CENTRAL BERLIN

STRAUSBERGER PLATZ

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DDR limited: Central Berlin Gallery to open at Strausberger Platz

On 19.03. the wait is over! “CentralBerlin – DDR limited Gallery” at Strausberger Platz is celebrating its launch with an opening party. And what should you expect? Well, everything and anythingconnected with Mid-Century architecture and interior design!

Interior designer Stephan Schilgen,who has employed a number of design classics in order to recreate the lookand feel of DDR living, has lovingly crafted the gallery’s look. The three “roomboxes” immerse the gallery's visitors in the atmosphere of East German home interiors.Typical home accessories help to conjure up the gallery's authentic feel. Theseinclude an authentic Peter Rockel chandelier from the former DDR Ministry forConstruction and Public Works, and sections of the metal ceiling from thenightclub at Café Moskau. The gallery's exhibits include a range of original furniture and lamps from the early days of the DDR as well as from the former Eastern bloc states, USA, France, Italy and German Federal Republic.

One of the opening party's highlights will be the launch of the book “CENTRAL BERLIN - DDR limited” by the publisher Gestalten Verlag. The authors, Stephan Schilgen and Andre M. Wyst, have collated an extensive selection of photographs and fascinating facts related to interior design in the DDR. Sounds interesting? You can order your copy here.

You are also more than welcome to pop into the gallery during its opening hours:

Wednesday to Friday, 12:00-18:00 Visits on Saturdays and at other times can be arranged by: Tel.: [phone] Email: [email protected]

Here's where to find the gallery: CENTRAL BERLIN - DDR limited – Gallery Strausberger Platz 16-18 10243 Berlin Homepage: www.centralberlin.de

We look forward to seeing you!

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Gorgeously green

Berlin has more green spaces than any other major European city. You might almost say it's as much a park as it is a city. And the same is true in and around Strausberger Platz.

image courtesy of derProjektor / photocase.de

But first a confession: I suffer from hay fever. And ten years ago, when I moved to Strausberger Platz, I thought to myself, here you are safe. Ha! Then along came spring and plants exploded to life right outside my door. Karl-Marx-Allee: eight lanes with roughly 50,000 cars rushing along it every single day – you just don't get more urban than this. So what are blossoming Magnolias doing right outside my door? That's just how it is! The most beautiful of all possible sights: the petals drifting like snow across the Allee. And the lime trees, lined up like an honor guard extending to Alexanderplatz, swaying gently in the breeze.

image courtesy of Koosinger / photocase.de

The view of the architecture, unshielded by bare trees throughout the winter, is changing: from a display of extraordinary buildings in winter, a transformation into space literally full of life takes place as summer approaches. And all of Berlin is like this. Winters along the River Spree are – and this is putting it mildly – something to get used to. But spring and summer in Berlin, with more green spaces than any other major European city, see an explosion of color and life. And at the heart of it all: Strausberger Platz.

image courtesy of drsg98 / fotolia.com

The green spaces along Karl-Marx-Allee and at Strausberger Platz are not much more than little luxuries, with botany relegated to the background. For now! Because the urban development plan for 2016 wants to conjure up a greened central reservation all the way from the parking areas at Strausberger Platz to Alexanderplatz. Where cars are currently the stars, trees will soon be lined up. This certainly stimulates the imagination: How about, for example, if the whole stretch of road was switched from above ground to an underground tunnel? We'd have space for another park...but that's just an idea. And, when you think about the area around Strausberger Platz, maybe there's no need for yet another park. The area around Strausberger Platz, I hear you ask? Exactly! This is where you'll find Weydemeyerstraße, running directly parallel to Karl-Marx-Allee. A street where GDR history rubs shoulders with contemporary Berlin. Does the word „Plansche“ mean anything to you? No? Then here goes: while Germany was divided, the government of East Germany – at least when it had the money – installed paddling pools (Plantschbecken) in urban areas for children to play in. These pools soon became known as „Plansche“ among locals. There's a perfectly functional „Plansche“ to the rear of Strausberger Platz and another one (please, please, please!) is due to be restored at some point very soon.

