A History of Berlin’s BVG / VBB Ticket Prices
Anyone that’s lived in Berlin for more than 5 years will have probably noticed that the fares for the BVG / VBB seemingly increase like clockwork every April. While we’ve […]
Julius Fučík Memorial
While many memorials and pieces of public art that were erected during the reign of the German Democratic Republic were removed or altered after German reunification, more than just a […]
Denkmal für die Gefallenen der Garde Pioniere
While traveling through Brandenburg, one can’t fail to notice how the villages and towns take care of their War memorials. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for many of Berlin’s […]
Cosmonauts, Communists, and the Kremlin in East Berlin
If there’s one policy from the German Democratic Republic that has left a lasting positive impression, then it would be the “Kunst im öffentlichen Raum” and the “Kunst am Bau” […]
The Pressecafe
Berlin has rapidly changed over the past decade. Historic buildings that stood for over a century have been torn down to make way for luxury apartments and hotels, while the […]
The Nazi legacy of the Grazer Damm
There’s hardly a corner in Berlin that’s been left untouched by the legacy of the Nazis – be it through Hitlers and Speers architectural fantasy of building a new world […]
Berlins Chernobyl Memorials
35 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the event the aftermath have had consequences that still impact us to this day. The area around (and) Chernobyl itself has become a […]
Everything you didn’t know about Berlins Leninplatz
As the German art critic and author Karl Scheffler once put it – “Berlin is damned always to become and never to be” – and even 110 years later this statement couldn’t ring truer. No […]
Vierter Ring – Hitlers unfinished Autobahn
“Germania” – the mythical capital of the Third Reich. Looking back at the plans that Albert Speer came up with for Adolf Hitler in 1935, one can only wonder how […]
Kuppelkreuz – The cross of the Berlin Cathedral
Few buildings in Berlin define the “skyline” and the city as much as the Berlin Cathedral. The imposing Neo-renaisance Cathedral is a tourist magnet, only dwarfed in visitor numbers by […]
The Staatsratsgebäude
Berlin is a city of change. It always has been, and it most likely always will be. Berlin evolved from a small village in a swamp to the capital of […]
Superfest – The (almost) unbreakable East German Glass
While most can and will consider German reunification a “success story”, the merger of the two German states also meant the loss of identity, purpose, and direction for many. There […]
The Recycled East German Border Crossing
The year 2019 marks 58 years since the construction, and 30 years since the fall of the Berlin wall. The 160km long wall ploughed its way through and around the […]
What are those coloured eggs in German supermarkets?
Have you ever strolled through a German supermarket and spotted those weird colored eggs? Do Germans sell easter eggs all year around? I’ve been living here long enough and have […]
The Frog Prince of Kreuzberg
A solitary frog prince sits patiently on a porcelain ball, high above the masses waiting for their U-Bahn to arrive. What might seem like a quirky detail of an otherwise almost […]
The last depictions of Karl Marx in Berlin
The year 2018 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx, as well as the 170th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto. Few people have had such a lasting […]
The Bridge of Scars
Over 7 decades have passed since the Battle of Berlin and at first glance one wouldn’t notice. Division, reunification, the building boom of the 90’s and the gentrification and modernisation […]
The socialist history of Berlin
The Nikolaiviertel. A charming little haven in the center of Berlin. So quiet and yet seemingly out of place – surrounded by the iconic TV Tower, the socialist high rises […]
The last piece of the Palast der Republik
Berlin is a city of change. Some for the better, some for the worse. Few time periods have left their mark on city as much as the years immediately after […]
The secret Lenin of Berlin
The year 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia, with which Lenin and his comrades toppled the Russian Empire and ushered in the reign of the […]
Finding the last emblems of the German Democratic Republic in Berlin
Berlin is a city that bears the scars of its history. Be it remnants of its imperial history, bullet scared facades (like the Bridge of Scars)or tragic memorials. While it […]
Exploring the Wasserturm in Prenzlauer Berg
Every Kiez in Berlin has one or two buildings which define the area – be it the Fernsehturm in Mitte, the Karstadt Building in Neukölln, The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Charlottenburg or […]
Berlin: Whats that white cotton stuff in the air?
