Text Nadja Vancauwenberghe
Image Getty Images
Last summer’s football World Cup showed the world Berlin can compete with other European capitals in terms of leisure and pleasure. But despite its ever-growing international appeal, the city has managed to maintain a laid-back, creative atmosphere, and moderate prices
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, both halves of this once-divided city have been growing together. They now form a unique new capital, which balances international flair and many local Kiez (neighbourhood) cultures. Berlin’s tumultuous history is ever-present, be it in the half-demolished Palace of the Republic, the former seat of the East German parliament, or in the ongoing construction and renovation at Museum Island, a group of five world-class art museums and Unesco World Heritage site.
Mitte
The area of Mitte, at the heart of the city, is the birthplace of Berlin. At the beginning of the 13th century, the city grew out of the trading settlements of Berlin and Cölln on the Spree river. Most of Berlin’s important architectural and historical buildings can be found here. A stroll from Alexanderplatz with its famous TV tower (Fernsehturm) and World Time Clock (Weltzeituhr), both reminiscent of East Germany, down the city’s oldest promenade, Unter den Linden, to the 200-year-old Brandenburg Gate, takes you past the magnificent Prussian architecture of Humboldt University, Berlin State Opera and Zeughaus, the old arsenal.
Pass through the Brandenburg Gate to enter the vast Tiergarten park and new Regierungsviertel (government quarter), complete with Reichstag and futuristic Chancellery (Kanzleramt). Finish off the tour with a coffee at Café Einstein (42 Unter den Linden, einsteinudl.com), where you can spy on German politicians while munching on the city’s best apple strudel. Then spoil yourself with a drink on the terrace of five-star Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin (77 Unter den Linden, tel. (0)30 2261 1111, www.hotel-adlon.de) which overlooks Pariser Platz.
From Alexanderplatz, take the S-Bahn one stop to Hackescher Markt. This area is packed with contemporary art galleries (on Auguststrasse and Linienstrasse), designer shops, bars and restaurants. Make a stop at the sleek Pan Asia (38 Rosenthaler Strasse, panasia.de) for healthy Eastern-style cooking, then walk to nearby Clärchens Ballhaus (24 Auguststrasse, www.claerchens.de) for live music and dancing.
Afterwards, stroll along Oranienburger Strasse, known for the impressive Neue Synagogue (28-30 Oranienburger Strasse) and legendary former squat Kunsthaus Tacheles (54-56a Oranienburger Strasse), a rather grungy looking art centre and club that has retained the flair of Berlin’s roaring 1990s. The street is lined with restaurants and bars, as well as prostitutes strutting their stuff.
Alexanderplatz also offers a bit of nightlife, with beautiful views of the skyline from the rotating café in the 365m TV tower. A cocktail on the 37th floor of nearby Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz (8 Alexanderplatz, tel.
(0)30 2389 4333, www.parkinn.com) presents an alternative perspective. Later, at Weekend Club (5 Alexanderplatz, weekend-berlin.de) move to mellow electro and house beats, and watch the sun rise over Berlin.
Kreuzberg
In old West Berlin, Kreuzberg was where the squatter movement kicked off and punk music filled the air in the 1970s and 1980s. Since German reunification in 1990, the area has become more gentrified, but the anarchic youth vibe is still alive.
The area around Oranienstrasse is buzzing with bars and clubs, the most famous being SO36 (190 Oranienstrasse, so36.de). This is a legendary venue for punk concerts, left-wing events and the monthly Turkish gay disco night, Gayhane – House of Halay. Some of the hottest clubs in Berlin – Watergate (49 Falckensteinstrasse, water-gate.de), 103 Club (47 Falckensteinstrasse, www.103club.de) and Tresor (70 Köpenicker Strasse, www.tresorberlin.de) – are situated on the banks of the Spree, not far from Schlesisches Tor U-Bahn station.
Kreuzberg is sometimes called the second largest Turkish city after Istanbul, owing to its large Turkish population. It’s the city’s best address for doner kebab, which competes with currywurst (pork sausage doused in spicy ketchup) for the title of most popular fast food in Berlin. Try fresh Arabic and Moroccan specialities at Rissani Restaurant (4 Spreewaldplatz) or traditional German cuisine at the rustic Weltrestaurant Markthalle (34 Pücklerstrasse, www.weltrestaurantmarkthalle.de). Every Tuesday and Friday, the largest Turkish market outside Turkey takes place on Maybachufer, along the charming Landwehrkanal.
On Friedrichstrasse, which runs along the border between Kreuzberg and Mitte, you’ll find Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous crossing between former East and West Berlin. Besides the informative yet somewhat confusing Mauermuseum (43-45 Friedrichstrasse, www.mauermuseum.de) and a reconstructed border guardhouse, there isn’t much to see here, but the place is always crowded with tourists. Mauermuseum is supposed to be the most reliable place to buy a piece of the Berlin Wall.
