Art & culture – All our local tips

Throughout its life  (opened in 1873) the Admiralspalast theatre has had an idiosyncratic history. During the 1920’s and 30’s it was a pleasure palace of sorts, hosting in it’s parameters a bath house, restaurant, a speak easy, the worlds first indoor ice skating revue show, as well as the grandiose Art Deco theatre which houses up to 1700 people at a time.

At one point it even housed a DDR “Press Café” at the front of the building where  subversive bohemians would meet.  After years of closure the Admiralspalast was recently revamped and reopened in August 2006.

There are various types of productions staged here, from My Fair Lady to Brechts 3-Penny Opera, to live performances from De La Soul.

My favourite event is their regular quarterly swing dance/music party,  hosted in the main theatre and themed differently each time yet always dedicated solely to swing music, high fashion and old school sophistication. Recently headling the part was an exclusive Berlin performance by sibling trio ‘Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’.

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Admiralspalast | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Theaters | Ticket +/- € 22.00
Friedrichstrasse 101 | Mitte | +493032533144
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 19:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Aufsturz means more than 100 sorts of beer and a big choice of food. The place is always full of people trying to test every beer once. But the choice is difficult: Banana beer or smoked beer (Rauchbier)? German beer or Mexican beer? Don’t worry: The waiters are patient and helpful.

The interior of the Restaurant/Pub is simple but comfortable. Since 1994 the Aufsturz has exhibitions of sculptures, paintings, photography, installations and collages. There is also a club area where they present concerts (Pop, Rock, Jazz), performances, workshops and other events weekly.

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Aufsturz | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (International) | Beer € 2.00
Oranienburger Straße 67 | Mitte | +493028047409
12:00 – 02:00 daily

The futuristic appearing building of the Bauhaus-Archiv is a real landmark in the urban landscape of Berlin. Combining two houses and a bridge on which you can walk “over” the house makes the museum a special playground of architecture. Planned by the Bauhaus founder Martin Gropius (see the Martin Gropius article) in 1964 and built up in 1976-79 in a modified version the white building is a hidden eye-catcher on the bank of the Landwehrkanal.

The Archive/Museum attends to research and retrospection of Bauhaus architecture, art and design in the 20th century. It is the worldwide biggest collection of originals of the classical modernity. In a permanent exhibition which will be showed in December again, you can only see a part of the collection but the most interesting Bauhaus examples of architecture, furniture, ceramics, metal, photographs as well as artworks of the famous Bauhaus teachers Gropius, Itten, Klee, Feininger, Kandinsky, Albers, Schlemmer, Moholy-Nagy and van der Rohe.

At the moment you can see two special exhibitions. “Bauhäusler mit der Kamera” shows photographs of Bauhaus students, which were taken inside the Bauhaus. “Vorzeigeobjekte” shows montages, furniture and modells from the Bauhaus archive collection. This will give you a foretaste of the permant exhibition which will be back in the museum in December, after the renovation of the building will be finished.

For a deposit of € 10.00 you can rent an audio guide that explains the samples in your language.

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Bauhaus-Archiv | Art & culture | Entry fee +/- € 6.00
Klingelhöfer Straße 14 | Tiergarten | +49302540020
Wed – Mon 10:00 – 17:00

“For me Berliner backyards are like surprises. You never know what’s waiting for you behind the gate.”

On one hand the way apartment buildings were built during the so called “Gründerzeit” (time around 1870-1914) produced the typical apartment blocks in Berlin, now known as “Altbauten” (old buildings) or “Mietskasernen” (tenements). On the other hand it gave Berlin those backyards everywhere.

In a particular area called “Scheunenviertel” (Barn Quarter) you can find a couple of very interesting “Hinterhöfe” where life seems to be hidden. Enjoy theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums, shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and other surprises there!

Except for “Hackesche Höfe“, now a tourist magnet and the most prominent complex of backyards, tourists and even Berliners don’t visit them. That is very unfortunate. And you will understand that if you go out to discover the following backyards:
– Backyard of Haus Schwarzenberg (see the Haus Schwarzenberg article)
- Heckmannhöfe (see the Heckmanhoefe article)
- Hackesche Höfe: a complex of 8 backyards
Rosenthaler Straße 40/41 & Sophienstraße 6
- Kunsthof, contains very nice hospitality and quality galleries
Oranienburger Strasse 27
- Sophie-Gips-Höfe, contains the Hoffmann Collection (see the Hoffmann collection article) Sophienstraße 21
- Rosenhöfe, Rosenthaler Strasse 36
- Panasia/Gallerie Cicero, Rosenthaler Strasse 38

Also, I’d like to encourage you to keep your eyes open for many other backyards in this area and not to be shy to enter them. With a bit of luck you can find real jewels of cultural & night life in them!

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Berliner backyards | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Theaters, Restaurants
Different locations | Mitte
Various opening times

The bunker found in Reinhardtstrasse in Mitte is quiet an unusual location among art spaces in Berlin. The bunker was built above the earth and it currently belongs to Christian Boros, who shows his art collection here on a rotation basis.

Before the bunker became a venue for an art collection, it used to host illegal parties and incognito encounters. Traces of graffiti and paint from those times can still be seen today on the interior walls. One can only visit the collection during the weekend and in a guided group. The guide will provide plenty of information on the history of the venue and on the exhibition per se.

