Mitte – Local tips (relaxing)

I dropped by Bflat, for the first time, by coincidence on a lazy Wednesday evening. I set down in a corner and leaned on one of the big windows. While I was happily entertained by a Hefeweizen (in case you don’t know, make sure you will get to know this special German beer), I started wondering whether the piano and saxophone players were improvising or not. It was pretty good jazz. The answer came two minutes later when somebody from the audience asked the piano player for his seat and got it.

I go back to Bflat every now and then, on Wednesdays, when they have their free entrance jam sessions, starting with 9pm. Bflat is close to Hackescher Markt, has a mixed public and great acoustics.

Tip: They charge around 10 Euro for concerts during other evenings.

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Bflat Jazzclub | Bars, Relaxing | Beck’s € 2.60
Rosenthaler Strasse 13 | Mitte | +493028386835
Almost daily from 21:00

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

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

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

Close your eyes and imagine Sheherezade and her 1001 stories. Imagine her in an interior with tall walls, diffuse light, columns, cushions on the floor and exotic aromas.

The good part about this imagined place is that it has a physical address in the middle of Berlin, Im Palais, next to Unter den Linden. It is a hidden tea room with small tables and places to sit on the floor. Each tea has its own story.

Do not be afraid to enter the palace-looking-like house. You will find the tea room on the first floor, where the white-marble-building will open into a comfortable and warm space. You’ll get a feeling of crossing over.

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Tadshikische Teestube | Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Herb tea € 2.80
Am Festungsgraben 1 | Mitte | +49302041112
Mon – Fri 17:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 15:00 – 00:00

One play I have seen there some time ago was a jam session and had an improvised open ending, which slowly transformed into a competition: who will last longer? The actors improvising on the stage, or the spectators invited already to leave? It was not until after midnight that the curtain was down.

Volksbuehne is an experimental theatre. Like any experimental endeavor, it is not for everybody. Expect most of the times live filming, simultaneous video projections and loud music.

The theatre has another small stage in Kastanienallee, the Volksbuehne im Prater. This is right next to the Prater beer garden, which is a delight during warm days. Besides the great plays, there is a wonderful gigantic wooden table next to the bar in the Volksbuehne im Prater. While waiting to enter the play, the spectators can sipp a drink around this table – this circle gives an uncanny warm feeling and it creates a familiarity among people who haven’t met before.

Note: The plays are in German.

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Volksbuehne | Bars, Relaxing, Theaters | Students € 3.50
Linienstraße 227 | Mitte | +4930240655
Plays almost every day of the week