Its the same spectacle every year: Berlins streets are flooded with some weird cotton pollen just as the summer starts kicking in. When a light breeze brushes through the streets […]
Prenzlauer Bergs Neon Music Tape
Right at the border between Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain, above the heads of the masses lies one of Prenzlauer Bergs more visible mysteries. Thousands of people have passed the intersection […]
The Cosmonaut of Potsdam
Potsdams a nice place – but it’s just not quite as cool as its younger brother Berlin. Whatever Potsdam does it’s always seemingly second class to Berlin. Its got the […]
The Watchtowers of East Berlin
When the DDR erected the „Antifaschistischer Schutzwall“ – aka the Berlin Wall in 1961, the 160 Kilometer long fortification was overlooked by 302 Watchtowers. The East German Watchtowers weren’t only used for […]
The Abandoned Chinese Embassy | The Republic of Pankow
1973 was an important year for East Germany. After years of political turmoil, the DDR was finally accepted as a member state (the 133rd) to the UN. With this, the […]
Honecker’s Window
Berlin is not a city of skyscrapers – and it seems like most of the action happens underground. With German reunification, the city had wide-reaching plans to modernize the Alexanderplatz […]
The Kaninchenfeld – The Brass Rabbits of the Berlin Wall
At first glance there’s not much to see here aside from the usual Berliner Tristesse. A gas station, a busy road and a massive construction site. But on closer inspection […]
Whats that Jingle on German Trains?
If you’ve ever taken the Deutsche Bahn Trains in Berlin, chances are you’ve at least once heard a synth organ blast out a strange Volksmusik tune. What the hell is […]
The Nazi Eagles of Berlin
Reichsadler. The word (unfairly) conjures up images of a Nazi Eagle and the Third Reich. Yet the Eagle as a symbol of Power has existed in the Germanic Realm for […]
The 8 Windmills of Berlin
Berlin used to be swamped with Windmills. It might be hard to believe but by the year 1860, over 150 Windmills sprouted up in and around Berlin. But whats left […]
The Eiergasse – Berlins Shortest Street
Berlin is full of famous streets. The illustrious Kurfürstendam with its luxury shops. The historical “Unter den Linden” lined with Embassies leading up to the Brandenburg Gate, or the Oranienburger […]
The Jaczoturm
Not many Berliners know of the Jaczoturm – and even amongst the locals in Spandau it remains somewhat unknown. Hidden along the entrance of the Jaczoschlucht at the border of Wilhelmstadt […]
What to do with 4 Kilos worth of change?
Im an accidental Numismatic. Over the course of +3 years, ive been collecting all the 1,2 and 5 Cent coins that have crossed my path. What do you do with these […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 205: The Spitteleck
Spittelmarkt. East Berlin still feels like East Berlin here. The massive 6 Lane Leipziger Straße cuts through the city while the “Komplex Leipziger Straße” – an Octuplet Set of Plattenbauten […]
The German Christmas Pickle Myth
A few years back when my family was living in San Francisco, I encountered this interesting so-called, “German” tradition – The German Christmas Pickle. My Mother, on the hunt for […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 212: The Tuileriensäule
This Island isn’t meant for visitors. 250.000 m² large, a few dozen villas and a single road that goes around in a circle. There isn’t much to see here if it weren’t […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 140: The Eisbahn
Winter is coming. As the temperatures slowly dip into the negative digits, a many Neu Berliner begins to regret living in this city. But Berlin comes into its own when […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 159: The Judengang
Der Judengang. The word sounds a lot harsher than it most likely means to be. That might be because of the German Language or the German oversensitivity. While I had […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 194: The Round Hinterhof
Ill be the first to admit it – Berlin isnt a beautiful city. At least not in a classical sense. Ive yet to hear someone describe Berlin in the same […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 63: The Meteorstraße
Totgesagte leben länger – literally translates into The condemned live longer. Nothing fits better to the “doomed” Airport Tegel than this saying. To think that Tegel Airport was mere days […]
German Traffic Lights – Youre Using Them All Wrong
Recht und Ordnung. Law and Order. There’s nothing that a German loves more – or at least that’s the stereotype that everybody spreads around. While there apparently are many ways […]
The Geographical Center of Berlin