The pools are the city. Are green. Are life.

image courtesy of emoji / photocase.de

Sunny afternoons, playful, soaked-to-the-skin kids splashing through the fountain as their parents chat nearby. A scene you'd expect to find in a village, but one that is actually taking place in the middle of an urban metropolis. As soon as the first serious sunshine hits the city you'll see Friedrichshain's fanatical nudists stretched out alongside families barbecuing in the park. Speaking of barbecues: barbecuing is a hot topic in Berlin. Even the country's president, in his official residence at Schloß Bellevue, is not safe from the wafting scent of sausages sizzling on the barbecue.

image courtesy of kallejipp / photocase.de

A representative online study recently asked 20,000 nationals from 20 developed and developing countries to rate the quality of life in 50 different countries. Which country came first? Germany! And why? An afternoon in Friedrichshain and at one of the paddling pools is explanation enough! There's togetherness. There's greenery. And there's (lots of) laughter.

author: Andreas Tölke

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In the footsteps of the GDR: Ostalgie in Berlin

You don't have to go too far in Berlin to discover the traces and scars of the city's history. For Ostalgie fans, nostalgic for aspects of life in East Germany, the city has a great deal to offer. For those who want to take a stroll in the footsteps of the GDR, here are a number of sights and attractions that should definitely not be missed.

image courtesy of FOTOliziös / photocase.de

The DDR Museum: Get up close with the GDR

One of the city's first ports of call for those with an interest in all things East German is Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1, close to the Berlin Dom cathedral: this is where the DDR museum is located. This interactive museum is one of Berlin's most popular attractions. The museum offers its visitors the chance to get an impression of everyday life in the GDR. The museum is all about creating a real GDR feeling and offers visitors the hands-on experience of rummaging in the cupboards and drawers of an authentically furnished GDR living room, finding out about the state education system and getting up close and personal with fully-functional Stasi eavesdropping equipment.

image courtesy of suze / photocase.de

Experience life in a GDR apartment at WBS 70

For those who want further impressions of life for the GDR's citizens a visit to WBS 70, a museum apartment, is a must. The apartment, in a typical high-rise Plattenbau block in Hellersdorf, is furnished with genuine East German furniture and everyday objects, including a Colorett color television in a chipboard wall unit in the living room and Rotkäppchen sparkling wine and Dederon aprons in the kitchen.

image courtesy of mrgroove / photocase.de

Staying with the topic of housing: along Karl-Marx-Allee there is one impressive "Gingerbread-style" apartment building after the other. This style of architecture was widespread on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain and there are a number of examples still to be seen across Eastern Europe. Berlin's imposing buildings have been granted protected monument status and form Germany's longest single collection of historical buildings. But what is now known as Karl-Marx-Allee, once the GDR's most impressive boulevard, is not only of interest for its historical architecture: this is also where the uprising against the GDR's government took place on 17 June 1953; an uprising that was ended when the Red Army deployed its tanks.

Relax like an East German in Café Sibylle

Karl-Marx-Allee boasts two of the GDR's cult cinemas, the Kino Kosmos and the Kino International. Kino Kosmos has 3,400 seats and was the GDR's largest cinema. Café Sibylle offers todays cinemagoers a convenient option for a pre- or post-cinema coffee. The café exhibits authentic GDR flair with original painted murals covering its walls and everyday objects from 1950s East Germany dotted around its rooms. 

image courtesy of HG Esch

Would you like to live at Strausberger Platz on Karl-Marx-Allee, in the same neighborhood as the Kino International and Café Sibylle? Let us know exactly why you want to move in here and you could win the chance to live in an apartment in a landmark, listed building for a full year, rent-free. For more details, click here.

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The Head Architect

February 3 would have been Hermann Henselmann's 110th birthday. The head architect behind Strausberger Platz, Karl-Marx-Allee and Berlin's TV Tower would have been a star in another time and place. Now it is up to us to honor his work.