Mr Boros has a weekend apartment on top of the bunker. The temporary home brings the bunker closer to the Hoffmann Collection (check the Hoffmann Collection article) from a conceptual point of view – very interesting mixture of private and public space.

At the time being, the visitor can see the sculptural part of the Boros collection and artists such as Olafur Eliason and Sarah Lucas. The taming of the bunker with art is definitely worth seeing, even though the space still requires art to obey.

Tip: One has to make an online reservation prior to the visit through their website. The time I went to see it, autumn 2008, I needed to make a reservation two months in advance for an English tour.

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Boros Sammlung | Art & culture | Entrance € 10.00
Reinhardtstr 20, | Mitte | +4903027594065
Sat – Sun, online registration required

Berlin is famous for many things. One of them is being green. You can find a little park, lawns and other little green areas on nearly every corner of this city. One example is the Boxhagener Platz, by locals called “Boxi(-Platz)”, situated right in the famous Kiez (= a hip little area) around Simon-Dach-Strasse (see the Simon-Dach-Strasse article).

What makes this square/little park so special is not only the friendly atmosphere created by little children playing on Boxi’s playground, but rather the Saturdays and especially the Sundays.

On Saturdays is when the surrounding footpath turns into a market for fresh and organic food, local specialties and Berliner snacks.

But what makes it burst with people is the flea market on Sundays. It’s certainly not as big as the flea market in Mauerpark (see this article) but definitely

more charming and individual. Local artists have their stands there and funny street musicians know how to amuse people and make them stop by.

I love to start my free Sunday by having brunch with friends in the Simon-Dach-Straße and then wandering about at the flea market on Boxi-Platz.

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Boxhagener Platz | Art & culture, Shopping, Snacks | Free
Gabriel-Max-Straße 10 | Friedrichshain
Food market Sat 08:00 – 13:30 | Flea Market Sun 10:00 – 18:00

If you are anything like me and appreciate spending hours casually browsing in a good bookstore at your leisure, then you must visit the Bücherbogen on Savignyplatz

Whenever I ‘m in the west side of town the Bücherbogen is one of those places that I especially make time for and detour to visit .  It’s a specialist bookstore catering mainly to the Arts, Architecture, Design, Film and Theatre.

What makes this place so special is not only the plethora of books/magazines on offer or the unbridled knowledge and friendliness of the staff, but its’ location. Housed in four separate red brick arches situated under the Berlin S-Bahn train line; all of which are linked by smaller internal arches you can walk through leading you to the next specialist category. Each arch represents a different specialist field, e.g.

Arch 1: Film, Theatre, Dance and Fashion
Arch 2: Fine Art and Photography
Arch 3: Special offers and sales, (all subject areas)
Arch 4: Architecture, Design, City planning and Landscape Architecture

I always find it comforting to read a book with the regular gentle rumbling of the train passing overhead as my background soundtrack.

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Bücherbogen | Art & culture, Shopping
Stadtbahnbogen 593 | Charlottenburg | +493031869511
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 20:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

The old building which houses the c/o Gallery since 2000 is the ancient imperial post office. Especially at night the big illuminated entrance impresses the passerby.
Founded by a designer, a photographer and an architect the gallery became one of the biggest private art institutions in Berlin.

Temporary exhibitions present the artworks of upcoming and famous photographers. The specific of the location is that the showrooms and the halls aren’t renovated so the rooms contrast with the exhibit. Take a look at the bathrooms in the first floor where old and new design collides in a very interesting way. Antique Columns in the hall and an ornate tiled floor are special details which make this gallery so like-able.

Special exhibitions until 28th February 2010:

Don McCullin – The impossible Peace

Jonas Bendiksen – The Places we live

We Love Hair (until 17th January)

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c/o Gallery | Art & culture | From € 5.00
Oranienburger Straße/Tucholskystraße | Mitte | +493028091925
11:00 – 20:00 daily

For years left as a dump, this former train depot has been converted into a unique place that is now of major importance for cultural life in the heart of district Friedrichshain: the “Cassiopeia”.

Two clubs feature live music, parties and/or host festivals. The music there ranges from Hip Hop to Funk, Rock to Hardcore, Electro and Reggae to Drum & Bass.

The beer garden is nice during the warmer days, just as is the outdoor cinema “Freiluftkino Insel” (season May – Sep) which will be run until September.

If you want to get active, here you have two chances:
Number one is the Skatehalle Berlin. Huge half pipes and rails challenge even advanced skaters and BMXers. It’s also extremely nice just to hang out there and to watch the pros and kids handling their boards.
Number two is the “Kegel” (the “Cone”). It’s basically a former water tower but it is nowadays used for wall climbing! Inside is a little exhibition space and further boulder walls.

Next big place inside the Cassiopeia is the cultural centre “RAW-Tempel” which regularly hosts nice events such as readings, exhibitions, workshops and, of course, parties.

The whole area is designed by famous mural artist Christian Wahle a.k.a “Lake” who, simultaneously, runs the “Kegel”.

If you want to discover Berlin check out the Cassiopeia – I promise you won’t regret it. Before or after your visit adjacent Simon-Dach-Straße (see the Simon-Dach Strasse article) can be your next option during your evening.