Berlin Mitte. U-Bahn Station Mitte. The Rotes Rathaus. They are all liars. All of them claim to be the center of Berlin but none of them are. People have always […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 46: Kleists Grave
“Das Paradies ist verriegelt und der Cherub hinter uns; wir müssen die Reise um die Welt machen und sehen, ob es vielleicht von hinten irgendwo wieder offen ist.” “But paradise […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 68: The Müggelturm
Berlin is best enjoyed from the top. Not that there are that many opportunities within the city aside from the Fernsehturm and the Weltballon. But if you venture out to […]
Paule III – Berlins smallest Ferry
I Hate the Sea and Everything in it, but I have a soft spot for Ferries (see the MS Tempelhof) and other obscure modes of transportation. When I heard that […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 94: The Spreetunnel
Berlin has some stunningly beautiful bridges. In fact its got over 900 bridges on display (though not all of them so beautiful) – over twice as many as Venice. And […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 11: The Bierpinsel
The 1970s Architects weren’t kind to Berlin. While the cityscape of the east was dominated by myriads of Plattenbauten – the western half was turned into an architects playground who […]
The Tieranatomisches Theater
Brazingly walking through doors like you know where you are going and belong there is a very good characteristic to have – especially in Berlin. You can find the most […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 67: The MS Tempelhof
Anyone who has ever taken Public Transport in Berlin has seen the F Logo. But what does it mean? You see it almost every time you take a Bus, Tram, […]
Park am Nordbahnhof
Berlin has over 2500 public recreational and green spaces – over one-third of the city is made up of forests, parks and rivers. Those are more parks than you will […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 79: The Paternoster
I am claustrophobic. I hate enclosed spaces – especially elevators. Whenever I have the chance – I try to take the stairs just to avoid being stuck in a metal […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 88: The Black and White Fotoautomat
The Fotoautomat. Youre not a Berlin Hipster if you haven’t taken your picture in one of these machines. The Fotoautomat has always been a part of Berlin (and the rest […]
Zellengefängnis Moabit
Moabit continues to surprise me. Despite officially belonging to the Bezirk Mitte ive never been really drawn in to explore the area. Like so many areas of Berlin, Moabit doesn’t […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr.101: The Tadschikische Teestube *Rebirth*
The Tadschikische Teestube officialy closed on the 30th of April 2012 – but it seems like Berlin just got a reprieve. I “revied” the Tadschikische Teestube in early Febuary of […]
ULAP Park
Hidden in the shadows of Berlins Hauptbahnhof, lies a small park and a lonely staircase with trees growing out of it. Unless you lost your way and somehow ended up […]
The Madenautomat
In the US you can find Pizza Vending Machines. Dubai has a Gold Vending Machine. And Berlin? Berlin has Cigarette Vending Machines – and the “Madenautomat” – a vending machine […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 22: The Ernst Thälmann Monument
The Ernst Thälmann Monument. One of the few remaining monuments of the former DDR in Berlin. Lonely and imposing, it dominates its surroundings – behind it a series of east […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 77: Das Parkdeck der Neukölln Arcaden
**Update** Since this piece was written in 2012 – the Parkdeck in Neukölln has been transformed into the Hipster Hangout called “Klunkerkranich”. While the views remain the same – the […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 113: Der Berliner Dom
So im slowly continuing my quest to visit all the “111 Places in Berlin” and while I while I love Book, I think it misses out on several interesting places […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr. 112: St.Konstantin und Helena Kirche in Berlin
No, that 112 is not a mistake. While I love the 111 Places in Berlin Book, I think it misses out on some true hidden gems, so I decided to add […]
111 Places in Berlin – Nr 101: Die Tadschikische Teestube
Good News Everybody! The Tadschikische Teestube is Opening its doors again in a New Location on the 24th of November 2012! They are now located in the Oranienburger Str. 27 […]
Berlin – Cocolo Ramenbar
Its no big secret but I hate fish, so youll be hard pressed to find me in a Japanese Restaurant (due to their pescy habit of serving mostly fish-based dishes). […]