Time and place are everything: had Hermann Henselmann not been active on the "wrong side" of the Berlin Wall in the 1950s, we would be talking about him today in the same way that we refer to Mies van der Rohe and Hans Sharoun. But an East German address and his monumental communist buildings were simply unacceptable. Were. Until the wall came down, no one except insiders were even familiar with the name Hermann Henselmann. And then, as the anti-fascist protection wall became porous, the first few discovered an Allee at the heart of the city.

image courtesy of Ringo Paulusch

The ensemble of 16 buildings erected during the second construction phase between 1951 – 1958 form the centerpiece of Karl-Marx-Allee and Strausberger Platz. Architecture that evokes unmitigated reactions. "Gingerbread houses" and "Fat Cat Palaces" - Karl-Marx-Allee has never been given an easy ride. Hermann Henselmann, who acted as head of the architecture committee, was naturally the center of attention. The fact that the last few years have seen a swing of opinions in favor of the Allee has meant that he has finally earned the respect he was always due. He would have celebrated his 110th birthday this February. Under the Nazi regime this German of Jewish ancestry was allowed to run his own office. He was a carpenter who completed his studies immediately after his first apprenticeship. A thoroughly German biography: shaken by an evil dictatorship and the Second World War and given only one choice in the aftermath: rebuild.

image courtesy of jock+scott / photocase.de

Hermann Henselmann drew from his experiences and dedicated himself to the things he believed were the only way to create a better world. A world with vision, a world of workers and farmers, in which everyone is truly equal. An experiment that rightly failed as the GDR collapsed after 45 years. But through his architecture, Henselmann has left a monument to this vision. Approaching from Alexanderplatz, with the TV Tower on your left, to the right you will see the Haus des Lehrers (House of the Teacher). The mosaic fascia depicts craftsmen and scientists. The facade has been renovated and the white tiles at the base of the building’s frontage reflect the evening sunlight as if it were silver. "Why shouldn't workers and farmers have the finer things in life?" Henselmann may well have asked himself. He was, after all, a bit of a playboy. He fathered eight children with his wife Irene, who shortly before her death told me that the nights filled with intense conversation (and a glass or two of wine) could never be long enough for him.

image courtesy of Ringo Paulusch

Hermann Henselmann was a strict man, above all, strict with himself. His goal: to create housing and urban spaces for a traumatized population. His approach: create a contrast to modernism. Which is exactly what you see at Strausberger Platz: tiles, inlays, projections and reliefs are not incorporated simply as decorative flourishes, they are there to make this large space – sorry to say it – cozy: an absolute taboo for his western contemporaries. Pure, naked architecture had to be functional. It's not that one was better than the other; it is simply a matter of two quite different approaches to the task.

image courtesy of jock+scott / photocase.de

The fact that Hanselmann's approach has never been duly honored is down to a simple historical burden: he was – as mentioned earlier – on the wrong side of the Wall. Even today he is not always viewed in relation to his work but often as a slavishly loyal assistant to the power struggles of his day. Of course, we can (and actually should) consider the context in which architecture is created. With Zaha Hadid's commission from the dictatorship in Azerbaijan, even if it ends up being the most beautiful building she has ever created, there is nevertheless a sense of bad taste involved. Hermann Henselmann – in his defense – lived at a time when the scars of the Second World War were still fresh. The serious vision to which he dedicated himself was twisted into a state of injustice by a corrupt system. A system that classified Henselmann as a "decadent bohemian with a chaotic private life." And the bohemian dared to discuss things! "Tired and formulaic pronouncements such as Architecture in the West is a slave to capitalism and is therefore bad´ orEverything that emerges from a right angle is formalist´ don't bring us forward," he wrote. Brave. And yet he still sought to define a kind of socialist architecture. In February he would have been 110. And his definition of socialist architecture is little by little gaining the recognition it deserves.

author: Andreas Tölke

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Be an author and live rent free at Strausberger Platz in Berlin for a whole year!

