer Straße S Bahn stations depending on which end of the wall you want to start. The gallery gets very busy so it is good to get there early in the day before the tourists and coach tours arrive. You can read more about my visit here.

Karl Marx Allee.

Berlin was badly damaged in World War II and in the years following the end of the war massive reconstruction took place. Karl Marx Allee was built between 1952 and 1960 and represented the crown jewel for the communist German Democratic Republic. It is almost 100 metres wide and just over 2Km in length. Its size reflects its importance at the time, it was the site of the annual May Day parades where the military would show off missiles and tanks complete with thousands of marching soldiers. The pavements here are very wide to accommodate the crowds. The buildings were designed in what has become known as the Stalinist style, usually eight storey, and consisted of thousands of apartments which were very well equipped for the time and were a highly regarded place to live by some. To walk the boulevard is like a step back in time and it’s well worth a visit.

Oberbaum Bridge.

The Oberbaum Bridge was constructed in 1896 and crosses the River Spree, linking together Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. Its a double decker bridge with a roadway below and the U-Bahn line on the upper deck. During the Cold War the bridge separated East and West Berlin and was only open as a border crossing for pedestrians. Following reunification the bridge was restored and is a significant symbol of unity for the city. There are lots of bridges in Berlin but the Oberbaum is probably the most iconic.

RAW Gelände

RAW Gelände, located off Revaler Straße, originally opened in 1867 as a train repair depot and carriage sheds. It was badly damaged in World War II, as was much of the city, and was finally closed in 1994. Since then it has become home to artist spaces, clubs, bars, cafes and markets. There is even a climbing wall and Europes largest indoor skate park. It is a lively bustling community with something for everyone, especially on a warm, sunny evening. It also has a thriving street art scene which is well worth having a look at.

Yaam Beach Bar

Yaam (Young African Art Market) is located on the banks of the River Spree close to Schillingbrücke and the nearby Ostbahnhof railway station. For a mere 1 Euro entry fee you get market stalls, club, colourful murals, reggae music, food stalls and a beach bar to name but a few. It is a chilled space where you can easily while away an hour or so.

Northern Monk Leeds

The Northern Monk brewery and taproom is located in Holbeck, south west of the city centre and a short 15 minute walk from Leeds City Station. It is located in an old flax store and mill which makes an interesting change from brewery taps in industrial units and railway arches. The building itself is not only characterful but is grade II listed and is a reminder of this areas significant contribution to the importance and wealth of the city in the nineteenth century.

The original brewery opened in 2014 and is located on the ground floor. It no longer has the capacity of production required so in 2017 a new brewery was opened which now means that they can brew a significant number of different beers between the two sites at the same time. It is possible to tour the flax store brewery with tours conducted at 1.30 and 3.30 each Saturday afternoon. Tours cost £10 and involve a 45 minute tour including three tasting samples. It is probably advisable to book tours in advance via the company website.

The Refectory tap room is located on the first floor and they have created a welcoming space with plenty of seating and adequate table space. At the time of my visit there were 16 keg lines serving a good range of styles of beer. Food is also available and prices seem very reasonable. The second floor consists of the Chapter Hall which is available for private hire/functions. They have also created an outdoor beer garden for those special days when it is possible to drink beer outside. The Refectory and beer garden are open everyday except Monday.

I have long admired the beers of Northern Monk. Their beers are always innovative, superbly well crafted and very drinkable. They don’t ever stand still for very long as they are continually looking for ways to move forward with their brews and packaging. The Patrons Project was founded to explore the possibilities of collaboration to further seek ou creativity and excellence. Each release, there have been 17 so far, consists of 7 beers with specially commissioned artwork. You can catch up and find out more about the collaborations here.

Eternal. Session IPA. 4.4%. Yellow gold in colour with a slight haze and a thin white head. Aromas of lemon, malt, orange and pine. Low-medium bitterness with nice carbonation. Crisp and dry with a touch of bitter orange on the finish.

Faith. Pale Ale. 5.1%. Yellow and hazy with a good white head. Aromas of tropical mango, orange and malt. Low bitterness and gentle carbonation. Palate is tropical with a good dash of orange. Nicely balanced.

Neopolitan. Ice Cream Pale. 6%. Neopolitan ice cream was a staple of Sunday afternoon tea as I grew up. This beer is a collaboration I believe with Little Leeds Beerhouse. It’s light amber, hazy and with a thin white head. Strawberry with a hint of vanilla on the nose just as it should be. Low bitterness, gentle carbonation and a nice texture. This really does taste like Neapolitan ice cream with a lovely light chocolate on the finish.

Doom Stooge. Fruited IPA. 7.2%. Orange/yellow, murky with a very thin off white head and some lacing. Low bitterness, soft carbonation and a slightly creamy texture. Not sure about this one, not unpleasant with a whole range of flavours; red fruits, peach, apricot, plum and a hint of floral.