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Cassiopeia | Art & culture, Music, Relaxing | Der Kegel € 3.00
Revaler Str. 99 | Friedrichshain | +493029362966
See the website

Over its 90-year history, this dance venue come restaurant, is pure vintage heaven oozing Weimar Republic chic. The restaurant circles the large dance floor where couples tango and swing dance the night away.  If you don’t fancy joining in you can always watch, whilst digging into traditional German fare like Bulette or Schnitzel.

Clärchens, as its fondly referred to, attracts a wonderfully eclectic crowd of vintage lovers, Rockabilly’s, artists, musicians and regular local elderly couples who come for the inviting atmosphere and varied music on offer.

This is one of my favourite weekday hangouts, especially on Wednesday evening.  Novices like my friends and myself, enjoy making spectacles of ourselves at the beginners swing dance class, as we clumsily sashay across the dance floor, imagining we are extras on the set of ‘Mambo Kings’ as more experienced dancers glide by us effortlessly.

No need for embarrassment, it is a thoroughly democratic affair at Clärchens – whether you are a beginner or the proverbial Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers; maybe you’re in the mood to throw on a posh frock/suit or keep it casual in jeans and trainers, emphasis is on having a good time…no judgement passed here.

During more temperate months, you can dine outside on the romantic garden terrace surrounded by winding vines, illuminated by fairy lights and tea candles come dark.

Between April – June take advantage of the ‘Spargel Menu’ with a variety of dishes tailored around the famed Beelitzer Asparagus, on offer in most restaurants/café’s in and across Germany.

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Clärchens Ballhaus | Art & culture, Music, Restaurants (German) | Free
Auguststr. 24 | Mitte | +49302829295
12:00 – open end daily

CUE is a mobile and open platform where one can improvise, meet other artists or just have a drink and watch the work of others. Interdisciplinary jam session is an improvisation of video, sound, light and performance. Imagine visuals projected over a musician playing the saxophone and an actress performing a pantomime. One is free to add to the composition. Every square of the location can become a stage. And it does.

These improvisations take place every first Friday of the month and the location differs: during summer CUE happens also outdoors, but this is an exception. Generally, one can count on an indoor location, with some video equipment and many visual artists, actors, and musicians. Best is to bring your own equipment and to be spontaneous.

Last year CUE took place a couple of times in Tacheles (check the Tacheles article) as well, the graffiti art house in Oranienburgerstr. The platform could not have been a better choice, the whole art house is an improvisation of its own.

If you are curious, take a look at the CUE website for a video featuring the mixture of music, visuals and people. Keep in mind that CUE is a jam session, and like all improvisations, it can always be different – this time, it depends on you!

TIP: Next CUE – 5th of February 2010, in Schwelle7 (UFERSTR. 6, back house, 1st Floor, 13357 Berlin, U8 Pankstr / U9 Nauener Platz / Sbahn Gesundbrunnen)

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CUE Berlin | Art & culture, Festivals & events | Free
Adress varies | Mitte
Every 1st Friday of the month, starting time see website

For DVDs I highly recommend the video rental store “Filmkunst” (”Movie Art”).
Here you quickly understand that you haven’t arrived in one of these super commercial mainstream stores of which there are numerous ones in Berlin. The decoration of the walls – retro wallpapers – is only a first proof for that.

Films are logically sorted by country and then by directors – the best way to get to know (so far) unknown film maker legends. Of course, you can find underground stuff as well.

If you haven’t got an idea of what to watch: They’ve got charts. Wanna find all time favorites? The best horror, action, thriller or romantic movie? No problem.

You might think about bringing some time with you because the “Filmkunst” simultaneously is a little coffee shop. Enjoy your cappuccino and study the list of best movies!

When you go there for the first time bring your passport for a quick registration. All members have access to their online data base.

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Filmkunst | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Movie/Day € 1.60
Revaler Strasse 8 | Friedrichshain | +493041997165
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 13:00 – 00:00

Arts and trains haven’t seized to come across each other. Be it trains threatening to come out of Lumiere Brothers’ film at the end of the 19th century, be it locomotives entering the Nave of the Grand Palais in 2007, part of the L’Art Entre La Gare exhibition celebrating the 70th year of France’s national rail operator, trains continue to inspire.

Hamburger Bahnhof transformed from a terminal station of the railway net into a museum and is since 1996 a venue for Contemporary Art. There aren’t any more train tracks. However, the ephemeral element of a train station is fuelled by the ever changing exhibitions (Felix Gonzalez – Torres, Shirin Neshat, Robert Rauschenberg and Janet Cardiff are just a few of the artists shown here) and by the (more than) 250 000 visitors a year. In 2008 Hamburger Bahnhof also took part in the Cult of the Artist Exhibition organized by the state museums in Berlin, with a show on Joseph Beuys, while the New National Gallery celebrated Paul Klee and Jeff Koons.

One can find this museum across the street from the Berlin main train station, in Moabit. All the borders of Moabit district are water. Moabit is just another type of island in Mitte, more quiet and cosy. Do stop by. It will be a story of trains of the past and art of the present.

Tip: The museum has free entrance on Thursdays, between 14:00 – 18:00.

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Hamburger Bahnhof | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance € 8.00
Invalidenstraße 50-51 | Mitte | +493039783411
Tue – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 11:00 – 20:00, Sun 11:00 – 18:00

My favorite backyard (see the Backyards article): Haus Schwarzenberg.