Have you always wanted to move to Berlin - the colorful, trend-setting capital that is home to the most start-ups and the liveliest cultural scenes? Then grab your pen (or hit your keyboard) and tell us exactly why you would like to live at Strausberger Platz , and what you would like to report on there as a blogger.

You can write in German or in English and will be in with the chance to win a rent-free apartment at Strausberger Platz, in the heart of what was once East Berlin, for a full year! 

Once you have moved in, your have the opportuninty to tell the world about your experiences: Report for the Eastern Blog and tell us how it feels to live there – about the things you see and the people you meet.

History has been made here and you could become a part of it!

image courtesy of jock+scott / photocase.de

How can you enter? You have until 23 March 2015 to submit your text about Strausberger Platz via lottery.centralberlin.de/. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 years and over. The winner will be selected by the jury of Einar Skjerven (CEO of Skjerven Group) Christian Tänzler (Press Officer for VisitBerlin) and Andreas Tölke (Author). Awaiting the winner is an authentically modernized three-room apartment on the first floor of  one of Strausberger Platz's impressive apartment buildings. The 73-square-meter apartment offers much more than a bright kitchen and a fully-equipped, modern bathroom with a bathtub; it also offers a unique view out over Strausberger Platz and its landmark “floating ring” fountain. The jury will announce the lucky winner in the beginning of April and the apartment in central Berlin will be ready for the winner to move into for a year from May 1.

image courtesy of noctem / photocase.de

Why the prize draw? To give you a taste of history! With this international apartment lottery the Skjerven Group is building on the momentous history of Strausberger Platz and Karl-Marx-Allee. Back when this was part of East Germany many of the apartments around Strausberger Platz were also allocated by lottery. This last great European boulevard was constructed in the fifties as part of the German Democratic Republic's development program. In return for helping with the reconstruction work (either 300 hours or 100 half-shifts), the GDR's citizens were entered into the draw for one of the coveted apartments. Some 40,000 volunteer workers took part.

image courtesy of mathias the dread / photocase.de

YOU WANT TO LIVE RENT-FREE IN BERLIN FOR A WHOLE YEAR WHILE WRITING ABOUT LIFE THERE? CLlCK HERE TO TAKE PART!

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Living History

In 2012 Berlin's Senate, under the auspices of the current Mayor Michael Müller, applied for Karl-Marx-Allee - including Strausberger Platz - to be added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. And rightly so!

image courtesy of Goulden / photocase.de

The wheels may be turning slowly, but the jackpot is worth waiting for: the recognition of Karl-Marx-Allee as a world heritage site. UNESCO's list of worldwide cultural and natural monuments is not an especially long one - just over a thousand sites have been deemed worthy. Incidentally, UNESCO owes its existence to a German - the forestry scientist, Bernd von Droste zu Hülshoff.  

image courtesy of s.schabbach / photocase.de

The route onto the World Heritage list involves successfully navigating a committee of 21 members representing all continents and cultures. The committee sets the bar for acceptance very high and, once on the list, sites are always under the microscope. This constant review process led to the first ever delisting of a site in 2007: a wildlife sanctuary for the Arabian Oryx antelope in Oman was taken off the list after it was decided to reduce the size of the reserve by 90%. The award of the World Heritage title comes with an obligation to preserve a site. This is just as true for architectural monuments. In the case of Karl-Marx-Allee (together with Strausberger Platz), the listing would secure the architectural ensemble once and for all, especially given Germany's seriousness in relation to world heritage designations. The Allee is already an architectural monument. Signs along the street announce to visitors that they are standing on "Europe's longest architectural monument". The stretch between Strausberger Platz and Proskauer Straße measures 2.5km in a straight line. The signs certainly help to enhance the current UNESCO application. 