Seismic Shift. DDH IPA. 8.5%. Part of the Patrons Project series 13 release when in can. Yellow, decidedly murky with thinnish white head. Aromas of mango, pineapple and orange. Low bitterness, nice carbonation and great texture. There is sweetness on the palate, which is dominated by tropical fruit and orange, but it is not overly sweet.

Glory. Triple IPA. 10.5%. Yellow, hazy with a white head. Complex aromas of pineapple, mango, banana and passion fruit. The palate has low bitterness, gentle carbonation and great mouthfeel. Flavours are topical with a hint of orange on the finish.

5 Alternative Things to do in Berlin

Back in Berlin which is rapidly becoming my new favourite city. Having done many of the regular touristy sights back in September I thought that for this visit I’d concentrate on maybe some of the less well known.

Street Art

There is so much fantastic street art in Berlin its difficult to know where to start. Many first time visitors to the city will take in the magnificent East Side Gallery, a collection of murals painted on a preserved section of The Berlin Wall. You can read about my visit here. If that has whet your appetite for more there is plenty to choose from. From the eastern end of the gallery you can head up Warschauer Straße to the junction with Revaler Straße. There are old, disused railway sheds just off Revaler Straße which have now been converted into bars, cafés, artist spaces and even one of Europe’s largest indoor skateboard parks. The walls of these buildings are awash with art of all descriptions.

Alternatively you can cross the river Spree into Kreuzberg where the art is not as concentrated but you will find some significant works covering the whole sides of buildings.

There are numerous walking tours of Berlin’s street art some of which are guided by street artists themselves. They can save you a lot of time researching where the best and most interesting art actually is and give excellent insights into the artists themselves and their works. If you are unsure but want to check out the street art I would definitely recommend looking out for a suitable tour.

The Stasi Museum.

The site of the former Stasi headquarters is located close to Magdalenenstraße U-Bahn station, a short trip from Alexanderplatz on the U5, and is accessed by a short passageway. There are over 50 buildings which accommodated over 7000 Stasi employees giving you a sense of the scale of the place. The buildings themselves are a time capsule of 1960s functional architecture with few ornamental features. As you enter the main courtyard it is like stepping back in time and does feel slightly nervy and unsettling.

The Stasi were the East German Secret Police that were responsible for state security following World War II until the reunification of Germany. They conducted mass surveillance and actively encouraged people to inform on their family, friends and neighbours. The former head quarters in Lichtenberg are now a museum which gives a fascinating insight into these dark times. The main building, House 1, was built in the early sixties as the official residence of Erich Mielke, who was head of state security for 32 years until November 1989. His offices on the second floor have been preserved exactly how they were found and look that they were never updated since first built. There is much to see in the museum and it is well worth a visit. There is also an open air exhibition to the right of the museum entrance which examines the roles of those that helped bring down the East German communist regime.

Haus Schwarzenberg.

Located off Rosenthaler Straße near to Hackescher Markt station you could easily walk by and miss it and it would be a great shame indeed because this is a gem. The courtyard is a top destination for street art with works by many notable artists, it’s is awash with colour and you find yourself not knowing what to look at next, a real workout for the senses. The courtyard is home to more than street art, Otto Weidt’s Workshop for the Blind is a small museum in the former factory where between 1940 and 1943 Otto offered a refuge for blind and disabled Jews. Anne Frank Zentrum tells the story of this remarkable teenager. A portrait of her by street artist JimmyC adorns the wall by the entrance.

There are also studios, a gallery, bar and a club called Monster Kabinett which features robots and other mechanical automata in a show set to loud music.

Urban Nation.

A museum dedicated to urban contemporary art at Bülowstraße 7. It is in the district of Schöneberg which is well worth a visit for its cafés and independent shops. Urban Nation can be accessed on the U1 or U3 with the closest station being Nollendorfplatz. The museum features art both on the inside and outside with ever changing external murals. Entry is free and I can not recommend this enough. It doesn’t appear in many guide books and I found out about it from. a tour guide. Some of the work here is quite extraordinary and a highlight of this visit to Berlin.

Also in Schöneberg and about a 15/20 minute walk from Urban Nation is the building where David Bowie and Iggy Pop lived in the 1970s (Hauptstraße 155). There is a comparative plaque on the wall.

Explore the neighbourhoods.

Berlin’s neighbourhoods are like small towns towns within the city each with its own distinct feel. It is worth spending some time exploring some of these neighbourhoods, there is no better way than strolling the streets and a walking tour with a local guide is an excellent way to do this. Where you choose will depend on your own particular interests but I particularly enjoyed discovering a little of Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg. With vibrant café and bar scenes which often offer great value for money and there are plenty of independent retailers with small interesting shops a plenty.