One could say there are two cafes/bars, two shops, a gallery, a cinema, a museum…But that wouldn’t be enough to describe the importance of Haus Schwarzenberg. For getting a proper feeling of the cultural Berlin you have to go there.

Here is where Otto Weidt saved lives of deaf and blind Jewish workers from Holocaust in his broom and brush workshop. Find out more about this historical place in the “Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt“.

The memorial “Stille Helden” honors and commemorates those people who, like Otto Weidt, risked their own lives to rescue prosecuted Jewish people from assured death.

Go further through to the second backyard. Here’s the lovely cinema “Central” (see this article). Also, you have the café “Kaschemme” which is “turned” into a bar and renamed “Eschschloraque” at 20:00 (see this article), a place with an alien-like decoration and really friendly staff.

Above the “Eschschloraque” is the “Neurotitan” – an extremely unique shop and gallery that sells, supports and exhibits all kinds of works of local artists, be it paintings/drawings, CDs/records or t-shirts/tops, books or other stuff.

Other places in Haus Schwarzenberg that are also worth going to are the “Anne-Frank-Zentrum” – an exhibition about the life of the Jewish girl whose diary became so famous and the lovely “Café Cinema”.

Finally, take some time to look at the walls. Most of Berlin’s famous street artists, such as Alias, El Bocho, Karl Toon or Vectorian, are present here.

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Haus Schwarzenberg | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping
Rosenthaler Strasse 39 | Mitte
Daily

Located next to the New Jewish Synagogue, the trio of backyards (see the Backyard article) “Heckmannhoefe” are really worth discovering.

Entering from Oranienburger Strasse, the first backyard contains a little bookshop and a candy-making shop in the basement, the “Bonbonmacherei” where you can watch Katja and Hjalmar produce traditional sweets with antique equipments.

In the second backyard, the main one of the three, you’ll see why this is certainly one of the nicest backyards complexes in Scheunenviertel. It houses a little theater, boutiques, cafes, restaurants and even a hairdresser’s shop. The surrounding ivy clad buildings invite you to take a seat on a bench next to a lovely little fountain.

In the third backyard which you can also enter from Auguststrasse there isn’t that much special stuff going on – except for the impression you’ll get when you see how residents have improved their homes with a nice little gazebo structure in their own backyard – that is the real Berliner backyard culture (see the Backyard article)!

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Heckmannhoefe | Art & culture, Relaxing, Shopping, Theaters
Oranienburger Strasse 32 | Mitte
Daily

Anyone who says that photos of naked women are always pornographic has never seen the art works of the photographer Helmut Newton.

Several months before his death in 2004, the artist founded the Helmut Newton Foundation, which now cares for his work and owns two floors of the old Landwehrkasino next to Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten. Newton spent his first 18 years in Berlin before he left in 1938 to go to Australia. Later on he started to work for Vogue and became a successful photographer who was one of the first to establish eroticism in fashion photography.

Since 2004 the Helmut Newton Museum has been displaying Newton’s private collection, which contains many of his cameras, personal belongings, a rebuilt workroom, memorabilia, videos, but most of all: his photos. The most impressive ones can be seen in the entrance hall: large format photos of the first naked women Newton took pictures of.  In a second part of the museum, temporary exhibitions from the Museum of Photography are always worth seeing.

For anyone who still wants to see more of Helmut Newton, there is a Newton Bar in Mitte (Charlottenstraße 57) here you can see the largest Newton photo displayed on private property.

Tip: every Thursday between 18:00 – 22:00 entrance is free.

Current exhibition (until 16th May 2010):
SUMO – ehxibition of Helmut Newton’s photos that were published in the most expensive book ever: Sumo.

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Helmut Newton Museum | Art & culture | Entry € 8.00
Jebensstraße 2 | Charlottenburg | +493031864856
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00, Thu 10:00 – 22:00

The Hoffmann private collection, from Sophienstr, offers an interesting alternative to the big public museums from Berlin. The Hoffmann family opens their collection for small guided group visits every Saturday, between 11:00 and 16:00. Prior reservations are required.

The venue is an interesting red brick construction, which used to be a factory. What makes it particularly worth looking at, besides many great collected pieces, is the mixture of private and public space. One stumbles upon every day objects during his visit, which look as if the owners have just dropped them there a few minutes before. If the Hoffmanns actually live there or not, brings no detriment to this spectacle.

I picked up a Felix Gonzalez Torres poster from their living room before I left, sometime ago. Showing such an artist could not have fit better the idea of the venue. His installations are many times meant to be shared, consumed by the viewers (e.g. he designed carpets of candies, or this type of piles of posters). I’ll stop the story about his work here, and leave to you the discovery of the ideas behind such inviting installations.

By the way, the Hoffmann collection changes every summer, so might be just time to go back.

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Hoffmann Collection | Art & culture | Entrance fee € 8.00
Sophienstr. 21 | Mitte | +493028499121
Sat 11:00 – 16:00

An outstanding piece of architecture; an outstanding museum.

Jewish life in Berlin and in Germany. There might be people who only associate that with the Holocaust. But the Jewish Museum proves that two millenniums of Jewish-German history have got heaps of other interesting stories to tell. You get it all displayed from the beginnings to the Middle Ages, up to the modern times, culminating in the Holocaust, having another look at the present. The permanent exhibition consists of 14 sections; the Holocaust is one of these.