It also helps that there are two very special architectural situations in Berlin, arising from the ideological ping-pong between East and West. Applying as a "double pack" reflects this. To the west is the Hansa Quarter, created in 1957 as a response to Karl-Marx-Allee and erected as part of the International Construction Exhibition. With designs by architects such as Alvar Aalto, Egon Eiermann, Walter Gropius, Arne Jacobsen and Oscar Niemeyer, the Hansa Quarter is a demonstration of the diversity of modernity, whereas in the East it was decorative, regional historicism, under the stewardship of Herrmann Henselmann, which dominated.

image courtesy of Delpixel / fotolia.de

There is no other site on Earth where architecture and urban development were so shaped by the political confrontation between East and West as these two quarters in Berlin. The fall of the Berlin Wall transformed these conflicting buildings into complementary architectural ensembles. Political systems made tangible through architecture; because power has always liked to create monuments. It is not only the fact that the two quarters are so close to each other (less than thirty minutes from Strausberger Platz to the Hansa Quarter by car) that makes them so special: it is the housing conditions, living spaces for people, created according to wildly different political and philosophical approaches that (should) make this a World Heritage Site. A smidgen of understanding and sensitivity are required to appreciate the extraordinary aspects of these two opposing architectural poles.

image courtesy of HG Esch

The fact that there is an ever-increasing readiness to recognize these unique architectural features is noticeable along Karl-Marx-Allee and at Strausberger Platz. The residents are getting younger and younger and there are waiting lists for apartments; this is now regarded as one of Berlin's "hippest" addresses. Both sites fully deserve the World Heritage Site title - and as a mixed double, the pairing is unbeatable.

author: Andreas Tölke

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Dinner is served!

On and around Strausberger Platz there is a culinary scene that ranges from locales known only to insiders to absolute hot spots: both surprising and diverse.

image courtesy of Osawa /photocase.de

Two tables can be seen on the small terrace. Surrounding them: greenery. A place of tranquility. Just a minute, have we taken a wrong turn somewhere? Not at all! The other side of Strausberger Platz is just the same. As a constant stream of traffic flows along the main road, guests occupy the tables at Lotos Café- in another world entirely. The café may belong to a Buddhist organization, but this doesn't mean that you have to wrap up in an orange-colored Pali in order to unwind here. Instead, what you will find here is one of Berlin's most sensational vegetarian kitchens - unpretentious, down to earth and using only the freshest local, exclusively organic produce. How about tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, or roasted pumpkin in rosemary cream sauce, for example? There are no evangelical vegetarians waiting to pounce on guests, simply a kitchen team that wants nothing more than to cook delicious food. Of course, there are tables inside, too. It might not exactly be a temple of design, but it is friendly.

image courtesy of jala / photocase.de

A mano has established itself with more fanfare. The location at Strausberger Platz 2 is an ambitious one, previously not so well exploited. The previous restaurateur, a molecular chef, was only successful at driving diners away. The restaurant's neighbors were initially downhearted, but their spirits were cheered when a Mano, an Italian restaurant offering first-rate cuisine, moved in three years ago. White linen, red cloth (!) napkins, perfectly laid tables - in the warm summer months al fresco dining in the shade of the large oak trees on the expansive terrace - a narrow red carpet and fresh flowers. The ambience, especially in the evenings when lanterns illuminate the path, the loving decoration and the pretty much perfect menu! From business lunches to meals of multiple courses: sempre italiano. Vesuvio, almost directly opposite, is the more casual variant; down to earth, rustic and adored by locals who fancy nothing more than a tasty, quick pizza in the evening.

image courtesy of cydonna - photocase.de

Of course, there are also disappointments. If we are being honest, the 100 plus items on HuaTing's menu can be more than a little scary. Convenience food rouses suspicions, as does glutamate. There are, thankfully, alternatives. Devotees of Asian cuisine will be very happy at the nearby Curcuma restaurant.

