Berlin is made up of different districts all with their own unique characteristics. We based ourselves in Friedrichshain in the east of the city, an area with an alternative vibe and a great nightlife. When it came to exploring the city by day it was easy to walk, tram, bus, train and metro it to all areas of Berlin from here.
It seems Berliners love brunch just as much as Londoners and starting our days in a couple of great spots was an delicious way to see normal life in different neighbourhoods. Engleberg can be found in upmarket Prenzlauer Berg, a relaxed residential borough with tree lined streets, a variety of independent shops and restored pre-war buildings. Our meal reflected this with delicious bright yoked eggs on sourdough bread and traditional German meat. Tucker brunch Bar in Friedrichshain on the other hand reflects the quirkiness of this youthful neighbourhood, with miso in the hollandaise, vegan alternatives to everything and punchy all-day techno.
Whilst the transport network in Berlin is easy to use we spent much of our trip tramping the streets of the city. We find walking a great way to take in the everyday aspects and hidden peculiarities that guidebooks have no reason to point you towards. Berlin is not a particularly pretty city, after its almost total destruction at the end of World War II it is now has a functional footprint, with wide roads and hard contours. When wandering, your path will find patches of green for local residents to enjoy, winding pink industrial utility pipes and grand towering churches that missed annihilation from the bombs.
Like all major cities the river is a defining feature and walking along the Spree is one of the best ways to appreciate the different layers of Berlin’s history and the divisions of the past. The East Side Gallery runs along the riverbank in Friedrichshain and is the longest continuous stretch of the Berlin Wall which divided the East and the West of the city from 1961-1989. Street art activism increasingly coated the Wall in its final years. Once toppled this section became an open air gallery for the expression of political commentary, social unity, freedom and the need for love and understanding by artists from around the world. It is poignant to walk along the austere Wall that once separated families and a population but that has now been reclaimed and repurposed. It is a colourful reminder of the impotency of segregation and the importance of unity.
Checkpoint Charlie was one of the crossing points on the Wall between east and west and marked today by a theme park-esque monument that now lies in the middle of a busy road. Wanting to learn more about the Wall and its history we went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, a baffling, never-ending bamboozlement of information. There are interesting stories of escape across the Wall, human ingenuity and the very real separation the Wall stamped between loved ones. Although full of interesting facts and terrible details of worldwide repressive regimes it lacks coherent definition to meaningfully decipher all it has on show.
Further layers of Berlin’s past are exemplified in the iconic Brandenburg Gate and nearby Reichstag (Germany’s parliament). It was outside the Reichstag that we saw Germany’s acknowledgment of its horrific recent past in the form of a memorial to the Roma and Sinti people who were persecuted as ‘Gypsies’ and systematically exterminated between 1933-1945. A mirrored black pool and traditional music creates a solemn space for reflection of the genocide of these innocent people.
A short walk away is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a collection of 2711 grey columns that form a undulating maze-like public space that you walk through. These smooth, nameless grey rectangular blocks are a chilling monument to the millions of innocent Jewish people that were murdered during the Holocaust. We felt the location of this remembrance space, in the centre of Berlin, demonstrated an important message of recognition to the atrocities committed and the lives so unfairly taken.
Beneath the memorial there is a museum that was unfortunately closed however we did visit the Topography of Terror, a museum built on the former site of the headquarters of the S.S (the Nazi’s agency of security, surveillance and terror). This houses an extensive exhibition about the horrific realities of the workings of and life under the Nazi regime. Photographs do not shy from the unspeakable violence and horror inflicted by the Nazi’s and documents show how ideology became law. The extent of the crimes that were committed is hard to process, and seeing the faces in photographs of those persecuted and murdered as well as those who committed these crimes was haunting. What was additionally disturbing was how many of the perpetrators were never brought to justice, despite being singularly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
After almost a marathon of walking, our footsteps had enhanced our knowledge of Berlin. We discovered different, varied neighbourhoods and their individual charms, reflected on the brutal realities of the past and absorbed the story and the spirit of the city itself. Before seeking out Berlin’s iconic nightlife we treated ourselves to the luxury of a massage at Sultan Hammam. This Turkish spa, incongruously located in an industrial building, held all the wonders of a Sultana’s inner sanctum. Clearly popular with local women, this was another discovery of how Berliner’s go about their life and one our tired limbs greatly appreciated.
Berghain here we come!