So don’t see  this museum singularly as one of the many Holocaust sights you can discover in Berlin but maybe rather as a commemoration to the important influence that Jewish life, culture and thinking had on German (and certainly European) economy, culture and identity.

Integrating the main exhibition, the new building by American star architect Daniel Libeskind is a very interesting exponent of the new Berliner architectural landscape. Libeskind plays with allegories like voids, zigzag footprint, a “garden of exile” and many more interesting details – I could go on (read more about the architecture on Libeskind’s website), but trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed going there.

Another highlight for me next to the architecture and the exhibition is the “Rafael Roth Learning Center”. I could sit for hours in front of one of the 20 computers and read interesting stories. Who would have thought that some Jews even emigrated to Shanghai to flea from Nazi-Germany?

Get more information about special exhibitions and the museum in general at the very well arranged website!

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Jewish Museum Berlin | Art & culture | Admission (regular) € 5.00
Lindenstraße 9-14 | Kreuzberg | +493025993300
Mon 10:00 – 22:00, Tue – Sun 10:00 – 20:00 | last admission 1 hour before closing

It doesn’t happen very often that a very old brewery inhabits places for culture and night life – but here it does. The Kulturbrauerei (literally “Culture Brewery”) is one of these places Berlin is so much loved for (see it as a recipe for Berlin’s venues: Take something old, but don’t tear it down and build new – recycle! Leave it unfinished or renovate and rebuild it – keeping the old spirit and looks in order to create a new (but still old) place; an interesting, historical and architectural landmark.)

I think the Kulturbrauerei is one the highlights of these sort of places. It is a complex of former brewery buildings (boiler house, machine house, stable, canteen,…) that are now host to the places we can find there now:
Night clubs, cafes, bars, a cinema, theatres, an important concert house, a dance school, a billiard saloon, a cooking workshop, but also companies such as publishing houses, a bicycle hire shop (Berlin on Bike also offers guided tours on bikes) and many others.

Fans of old architecture will definitely enjoy Kulturbrauerei which is a wonderful example of the long period of historism. The 1889 complex has a bit in common with a castle from the middle ages. The renovation, completed in 2000, kept the old brewery air and hence made it one of the nicest and most important cultural platforms in Prenzlauer Berg and surely in whole Berlin, too.

The website is user-friendly, in German and English and comes up with cool moving surround views. See here for the cultural program and opening times as well as the presentation of each venue.

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Kulturbrauerei | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters
Knaackstraße 97 | Prenzlauer Berg
Daily

All I knew the first time I was heading to this art house was that I was going to an exhibition opening in Kreuzberg. I was already imaging one of the hundreds relatively small galleries Berlin has everywhere. When I got closer I realized I was actually heading toward a building which could pass for a small-quarter-castle with wings and a large garden.

I was charmed. The venue, the new media installations and the after party were a great mix. The art house has also studio spaces (with regular open doors), besides the (around) six exhibitions organized throughout the year with a focus on visual arts.

Now, one should keep in mind that House Bethanien hosts within the very same building both Künstlerhaus Bethanien and Kunstraum Kreuzberg/ Bethanien. The two Bethaniens have quite a few things in common besides the location, and they are both inviting.

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Kunstraum Bethanien | Art & culture
Mariannenplatz 2 | Kreuzberg
12:00 – 19:00 daily

KW Institute is a spacious and modern venue for art, with a charming inner yard and many floors, right in gallery-packed Auguststrasse. While sipping a coffee in the yard, the glass cube will throw your image right back at you, and catch you wondering about the elephant-trumpet-looking-horn hanging above the entrance.

KW was built on the site of a margarine factory, and it was founded in the 1990. The Institute is the main venue of the Berlin Biennial. Besides hosting interdisciplinary exhibitions on rotation, KW also has an art residence project and offers working space to invited artists.

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KW | Art & culture | Admission € 6.00
Auguststraße 69 | Mitte | +49302434590
Tue – Wed & Fri – Sun 12:00 – 19:00, Thu 12:00 – 21:00

If you are looking for that special ensemble, something a little different,  a one of a kind contemporary piece,  that certain something special for an evening out and about in Berlin town that screams NOTICE ME!!!!  Then you have to pay a visit to ‘Let it Bleed’ in Kreuzberg.This  boutique meets  showroom, offers men and women,  daring and edgy hand tailored unisex clothing and accessories. You can find limited edition screen-printed T-Shirts with punk sensibility, bag designs referencing pop culture past and present, or Glam rock deconstructed asymmetric Lycra stretch dresses with clashing patterns.American and Spanish designers, Juan Chamié and Sylvia Pujol, hold court most days in their boutique on the Wienerstrasse, and on Sundays can be found selling their ware at Mauerpark flea market.  If you see a piece that is either not in your size or you have specific made to measure requests, do not hesitate to ask Juan, who is more than happy to accommodate special orders, as long as they do not clash with his very bold and daring fashion sensibilities/vision.

Once you have an original ‘Let it Bleed’ ensemble, in the infamous words of Ru Paul ‘You better work it girl’

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Let it Bleed | Art & culture, Shopping | Orginal limited edition dress € 150
Wienerstrasse 36 | Kreuzberg | +493081014007
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 21:00

Some years ago I was quite charmed by a skinny-pink-squeaky tram crawling through Bucharest. M1 is neither pink nor squeaky, but it surely is … charming!

