East Side Gallery | 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.

Review of the Year Part 3

Two further trips of note this year. The first was to Berlin in September and the second to Bordeaux and the wine regions in October.

Things to do in Berlin

Berlin is a fascinating city to visit and is an ideal location for a weekend or short break. There is something here for everyone here; history a plenty, great museums of all kinds, some fine shopping and an excellent bar and restaurant scene.

Reichstag

Since unification the Reichstag is the seat of the German parliament. The glass dome gives superb views of the city but must be pre-booked as it is very popular. You can do this here

Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate with its sculpture of the winged goddess of victory atop is a potent symbol of the city. In the Cold War it represented the division of the city but now serves as a symbol for German unification. Get there early to avoid the crowds.

Holocaust Memorial

The memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe opened in 2005. It was designed by Peter Eisenman and consists of 2711 concrete columns called stelae arranged over an area about the size of a football field. The ground underfoot rises and falls as you walk between the columns and their close proximity to each other give a sense of discomfort and disorientation. There is an information centre is located underneath the monument and should not be missed. An audio guide is available for a small charge (3 euros). It is a very moving experience indeed as you discover something about families involved in the holocaust. The Room of Names gives the name and a short biography of all those Jews that were murdered or missing. It would take nearly seven years to hear them all.

Potsdamer Platz

Potsdamer Platz was destroyed by the building of the Berlin Wall in the 1960s. Since the wall came down it was been reborn and is a busy and thriving area. Home to the Sony Centre, shops and restaurants, cafés and bars it is now hard to image that it was once a place of division and separation. Panels from the wall can be seen outside the S-bahn station where there is a short but informative display

Hitler’s Bunker

You could walk past and not be any the wiser as all that remains today is a car park and an information display that shows the layout of the bunker complex. It also details how the bunker was collapsed and filled in following the end of the war.

Checkpoint Charlie

During the Cold War this was the main crossing for foreigners to pass into East Berlin. In October 1961 it was the site of a standoff between American and Russian tanks which made the world hold its breath for 16 hours. Today it’s a tourist trap where you can pay 3 euros to have your photograph taken with a fake border guard. Nevertheless it is worth a visit to help understand just how divided this city was.

Gendarmenmarkt

Just a short walk fro Checkpoint Charlie but a different world away. A square with two cathedrals, the German and French, and the Berlin concert hall. Its grand,imposing and a most beautiful square. The area around the square is full of bars and restaurants so is an ideal spot to stop for a refreshing break from all the sightseeing.

East Side Gallery

A preserved section of the Berlin Wall that is now home to over 100 murals is a must see on any visit to Berlin. You may not like all the art but you can’t fail to be touched by some of the messages of hope and reconciliation. Get there early to avoid the crowds. I have a more detailed post about it here

Friedrichshain

Home to the East Side Gallery, Friedrichshain is a neighbourhood well worth spending some time in. A former working class area which has evolved since the fall of the wall to become an area full of restaurants, bars and clubs with an artsy side. The area around Boxhagener Platz is particularly vibrant and the square itself is a welcome area of green space. North of the square is Karl Marx Allee. A jewel in the crown of East Berlin when it was constructed in the late 1950s. This incredibly wide boulevard is flanked by apartment blocks and was the scene of military parades. Today it is an opportunity to wonder at some of the functional architecture of the eastern block.

DDR Museum

Almost opposite the Berliner Dom just before you cross onto museum island this small museum explains, by means of a large number of interactive displays, what life was like in the former East Germany. I found the experience to be very good but it was very busy and I would suggest getting here early.

Gedenkstätte Berliner Maur

The Berlin Wall memorial is includes a fully preserved section of the Berlin Wall where you can see the border wall on the western side (nearest in photo) and the inner wall on the eastern side. Between then was the death strip, complete with floodlights and watchtowers. There is an information centre which shows an excellent film in English every hour on the half hour. The nearby documentation centre includes a tower which gives you a view over the area.

There is so much to see and do in Berlin that we couldn’t possibly do it all in just two and a half days. We didn’t have time visit any of the world renown museums on museum island for example. Not to worry though, Berlin is a city that is well worth a revisit in the near future.