t Food with a view at legendary department store KaDeWe
t Food with a view at legendary department store KaDeWe
Kaufhaus des Westens, or KaDeWe, is the largest department store in Europe. It was built in 1907 to a design by Emil Schaudt, but it has been extended several times. From the very beginning it was Berlin’s most exclusive department store, with a slogan that ran “In our shop a customer is a king, and the king is a customer”. After World War II, KaDeWe became the symbol of the economic success of West Berlin.
You can buy everything here; however, the main attraction must be the Food Hall, a gourmet’s paradise, with exotic fruits and vegetables, live fish and seafood, 100 varieties of tea, more than 2,400 wines and a host of other gastronomic delights. KaDeWe also has a restaurant, the Wintergarten.
The three-floor Bikinihaus Mall, named for the 1950s building that houses it, has an inspired feature: its ground floor houses 70 wooden “pop-ups”, crate-like mini-shops that independent stores can rent for up to a year. This keeps things fresh and exciting while the surrounding brand outlets – Carhaart, Scotch & Soda, Gant – offer a solid range of mid-range fashion and home design.
The Europa-Center stands on the site of the legendary Romanisches Café, a famous meeting place for Dada artists in the 1920s. The current building dates from 1965, and since that time it has been one of the largest complexes of its type in the whole of Germany. Designed by Helmut Hentrich and Hubert Petschnigg, it comprises a group of low-rise buildings housing a trade centre, numerous restaurants and pubs, the deluxe Hotel Palace Berlin and the political cabaret Die Stachelschweine.
Around the Center are some intriguing fountains, including the “Flow of Time Clock”, designed by Bernard Gitton. Seconds, minutes and hours are measured in vials and spheres of green liquid.
GREAT VIEWS
As well as amazing cocktails, the Monkey Bar at the 25hours Hotel Bikini has a wrap-around terrace with excellent views over the adjacent zoo and Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche.
This is one of the most important streets for trade and commerce in this part of Berlin. Some shops here are not as expensive or as elegant as on Kurfürstendamm – but they attract more visitors for this reason. One of the highlights of the street is the unusual façade of the department store Peek & Cloppenburg. Designed by Gottfried Böhm, the walls of the building are covered with transparent, gently slanting and undulating “aprons”.
Also unmissable, literally, is the amazing sculpture, Berlin. Representing the divided Berlin of the Wall era, it was installed in 1987 to mark the 750th anniversary of the city.
Zoo Berlin is one of Berlin’s greatest attractions and many animal “stars” are to be found here. Part of the Tiergarten, it dates from 1844, which makes it the oldest zoo in Germany. You can enter from Hardenbergplatz through the Lion’s Gate, and from Budapester Strasse through the decorative Oriental-style Elephant Gate.
The zoo offers a number of attractions, including the monkey house, with its family of gorillas, and a darkened pavilion for nocturnal animals. The hippopotamus pool has a glazed wall so they can be seen underwater. Since 2017, the zoo has also been home to a pair of giant pandas. The aquarium, one of the largest in Europe, contains sharks, piranhas and unusual animals from coral reefs. There is also a huge terrarium with an over-grown jungle that is home to a group of crocodiles.
t One of Berlin Zoo’s two giant pandas, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, on loan from China
Society and art photographer Helmut Newton (1931–2004) bequeathed his life’s work to the city of Berlin. Newton, who was born and received his first training as a photographer in Berlin, became one of the 20ths century’s most well-known photographers with his stark black-and-white images of nudes and portraits of the rich and famous.
This museum serves as the city’s museum of photography, and is constantly expanding its collections. It displays photographs dating back to the 19th century, and its exhibits on Newton contain selections of his work – including fashion and landscapes – as well as a collection of his cameras.
Experience Around Kurfürstendamm
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STAY Hotel Zoo Right on the Ku’damm, this former mansion became an upscale hotel in 1911. It houses a grand living room and a lovely rooftop terrace. E7 ⌂ Kurfürsten-damm 25 ∑ hotelzoo.de ¡¡¡ 25hours Hotel Bikini This trend-setting hotel has rooms that overlook the adjacent zoo, plus a buzzing top-floor bar and restaurant. F7 ⌂ Budapester Strasse 40 ∑ 25hours-hotels.com ¡¡¡ Waldorf Astoria A slick five-star with luxurious rooms and glamorous spa, as well as an American-themed cocktail bar and fine dining. E7 ⌂ Hardenberg-strasse 28 ∑ waldorfastoriaberlin.de ¡¡¡ |
t The magnificent façade of the Theater des Westens, matched by an equally opulent interior
The Theater of the West, one of the most picturesque of all Berlin’s theatres, was built in 1896 to a design by Bernhard Sehring. The composition of its façade links Neo-Classical elements with Palladian and Art Nouveau details. The interior of the theatre has been designed in a splendid Neo-Baroque style, while the back and the section that houses the stage have been rebuilt within a Neo-Gothic structure, incorporating the decorative elements of a chess set.