Museum (9-14 Lindenstrasse, juedisches-museum-berlin.de), designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind. The labyrinthine building, with its twisted angles and empty spaces, outlines 2,000 years of German Jewish history and is an attraction in itself. Also check out the contemporary art exhibition space at Martin-Gropius-Bau (7 Niederkirchnerstrasse, www.gropiusbau.de).
On a sunny day, walk to the top of the 66-metre hill in Viktoriapark, for a great view of the city from a national monument dating from 1820. The cross (Kreuz) on top gives the area its name.
Don’t miss out crossing Oberbaumbrücke from Schlesisches Tor to Friedrichshain. This former eastern area is getting trendier by the day, especially around Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Strasse. Here you’ll find lots of second-hand and designer shops, as well as bars and clubs catering to the student set.
Potsdamer Platz
The glittering offices and open spaces of Potsdamer Platz – built on the central wasteland where the wall once ran like a wound through the city – make up Berlin’s new downtown, completed in 2000. Its futuristic architecture seems like an attempt to leave the sombre past behind. The area radiates an international and commercial atmosphere, with glass and steel office buildings and chain restaurants everywhere you look.
Every February, the area comes alive with glamour when it hosts the renowned Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale (berlinale.de). Potsdamer Platz is also home to the Berliner Philharmoniker (1 Herbert-von-KarajanStrasse, www.berlinerphilharmoniker.de) and the excellent Neue Nationalgalerie (50 Potsdamer Strasse).
Under the circus-tent style Sony Center you’ll find CineStar, which shows original language films including Hollywood hits, Kino Arsenal showing arthouse films, the Museum for Film and Television and plenty of restaurants.
Potsdamer Platz Arkaden (7 Alte Potsdamer Strasse) is a well-assorted shopping centre. Don’t miss the Italian ice-cream shop Caffé e Gelato on the first floor – there’s a reason so many people are always queuing out front.
Prenzlauer Berg
Just 15 years ago, artists and punks filled this area’s well-preserved 19th-century buildings. Now, expensive cars, small independent boutiques and design stores line the streets. Most of these are concentrated around Kollwitzplatz and Helmholzplatz.
The cosy Restauration 1900 (directly on Kollwitzplatz, restauration-1900.de) serves traditional German cuisine, with specialities listed on the menu under “Von damals bis heute” (“From then until now”) on its menu. For breakfast served on a silver étagère, go to the art nouveau Café Anna Blume (83 Kollwitzstrasse, cafe-anna-blume. de) and pick up some fresh roses at the in-house flower shop. Visit the largest synagogue in Germany (53 Rykestrasse), recently reopened after extensive renovation.
The area around Helmholtzplatz attracts a younger crowd. Kakao Cafe Bar (10 Dunckerstrasse, kakao.biz) is well known for its hot chocolate and is right next door to In’t Veld (intveld.de), a shop selling gourmet chocolates. Later in the day, chill out in the cosy and affordable Portuguese café-bar Eka (9 Dunckerstrasse, eka-leka.de). Chilling is also the leitmotiv of Wohnzimmer Bar (6 Lettestrasse), with its eclectic collection of furniture dappled in red light perfect for late-night drinks after a day on your feet.
Walking down Kastanienallee towards Zionskirchplatz offers more typical Prenzlauer Berg flavour, be it more studenty with a mixture of fashion and street design stores. There are also plenty of places to quench your thirst, such as Schwarzsauer Café-Bar (13/14 Kastanienallee, schwarzsauer.com), a meeting point for local hipsters.
On your way to Kastanienallee, another famous “Prenz’l Berg” must-do can be found under the Eberswalder Strasse UBahn station. Konnopke’s Imbiss (44a Schönhauser Allee, www.konnopke-imbiss.de), founded in 1930, is famous for its currywurst – a favourite of everyone in Berlin, from construction workers on their lunch breaks to former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Kurfürstendamm and the zoo
Kurfürstendamm, known locally as Ku’damm, is the shopping street in Berlin. Prada, Gucci and Versace lie next to expensive French restaurants and H&M stores alternate with coffee-shops such as Caras Gourmet Coffee Shop (20 Kurfürstendamm), your best bet for good espresso, tasty sandwiches and pastries. Stroll down the street to the luxurious KaDeWe (21-24 Tauentzienstrasse, www.kadewe-berlin.de), one of Europe’s largest department stores, famous for its vast gourmet section.
To escape the pomp of Ku’damm, walk up to Savignyplatz and browse the antique shops there or have a bite at one of the popular cafés, such as the kosher Bakery Taitler Coffee & Deli (6 Knesebeckstrasse, www.bakery-taitler.de).