The second disappointment: the food at Haus Berlin at Strausberger Platz 1 leaves much to be desired. A refreshing beer on the terrace, with its view of the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz, is however a different matter entirely. 

image courtesy of jala / photocase.de

Maybe it's just that your humble author sets the bar too high... but, on the other side of the square there is an organic store, which makes really tasty (by Berlin standards) bread rolls that can be eaten in a cozy alcove and washed down with a good cup of coffee. Incidentally, coffee is a bit of a blind spot around here. So, if there is a restaurateur reading this: we, the residents of Strausberger Platz, would love a nice café on our doorstep. Being totally honest, this really is a first world, luxury complaint. Especially as it is a mere five-minute walk to Volkspark Friedrichshain where Café Schönbrunn, a first-class restaurant and one of Berlin's culinary highlights, is as much of a visitor magnet as the extensive greenery of the park. Centrally situated, Schönbrunn offers Austrian cuisine, a sizeable beer garden and a tempting, if rather limited, menu. The café's charm is impossible to deny, with its 1950s garden furniture and bright red cushions offering a hearty, charming welcome. And this is something that applies to all of the restaurants and cafés around Strausberger Platz: every single guest is made to feel completely welcome.

author: Andreas Tölke

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Kino International: Combining tradition with an extraordinary atmosphere

Hand illustrated film posters, champagne-colored sequins, imposing crystal chandeliers and a panoramic foyer - the GDR's functionaries certainly put everything they had into the Kino International. Situated halfway along Karl-Marx-Allee, between Alexanderplatz and Strausberger Platz, Kino International was the GDR's premier cinema and one of its architectural highlights. With its light and spacious architecture, this freestanding, three-storey reinforced concrete building is a stylistic departure from the area's prevailing Stalinist architecture. Josef Kaiser designed the building that has become a testament to modernist architecture and is now a designated monument. Sensitive renovation of the cinema means that today's filmgoers can experience the atmosphere of a bygone era.   

image courtesy of Daniel Horn / Yorck Kinogruppe

On the subject of history: Kino International got off to a mixed start. Everybody who was anybody, including the Mayor Friedrich Ebert, the Soviet Ambassador Pjotr Abrassimov, and the State and Party leader Walter Ulbricht and his wife Lotte, attended the cinema’s opening night on 15 November 1963. The 17.5-meter wide giant screen stood ready to be graced by the Soviet epic "Optimistic Tragedy". But the copy of the film had been produced at the very last minute and was still too wet and too heavy for the projection equipment. Or the film had not been transported or stored correctly and was too brittle and cracked - here the legends differ. For whatever reason, the film ripped twice in the first act, and there were more technical mishaps to come. "And this is the latest technology?" is what the first man of the GDR is supposed to have muttered in disbelief, just loudly and clearly enough to be understood by those around him.   

image courtesy of Daniel Horn / Yorck Kinogruppe

But what was born in catastrophe soon took its place in history. The cinema offered cinematic gems such as "Spur der Steine" ("Trace of Stones") with Manfred Krug and Liza Minnelli dancing her way through "Cabaret", Fellini’s "Ginger and Fred" and the (instantly) censored "Die Kommisarin". Konrad Wolf's "Solo Sunny" had the cinema's most successful run, drawing 100,000 viewers - a film still regarded as a classic today. The last ever film premiere in the GDR took place on the day the Berlin Wall fell: Heiner Carow's "Coming Out" challenged its audience with the subject of homosexuality just as the country's borders were opening to the West. But the Kino International was more than just a cinema. As well as housing a library and the Oktoberklub's offices there was a stately lounge in the building's basement, a place for state functionaries to socialize before and after film premieres. Even in the period immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall the cinema's top floor hosted Klub International, a venue for official events as well as legendary performances by musicians such as Feeling B and Bayon.   

image courtesy of froodmat / photocase.de

A large number of filmmakers still choose the cinema to host their premieres because of its unique atmosphere. In February 1990, the Berlinale - Berlin's International Film Festival - nominated Kino International as one of its select cinemas. It is definitely worth experiencing a film from the comfort of one of the cinema's plush blue chairs, if only to soak up the cinema's rich tradition and unique atmosphere.

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It is the people who count: Who actually lives at Strausberger Platz?