M1 guides you from TrashArt Museum (See the TrashArt museum article) (next to Pankow subway station) to Pergamon Museum (next to Am Kupfergraben). It is a lyrical transition from a upcycling museum (TrashArt Museum lends new eyes and new colours to curious viewers over disposable things collected in a garage complex) to a classical, imposing, centrally located museum (one should make sure not to miss out the reconstructed Pergamon).

M1 finds its lazy way through bars-packed-Kastanienallee (check the Kastanienallee article), it passes the pay-as-much-as-you-think-its-worth-it-Weinerei (check the Weinerei article), the-luxurious-inner-yards-Hackescher-Hoffe, the grafitti-pioneer-project-art-house-Tacheles (check the Tacheles article), and the-glittering-revue-theatre-Friedrichstadt-Palast. M1 will not disappoint you as a guide.

M1 never sleeps. It works the whole night, all week long. M1 keeps you warm, dry and can take you from north to middle Berlin. Above all, the tour will only cost you 2 Euro and 10 cents (price of a one way trip). M1 is the coolest tram Berlin has!

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M1 | Art & culture, Relaxing | Ticket € 2.10
Pankow subway station | Outer – North&East
24 hours daily

Martin Gropius Bau was built in 1881 as Museum for applied arts and reopened after the renovation of war demolitions in 1981. Since 2001 it is one of the projects of the Berliner Festspiele cultural organization. It is located in the heart of Berlin, close to Potsdamer Platz and it is an imposing building. The venue welcomes the viewer with a mixture of elegance, comfort and good art.

MGB is a distinctive and established art space which finds itself in between a museum (as it does not have a permanent own collection) and a gallery (as it does not sell works of art).

It is a venue for many international exhibitions (covering photography, archaeology, art history and contemporary arts) and its profile makes it comparable with the Grand Palais in Paris and Royal Academy of Arts in London. All in all, Martin Gropius Bau is a must.

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Martin Gropius Bau | Art & culture, Bars | On average € 6.00
Niederkirchnerstraße 7 | Mitte | +4930254860
Wed – Mon 10:00 – 20:00

This is the story of a small bar, a little below the street level, in a quiet street, on the border line between Kreuzberg and Neukolln. The prices are affordable, the location is unpretentious and the bar keeper is happy to see you.

What makes Narr bar special is the intended intermingle of art space with every day life space. While many bars exhibit works of art for aesthetic reasons alone and show a subsidiary interest in what might dress up their walls, in Narr bar there are official exhibitions on rotation and vernissages.

Whether you are a young emerging artist looking for a place to exhibit your work, or interested in places which combine leisure and art or simply looking for a drink in a place with a little extra, Narr bar might be just right.

Tip: Exhibition Opening, 13th of February 2010, Karl Kneidl, Paintings, 20:00.

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Narr Bar | Art & culture, Bars | Cola € 1.50
Böckhstr 24 | Neukölln | +49306929600
From 16:00 daily

At first sight you could never imagine that this temple of glass houses a whole gallery. But beneath the ground on which it stands, you’ll find big, wide showrooms housing Berlin’s best collection of modern art. Designed by Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe, the house was opened in 1968 and stands as an icon of classical modernity. The impressive glass-steel façade of the cubic building represents van der Rohe’s idea of a universal space.

The collection of the Neue Nationalgalerie focuses on Cubism, Expressionism, Bauhaus and Surrealism. But the permanent exhibition cannot be seen throughout the whole year because the museum primarily presents special temporary exhibitions like the “Met in Berlin” (an exhibit from 2007 where the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York loaned its most beautiful French impressionist paintings).

The upper hall is often used as a showroom for larger art installations. In the outside area some sculptures can also be seen. There is also a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden, though unfortunately access is only available by special request.

On the Neue Nationalgalerie website you can find the current programme.

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Neue Nationalgalerie | Art & culture | The Klee Universe € 10.00
Potsdamer Straße 50 | Tiergarten | +49302662651
Tue – Wed & Sun 10:00 – 18:00, Thu 10:00 – 22:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 20:00

Yesterday, Jochen Sandig founded Tacheles (check the Tacheles article), the graffiti art house in Oranienburgerstr, today he is one of the founders of Radialsystem.

Recently, during a conference on public space, this location was referred to as a theatre, to which Mr Sandig replied: ‘I’m sorry, I have to contradict you, this space is not a theatre; Radialsystem is … a Radialsystem’. And indeed it is.

Radialsystem used to be a pumping station for a new system of waste water management for the city until 1999, and it is now one elegant and curious looking space for art. The mixture of red bricks and glass welcomes the viewer with a nice terrace by the river, a bar and a tamed industrial interior hosting many art events.

Radialsystem is an open space for creative ideas and hosts new media exhibitions, dance performances, concerts, theatre plays, conferences, receptions and many more. One exhibition opening I have attended there dazzled us with a cello concert performed in the dark. It started a lot of discussions. It made people think.

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Radialsystem | Art & culture, Music, Theaters
Holzmarktstr. 33 | Friedrichshain | +493028878850
Open daily

If there is any place in Berlin that exemplifies the love and dedication of a group of fans for a band, it is in this the small museum dedicated solely to Queens finest – The Ramones. After a short closure and hiatus period, The Ramones Museum (which is the first and only museum of it’s kind in the world) has reopened after upping sticks from their original Kreuzberg location to Mitte.