From its very beginning the theatre focused on lighter forms of musical entertainment. Operettas and vaudeville have been staged here, and in more recent times musicals such as Les Misérables. Some of the world’s greatest stars have appeared on the stage here, including Josephine Baker, who performed her famous banana dance in 1926. Near the theatre is the renowned Delphi cinema and popular jazz club Quasimodo.
Savignyplatz is enclosed on the south side by the arcade of a railway viaduct, under which Sally (Liza Minnelli) and Brian (Michael York) scream in the film Cabaret by Bob Fosse. During the day the square does not look interesting – there are no remarkable buildings, only carefully tended greenery and flowerbeds. However, the area around the square truly comes alive at night, when the dozens of cafés and restaurants fill up. During summer, the entire edge of Savignyplatz and neighbouring streets turn into one big garden filled with tables and umbrellas. People come from outlying districts to visit popular restaurants and cafés such as Dicke Wirtin. The arcades in the viaduct contain many cafés and bars, and one section has been taken up by the Bücherbogen bookshop.
E7 ⌂ Hardenbergstrasse 22–24 Zoologischer Garten @ 100, 200245, M49, X10, X34 # 11am–8pm daily ∑ co-berlin.org
This photography exhibition centre showcases work by renowned photographers as well as young talent, and holds artist talks, lectures and guided tours. It is housed in Amerika Haus, the former American culture and information centre, built during the international building exhibition in 1956–7 to a light and airy design by Bruno Grimmek.
The discreet charm of Fasanenstrasse, particularly between Lietzenburger Strasse and Kurfürstendamm, has attracted the most exclusive designer shops in the world. Fin-de-siècle villas set in tranquil gardens and elegant shop windows of jewellers, art galleries and fashion shops will all entice you to take an afternoon stroll along this street.
It is worth seeing the villas at No. 23–25, which are called the Wintergarten-Ensemble. The first one, No. 23, dates from 1889. Tucked away in a garden, the villa is home to the Literaturhaus, which organizes interesting exhibitions and readings. It also houses an excellent café that extends into a conservatory. No. 25, built in 1892 by Hans Grisebach, accommodates an auction house and art gallery.
t Crowds outside the C/O Berlin photography exhibit centre
Because of the two nearby universities (Berlin University of the Arts and the Technical University of Berlin), this square was a popular meeting place for artists, intellectuals and students in the years of West Berlin. A green oasis surrounded by beautiful architecture, the square is still a lovely meeting spot, and makes a great place to take a break between exploring the galleries between Herzallee and Kantstrasse.
The square also contains a monument dedicated to the victims of Stalinism and National Socialism. It is made of stones from Fasanenstrasse Synagogue, which was destroyed during World War II.
The Jewish Community House is the headquarters of the local Jewish community, constructed on the site of a synagogue that was burned down by the Nazis and their supporters during Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938. The new building, designed by Dieter Knoblauch and Heinz Heise, was constructed in 1959. The only reminders of the splendour of the former synagogue are the portal at the entrance to the building and some decorative fragments on the façade.
Inside there are offices and a prayer room covered by three glazed domes. At the rear there is a courtyard with a place of remembrance. There is also an emotive statue at the front of the building, depicting a broken scroll of the Torah (the holy book of Jewish law).
Experience Around Kurfürstendamm
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EAT & DRINK Lon Men’s Noodle House Family-run Taiwanese that’s small in size but big on taste. Try the dumplings or ask for the homemade noodles. D7 ⌂ Kantstrasse 33 § 030 31 51 96 78 # noon–10:30pm daily ¡¡¡ Bar am Steinplatz This famous and stylish hotel bar was a meeting place for artists in West Berlin in the 1960s. Since its rebirth in 2014 it is again attracting upmarket bar-hoppers D7 ⌂ Steinplatz 4 ∑ www.barsteinplatz.com/en |