You just never know what you’ll find at Mauerpark. You certainly wouldn’t expect to karaoke sessions on a patch of land formerly patrolled by East German guards on the Berlin Wall’s infamous death strip, but Mauerpark defies its chequered past to provide a setting for locals to let their hair down.

At any given opportunity they flock to this flat field of abused grass littered by bottle tops to meet friends, throw a frisbee, kick a ball, crack open a beer, barbeque, play boules, juggle with fire, sing, dance, walk the dog – there’s even a Hundewiese for dogs to amble around at their leisure, meet other dogs, exchange phone numbers…

A Sunday flea market provides the opportunity to buy their fleas, but for me the highlight of Mauerpark is the freedom to do whatever you want coupled with the excitement of wondering what that will be.

Perched among the weeds on top of the bank, I look around and take it all in: the murmur of chatting, clinking of bottles, a burst of laughter, the thump thump thump of a basketball, the metal clang of a score, a dog yelping, a bigger dog answering, a reggae band starts up to my right, more thump thumping, clang, applause.

A group of friends call to a lost companion and a trumpet and guitar start up. Another burst of laughter. The friend finally catches up with his pals. “Hallo!” He greets them one by one. Hey! I know that guy! Gotta go…

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Mauerpark | Relaxing | Free
Bernauer Straße 64 | Prenzlauer Berg
24 hours daily

The window is covered up by paper and the entrance hidden. It looks like a shop under construction but every minute people go in and out. This is Dr. Pong: Prenzlauer Berg’s Ping Pong-Bar.

When you enter you get the feeling that this is not an official bar but a member’s only club. The Spartan interior includes little more than a ping-pong table and some chairs. The walls are empty, but the club is crowded. Upon further exploration, you will find a bar, a small lounge and a DJ stand. No luxuries here, just a comfortable, cozy grotto that offers a remarkable alternative to all the normal bars where you just sit, stand or talk.

In the bar’s main room, people with table-tennis paddles run in circular fashion around the ping pong table. Most of the people are not professional players and some have never played before, so don’t worry if you don’t hit the ball (and as a good excuse, you can always say that beer makes you lose your body control). Anyway, there is always a new round, which gives you the chance to show your hidden talent.

One of the bar’s owner’s interests is, according to the bar’s manifesto, “losing the definition between game/sport and partying”. A “healthy addiction” to beer and ping pong makes you definitely want to come back to this inconspicuous place.

By the way, you don’t need to bring your own ping pong paddle; you can borrow one at the bar for a deposit of 5 euro.

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Dr. Pong | Bars, Relaxing | Beer € 2.00
Eberswalder Str. 21 | Prenzlauer Berg
Mon – Sat 20:00 – open end, Sun 14:00 – open end

The brand Zeha has actually been around for a while in Germany. Shoes were first produced under this name in the nineteenth century, and by the 1920s the most fashionable bohemians and artists in the Weimar Republic were strutting their Zehas.

In the 1950s, Zeha, now within East Germany, produced trainers for the GDR Olympic team, and by the 1960s even the Soviets were bringing home the gold in their Zehas with the two offset stripes. After the wall fell, the brand died and was forgotten about until two Berlin based designers remembered the Zeha trainers of their childhood and decided to resurrect the brand in 2002.

The shoes are available in a variety of colors and styles. The line of trainers bears their distinctive offset stripes in a funky, modern design. Their classic oxfords, with soft leather and a clean design, reflect their 1920s heritage.

Good design, quality Italian leather and that “made in Germany” logo come at a price and these shoes could leave your wallet a little lighter. But good news: in April 2011 they opened a Zeha outlet where you can buy last year’s collection and older stock at considerably discounted prices.

See their website for other locations.

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Zeha Berlin | Shopping | Shoes from € 49
Prenzlauer Allee 213 | Prenzlauer Berg | +493044034607
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 20:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

I discovered Doors by chance. Walking on Knaackstraße, I noticed ivy growing over a small bar. Almost could not read its name, but somehow the open dark room drew me in. We left it only after 3 o’clock in the night. Doors stays a classic.

The ivy crowds the facade of the bar – I wonder whether it’s a sign of age, if it grew together with the place. Maybe the ivy is meant to hide the place, keep it for the right people. Doors is a small bar packed with posters. Expect AC / DC kind of music, candle light and customers with mixed ages, starting at 20:00 every day.

Tip: Doors is a smoking bar.

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Doors Bar | Bars, Music | Hefeweizen € 3.10
Knaackstr 94 | Prenzlauer Berg | +49304427847
From 20:00 daily

Morgenrot is one of the many cafes in Kastanienallee. It has a few tables outside and self service. The atmosphere is relaxed and intimate around the small wooden tables.