Only 91 out of 1,196 animals in Berlin Zoo survived World War II. Today, it’s home to 14,000 animals of 1,400 different species, making it the largest zoo in the world. The city’s celebrity polar bear cub, Knut, may have grown big and chubby, but there is still plenty to see. The three-storey aquarium with fish, reptiles and sharks is definitely worth a visit.
Also worth a look are The Story of Berlin multimedia museum (207-208 Kurfürstendamm, story-of-berlin.de) and the baroque Charlottenburg Palace (10-22 Spandauer Damm), which dates back to 1699.
The schloss houses a large collection of 17th-century French paintings, as well as Japanese and Chinese porcelain.
FR » Gros plan sur Berlin
Depuis la chute du Mur de Berlin, les deux moitiés de cette cité autrefois unie ont grandi séparément pour former une nouvelle seule et unique capitale.
A Mitte, au cœur de la ville, se trouvent les bâtiments historiques les plus marquants de l’architecture. A quelques pas d’Alexanderplatz, reconnaissable à sa fameuse tour de la Télévision et à son World Time Clock (horloge des heures locales du monde), en empruntant la plus ancienne promenade Unter den Linden du bas de la ville, vous passez devant l’architecture prussienne de l’Université Humboldt et devant l’Opéra national. Passez sous la Porte de Brandenburg et pénétrez dans le parc Tiergarten où se trouve le nouveau Regierungsviertel (centre du gouvernement).
Dans le vieux Berlin Ouest, Kreuzberg représente le point de départ du développement du mouvement squatter. Depuis la réunification en 1990, cette zone s’est rénovée, mais la ferveur de la jeunesse révolutionnaire agite toujours les environs d’Oranienstrasse. Ce coin est également parfois appelé la deuxième plus grande ville de Turquie après Istanbul, dû à sa grande population turque.
Les bureaux rutilants et les espaces ouverts de Potsdamer Platz – construite sur le terrain vague central où le mur passait autrefois – constituent le nouveau quartier du centre ville de Berlin. De là irradie une atmosphère commerciale, avec des immeubles de bureaux en verre et en acier ainsi que des chaînes de restaurants.
Il y a 15 ans déjà, les artistes remplissaient ces immeubles 19e siècle de Prenzlauer Berg. Aujourd’hui des voitures et des boutiques de luxe s’alignent dans les rues. En descendant Kastanienallee en direction de Zionskirchplatz, baignez-vous dans une ambiance plus typique et estudiantine.
Kurfürstendamm, connue sous le nom de Ku’damm, est l’artère commerçante de Berlin. Pour échapper à la foule, remontez vers Savignyplatz et jetez un œil sur les magasins d’antiquité ou mangez un bout dans l’un des cafés environnants.
NL » Focus op Berlijn
Sinds de val van de Berlijnse muur groeiden beide stadshelften stilaan naar elkaar toe, met als resultaat een unieke nieuwe hoofdstad.
In de centrale wijk Mitte vind je de belangrijkste historische gebouwen en architectuur. Een wandeling van Alexanderplatz, met zijn beroemde televisietoren en wereldklok, over de oudste boulevard, Unter den Linden, voert je langs de Pruisische architectuur van de Humboldt Universiteit en de Staatsopera. Ga via de Brandenburger Tor naar het Tiergartenpark en het nieuwe Regierungsviertel (de regeringswijk).
In het vroegere West-Berlijn was Kreuzberg de wijk van de krakersbeweging. Sinds de eenmaking in 1990 is de wijk verburgerlijkt, maar rond Oranienstrasse bruist de revolutionaire jongerencultuur nog. Berlijn wordt soms de grootste Turkse stad na Istanbul genoemd vanwege de aanzienlijke Turkse bevolking.
De blitse kantoorgebouwen en pleinen aan de Postdamer Platz, opgetrokken op het braakliggende land aan weerszijden van de vroegere muur, vormen het nieuwe centrum van Berlijn. De hele wijk doet erg zakelijk aan met zijn kantoorgebouwen in glas en staal en de bijhorende restaurantketens.
Amper 15 jaar geleden bewoonden bohémiens en kunstenaars de 19deeeuwse gebouwen van Prenzlauer Berg. Vandaag domineren dure wagens en boetieks het straatbeeld. Kuier door de Kastanienallee naar Zionskirchplatz voor een meer typische studentensfeer.
Kurfürstendamm, beter bekend als Ku’damm, is dé winkelstraat van Berlijn. Mijd je liever de mensenmassa, duik dan op de Savignyplatz een antiekwinkel binnen of eet een hapje in een van de cafés.
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