This ‘Klein aber fein’ homage to the punk’s godfathers, offers fans the chance to see original and rare band memorabilia. Everything from Johnny Ramones iconic white/black Mosrite guitar, to his ripped jeans or rare childhood photos and school reports. You can also watch footage from their earlier gigs in the 70’s, read the original scribbled texts to songs like ‘I wanna be your boyfriend’ or “Judy is a Punk’. Even Marky Ramones signed drumsticks and Chucks are lovingly displayed in a glass case.

What I like about this place is that most everything that is exhibited are donations from die hard fans, whether it be old set lists ripped of the stage after a gig, signed tickets by the band or an old water bottle Joey Ramone threw into the audience during a show.

Afterwards you can chill out have a coffee and a slice of cake whilst chatting to other fellow Ramones fans in the café or buy some branded merchandise like the iconic Ramones logo T-shirt, buttons and a host of other paraphernalia.

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Ramones Museum Berlin | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks | Entry € 3.50
Krausnickstr.23 | Mitte
Mon – Thu 08:00 – 18:00, Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

Spielwiese is a one room, rather small but cosy bar/ shop close to Warschauerstr.
What make it a special bar are its walls – they are packed with over 1100 games. Chess, Siedler, Monopoly, Risk and Magnet Table Football and many others one could not yet imagine. Games are available for rent and sale too.

The owner of the place, Mr. Michael Schmitt will amaze you with his knowledge of games. There might be people guessing with coffee, others in stars, Mr. Schmitt might be able to guess the game matching your personality.

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Spielwiese | Art & culture, Bars, Relaxing, Shopping | Wine € 2.92
Kopernikusstr 24 | Friedrichshain | +493028034088
Mon, Thu & Fri – Sat 14:00 – 00:00, Tue & Sun 14:00 – 21:00

Many times I passed by this building which fascinated me at first sight. Generally I am not that interested in churches but this one is not a common church: no spire, no nave and no bell.

The story of St. Elisabeth-Kirche, built in 1835, is a long one. The famous Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel designed the church which is a special example of neo-classical architecture.

Until 1945 it played an important role in church and urban history. But then it was destroyed in World War II except the perimeter walls. So the church was a ruin for more than 40 years. Only 1991 it was possible to protect the building by specialists. Until today they were able to rebuild the structure with the help of Berlin’s government and different organizations. But they still need financial support for the interior.

The church is currently used for cultural events, especially concerts and exhibitions. But his winter they will do more interior work so that the church can be opened for public soon. Sometimes the door just stands open so try your luck to catch a glimpse of the inside. (There is also a rotating view online)

The German Federal President Horst Koehler paid tribute to this place when he held his second “Berliner Rede” (Berlin speech) on the 24th of March 2009 at the Elisabeth-Kirche.

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St. Elisabeth-Kirche | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Invalidenstraße 3 | Mitte | +493031808770
Open during events

Stattbad Wedding was a public swimming pool complex, but the story here is about what it is today. A place for site-specifc installations. A place for parties. A place for performances. A place for filming. A place for what you can imagine building there. Because the managers of the space are open for your suggestions.

Of this assured me Jochen Küpper, cultural manager at Stattbad Wedding. The first time I met him was for a short interview, or better say, he answered a curiosity call. We set down on a couch by the swimming pool. The light was warm and we were surrounded by fishing nets, which managed to provide intimacy to the conversation, despite the constant movement around us. The place was getting ready for a weekend event. Jochen works around the clock for the Stattbad, no wonder he has nights catching him sleeping there.

Stattbad Wedding is a contemporary cultural centre, so its definition remains open. There is however a focus on urban arts. One of the first exhibition openings I have attended there was a urban affairs show spread throghout the swimming pool and the lockers. Alive butterflies were flying everywhere. Incredibly cruel and beautiful. The second time I’ve been to the Stattbad was an underground experience – we were literally under the swimming pool. Imagine pipes everywhere, video installations, bars and music which lasted til the morning. The space does offer unfolding possibilities.

Go there to be surprised. Or to surprise.

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Stattbad Wedding | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Relaxing, Festivals & events | Ticket +/- € 4
Gerichtstrasse 65 | Mitte
Please make sure to check the website

Everywhere you walk through Berlin you should pay attention to these brazen little bricks in the ground: “Hier wohnte…” (”Here lived…”) is written on each of the “Stolpersteine” (English: “Stumble Stones”) to commemorate a person who was deported by the Nazis and killed in a concentration camp.

In order to create a stone people, businesses, authorities or even schools that now reside in the last homes of the victim have to research the name, dates of birth & death and what exactly happened to the victim. Also, they have to donate money to fund the stone. Then, the stone will be produced by artist Gunter Demnig who came up with the idea in 1993. Finally the stone will be inserted into the footpath.

As you can find thousands of these “Stolpersteine” pretty much everywhere throughout Germany (and even in the Netherlands, Austria & Hungary) it proofs very well that the Germans have not forgotten about the Holocaust.

The project “Stolpersteine” became a huge success after it was illegal in the beginning. Now it’s very well known in Germany. The website gives more information, though in German only.