What makes Morgenrot a special stop?

-One can borrow from the bar a one chess-set-lacking-a-pawn.

-One can have wonderful vegetarian brunches (until 15:00) for customer-decided-prices between 4 and 8 Euro (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays)

Additionally, the cafe hosts cultural and political discussions – it’s an open space which welcomes and supports such initiatives. This openness, the affordable prices, the great breakfasts and the vicinity to the Volksbuehne im Prater theatre (see the Volksbuehne article) make it a stop worth while.

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Café Morgenrot | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Brunch from € 4.00
Kastanienallee 85 | Prenzlauer Berg | +493044317844
Tue – Thu 12:00 – 01:00, Fri -Sat 11:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Ambling along the cobbled streets of Prenzlauer Berg, between the pretty houses, you may be surprised to stumble upon two towers rising majestically from an idyllic leafy park. Known locally as ‘Thin Hermann’ and ‘Fat Hermann’, these are in fact two water towers, Berlin’s oldest, built in 1856 and 1877 respectively, with the “fatter” in operation until 1952.

It housed its workers in novel apartments and these are much sought after as living quarters to this day. In 1933 opponents of the Nazis were rounded up and held without trial in a now-demolished machine house before being murdered. Surrounding street names recall the resistance.

Dark past notwithstanding, the small park itself is beautiful, home to the snazziest kids’ playground I’ve ever seen (with trampolines!) and a short stroll up the mound (built on the former water storage tank) to the skinnier tower offers great views of the locality and my beloved Fernsehturm (the TV tower). See the Fernsehturm article.

Benches invite quiet contemplation and rabbits hop nonchalantly around the shrubbery. I tried talking to them but they just hopped away – typical Berliners. Never mind. No part of Berlin’s beauty is complete without the garish grounding of its graffiti and the bottom of the tower bears the marks of street artists.

Faraway sounds of the city: construction work, the rumbling of car tyres on cobbles, the laughter of children in the park’s Kita (Kindergarten), drift up from below, but these just reinforce the fact that here, you really are away from it all.

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Wassertürme P’Berg | Relaxing | Free
Knaackstraße, 23 | Prenzlauer Berg
24 hours daily

I love their concept: Every night a DJ, comfy seating, concise design, cheap beer.

The first time I entered I was so surprised about the atmosphere. A room that is completely soaked in reddish and orange illumination, walls that are covered with cool photos printed on canvas and flowers on the tables. I got a nice feeling about “Zu mir oder zu dir” (engl. “To my place or to your place”).

I quickly felt comfortable. It must have been the designer’s priority to have cosily designed couches and chairs. It seems here one is much rather supposed to lay down than to sit.

The music is not at all too loud but always contributes perfectly to my mood. I wanted to give tips to the DJ for playing such good music but he refused: He is hired anyway. I heard him playing anything between minimal techno and “Mack the Knife”. But it always works. Nothing for dancing, but for chilling out.

More impressions about the venue: Check the website – “Impressionen” includes the slide show.

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Zu mir oder zu dir | Bars | Beer 0.5 l € 2.50
Lychener Str. 15 | Prenzlauer Berg
From 20:00 – open end daily

Kulturbrauerei 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 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

Throughout the past few years, Prenzlauerberg has gained a reputation for being more family oriented than an area with good vibrant nightlife. But there are still a few places up there that I frequent when I’m in the mood to have a late night out…

Every time I walk into Soupanova I feel the urge to giggle. It might be the clashing colors: yellow, orange, green, red, pink, lilac…or the Indonesian light ornaments and all the mirrors around that reflect them, the flower stamped chairs, or maybe just the bartenders who always seem to welcome people with a big smile and a little giggle to go with it. I guess I like it because all the colors and flower ornaments around suddenly get me in a good mood….like being invited into someone’s living room somewhere in a warm part of the world.

The place consists of three rooms: Chill room, bar room, and live music / DJs / reading room with a nice flowery stage. Anything can happen in the third one. Sometimes, if the occasion calls for it, they have karaoke! They serve freestyle food, a mix between Indonesian, Thai and Indian, like dumplings and the famous ‘Intersoup’ with coconut milk. They have cocktails, spirits and fresh juice. The only down side is that they only have two kinds of beer. But the vibe there is always nice, and whenever the weather permits it, they have outside sofas.

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Soupanova | Bars, Music, Snacks, Restaurants | Snacks € 4.50
Stargarder str. 24 | Prenzlauer Berg
From 18:00 daily