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.
Friedrichshain