Distinctive architecture attracts distinctive people. In this, Strausberger Platz is no different from Shanghai's French Quarter or New York's Meatpacking District. Authors, filmmakers, architects - as well as regular folk who don’t want to live somewhere regular - populate these hot spots.

image courtesy of kallejipp / photocase.de

I moved to Strausberger Platz more than ten years ago. What were my alternatives in Berlin? None. And how did my friends react? "The traffic!" "There's nothing going on in that part of town!" And now? The words Strausberger Platz barely have to leave my mouth before the eyes around me begin to roll - in amazement! And everyone, and I do mean everyone, insists that they will simply have to see my apartment. Strausberger Platz has gone from "not" to "hot" in less than a decade! Before the fall of the Berlin Wall things were not much different. The street was built with rubble left behind in the wake of World War II. Everyone working double shifts won the right to take part in a lottery for one of the apartments. Rumors that it only "big shots" were allowed to live at Strausberger Platz are wide of the mark.

image courtesy of jock+scott / photocase.de

One of the first tenants, Mrs. Weißbrot, who sadly passed away a few years ago, admitted in a frank interview, "My husband and I didn't think we could afford the two hundred Mark rent for a 110 square meter apartment." She ended up spending more than 50 years living here, moving numerous times within the same building. They were, and still are, the residents: hairdressers, mid-ranking civil servants - the so-called "regular folk". But there were, and still are, more famous residents. Professor Walter Heynowsky, for example. One of the GDR's most highly acclaimed filmmakers, he caused a stir in the West with sensational documentary films, including "The Laughing Man - Confessions of a Murderer" about a mercenary in the Congo in the 1960s. Lutz Rathenow is another. Living behind the Iron Curtain, this poet was only permitted to write children's books, anything else was taboo. Today there are documentaries detailing his life - he was a driving force behind the movement that toppled the system - as a civil rights activist and (underground) writer. What has his main occupation since the fall of the wall been? He's Saxony's State Commissioner for the Stasi Archives, the authority that investigates and reappraises the dictatorship.

image courtesy of doesnotcare / photocase.de

Retail staff and intellectuals share the same corridors - a healthy, normal mix that hasn't changed much over the years. It's just that today it is the Der Spiegel magazine columnist who shares a corridor with the hair stylist. Or it's the architect that lives next door to a psychology student in an apartment that used to be her parents. Or even Andreas Bartsch, with more than 80 theater and opera productions at more than 20 national and state theaters to his name, he is one of the most active on the theater scene. And he still finds time to write books and work as a lecturer. Bartsch is best buddies with the Dandy who once ran the Roter Salon club at the Volksbühne Theater on Rosa Luxemburg Platz. They regularly organized joint readings in the house, attended by an illustrious circle of friends. Andreas Bartsch now organizes this salon on his own, proving that there is still life in this Strausberger Platz tradition, a tradition that is constantly being reinvented.

image courtesy of HG Esch

The same can be said for the salon hosted by Ingrid Roosen-Trinks. She is one of the art world's permanent fixtures, a member of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation and current Director and Curator of the Hamburg Art Week. Ingrid is one of Berlin's finest hostesses and visiting her home can be compared to visiting an exhibition of the highest class of contemporary art. And she is not the only one contributing to a bohemian revival. Over time a salon culture has developed in which one quality is prized above all else: discretion. You won't find a single story in any of the city's tabloids reporting on it. Isn't that simply wonderful? Strausberger Platz may be one of Berlin's most prominent places, but only insiders know what truly goes on behind the buildings' facades. Invitations are highly coveted and not one of the guests goes home less than deeply impressed. At Strausberger Platz, glamor is more than just superficial.

author: Andreas Tölke

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Geometric Design: FvF Explores Modernist Berlin With Sunah Choi

Artist Sunah Choi shows us the traces of Soviet history and modernist design around her neighborhood at Strausberger Platz in Berlin. Sunah reflects on the changes in the area - the constant flux is an important source of inspiration in her work.

Apart from accompanying us to her favorite spots in her Kiez, Sunah also invites us into her tranquil home, where man-made materials are contrasted with natural materials - on Freunde von Freunden.

Thank you Rachael Vance and Philipp Langenheim!