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Stolpersteine | Art & culture | Free
Everywhere | Mitte
24 hours daily

Go to Kunsthaus Tacheles! If I was to recommend you one place in Berlin to go to – it would be the Tacheles!

This ruin is basically the rest of a 1909 shopping mall. The rest of it which still exists today has survived bomb hits in WW II and plans of blasting. That could be avoided in 1990 by an initiative of artists, called “Tacheles”. As time passed it became a place full of life and a very important Berlin art center.

You should check out the Kunsthaus (= art house) Tacheles for many reasons:
- an extremely special, creative, alternative and lively place
- galleries and studios of at least 50 here working artists
- the wide range of their interesting art: paintings, sculptures, photos, collages, installations, videos
- High End 54 – a bar and cinema screening non-mainstream movies (program)
- the “panorama bar” on the top floor and the Café Zapata downstairs
- the “Goldener Saal” (”Golden Hall”): a huge and flexible hall for any sort of performing arts
- the backyard with the beer garden: full of interesting details such as sculptures and installations
- the architecture of the building (protected as a monument)
- here you can really feel the way the city of Berlin ticks
- uniqueness, independence from money

The website of Tacheles is partly in English, German and Spanish; other languages appear out of the blue. Though without structure about the languages, you’ll get on with the site to find out more about Tacheles.

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Tacheles | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Theaters
Oranienburger Str. 54-56a | Mitte | +49302826185
Daily

The TrashArt Museum finds itself in a long yard full with yellow-doors-garages and was founded in 2008.

It is not just an yard, but an association, Kunst-Stoffe, focused on sustainability, waste avoidance and cultural development. Kunst-Stoffe runs workshops and an artist in residence program. The TrashArt museum itself is the initiative of an artist from Munich, Adler F.C., who was doing here at that time a art residency.

The yellow-doors-garages store a wide range of materials, saved from becoming trash, among which fabric, metal and wood. The materials are made available for cultural and educational purposes. “We are upcycling, redesigning, not recycling”, the friendly Doro, member of Kunst-Stoffe, told me. And indeed, they very much do so, some of the sculptural works I have seen there give a different meaning to every day objects.

Tip: The museum is open on Wednesdays and Fridays, but do not hesitate to call them if other days suite you better. The people from Kunst-Stoffe are friendly and open for meeting you or starting new collaborations.

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TrashArt Museum | Art & culture | Free
Berliner Str. 17 | Outer – North&East | +4903034089840
Wed 14:00 – 20:00, Fri 11:00 – 18:00

Berlin is, and has always been, a city that embodies a sense of experimentation, spontaneity and creativity that has lured many creatives from all over the world. To find something genuinely experimental within Berlin’s heavily saturated arts scene, perhaps we should follow the ‘Esprit’ of Berlin’s young collectives and collaborators operating on the peripheries. Jochen Arbeit (guitarist and vocalist from Einstürzende Neubauten) recently cited the White Rabbit Cross-Disciplinary collective space as one of his favourite top three insider tips in Berlin.

The basic concept of the space, is that there are month long exhibitions and in the course of that month there are weekly one off events in the space at the same time. Whether it be music performances, screenings or readings. The idea is that the contemporary art gets attention not only from the Vernissage but also from all the people that come for the other events. It introduces experimental music people to a bit of contemporary art, and people who come for the contemporary art at the openings, get to listen to some experimental music.

Please note that the space is now temporarily closed for the next 3-6 months, please check the website for re-opening dates.

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White Rabbit @ GDK | Art & culture, Music | From € 3.00
Potsdamer Straße 98 | Tiergarten
Wed – Sat 15:00 – 18:00 (see listing for evening events)

Berlin is not only a historical city of the long 20th century but holds also relicts of an anterior time. For example the Zitadelle Spandau which is one of the most well-preserved Renaissance forts in Europe. The old medieval castle was rebuilt in the 17th century in a “neo-Italian manner” by the elector Joachim II. In 1839 it was changed again in a neo-classical style.

The oldest parts of the Zitadelle are the donjon Juliusturm and the Palais which were built in the 13th and 15th century. During World War II the area was used for military purposes.

The fort’s form is an architectonic specific: It is a square which is entirely surrounded by water. As a venue for many different events like concerts, medieval festivals and exhibitions the Zitadelle is an insider tip for those who want to escape from the city’s hustle and bustle for one day.

The ancient arsenal houses a nice museum and it is definitely worth it to climb the wooden stairs of the Juliusturm. On the top you have a beautiful view over the west of Berlin where nature and city are close to each other. At the end of the day you should have a break in the historic tavern where you can enjoy the rustic atmosphere while eating with your hands (opened every day from 11:00, Sunday from 10:00).

The Zitadelle Spandau offers also many activities for kids, especially in the summer: Discovering the Middle-age, art classes in the Kunstbastion (School of arts), puppet theatre and many more events. Just have a look at the programme.

They are going to present many classical concerts in the next months. The next big open air event will be the Easter market with knight spectacle (3.4. – 5.4.2010)

In summer the Citadel music festival is taking place there (as every year). From 30th May until 31st August bands like The Gossip or Buena Vista Social Club will play in this gorgeous  scenery.

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Zitadelle Spandau | Art & culture, Music, Festivals & events | Entrance € 4.50
Am Juliusturm | Outer – South&West | +49303549440
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 17:00