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Post- 1945 art: A fleeting moment of freedom

In the aftermath of World War II, artists living in the Soviet-occupied zone initially aligned themselves to classical modernism. Art condemned by the Third Reich as degenerate, such as Expressionism, New Objectivity, Dadaism or avant-garde, experienced a brief renaissance. Alongside the philosopher Ernst Bloch and returning exiled writers Bert Brecht, Anna Seghers and Arnold Zweig, the former Expressionist Johannes R. Becher quickly became the central figure of cultural events.

image courtesy of HG Esch

No more black and white dead fish

But the newly founded Republic was quick to take steps to limit artistic freedoms. The state imposed a debate on formalism and issued a mandate that required artists adhere to a political goal: the clear segregation of East German art from the decadent of art in West Germany. Debate can quickly lead to new legislation: at the 5th Plenum of the Central Committee of the SED in 1951 cultural war was declared on formalism. Walter Ulbricht did not want to see any more abstract pictures, lunar landscapes or rotting fish - not to mention gray-on-gray-painting, which was classified as the expression of capitalist decline. All this - in the opinion of the officials - should have nothing to do with the optimism of their newly formed state.

image courtesy of Pabkov, fotolia.com

Against bourgeois decadence

With the appointment of John R. Becher as the country's first Minister of Culture in 1954, formalism was fused with Socialist Realism to form the only officially valid art of the GDR. The demand for truly realistic folk art had an impact across all cultural fields: poetry, visual and performing arts, music and architecture. The resistance of numerous artists against this division into realistic = good and abstract = evil, a distinction almost identical to the one made by Third Reich collapsed in the face of the regime's strength. Following Stalin's death, the doctrine of Socialist Realism was imposed across almost all socialist countries.

image cortesy of Boris15, shutterstock.com

In the spirit of tradition: Mass-produced and yet somehow original

Socialist realism demanded topics that conformed with the overarching political ideology, presented in a style incorporating positive symbolic elements, leaning towards classicism or romanticism, combined with a (fairly) realistic representation. The level of discussion of this cultural and political diktat unfortunately often stood in stark contrast to the triviality of the art being produced. A pertinent example can be found in the songs for the masses so exclusively prevalent in socialist countries. These quite melodic and harmonic compositions, addressing revolutionary themes, were written to be easily sung at mass gatherings. The leadership was now elevating these simple pieces of music and hailing them as an entirely new genre.

image courtesy of Flügelwesen / photocase.de

Pick up your pen, buddy!

At some point, the artistic striving to experiment with new forms of expression became somehow superfluous. Instead of being allowed to spend time worrying about artistic form and substance, artists should be found more productive tasks, such as working in production at the Bitterfeld Electrochemical plant. In the early 1960s, going the "Bitterfeld Route" was used to describe an artist who worked in a factory whilst also supporting other factory workers in their own artistic endeavors. The Bitterfeld Route did initially result in a rise in the amount and quality of amateur art. However, such measures aimed at bringing professional and amateur art together quickly led to differences between the state and artists, and must ultimately to be viewed as unsuccessful - especially as the artists of the GDR were not exactly committed to increasing production levels at state owned firms.

image courtesy of mischkaarndti / photocase.de

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A work of art in the midst of art

Strausberger Platz is a work of art in urban surroundings. So, it's only logical that a lively gallery scene should have made a home for itself here.

image courtesy of jock+scott / photocase.de

"Do you know what East Germans called the fountain at Strausberger Platz?" Without waiting for my response, the taxi driver answers his own question: "The bigwigs' shower (Bonzendusche)!" Berliners can be blunt. You can be sure that a square or a building is really important when it has its own nickname: "Washing machine" for the Kanzleramt, "Pregnant oyster" for the Kongresshalle, "Tele-asparagus" for the TV-Tower at Alexanderplatz. Strausberger Platz is in the best of company. What the taxi driver perhaps forgets is that the fountain, in every sense of the word, truly is a piece of art.

image courtesy of HG Esch

A number of galleries have established themselves in the area around Franz Kuhn's "Floating Rings" fountain. There are in excess of 400 galleries in Berlin, taking advantage of the fall of the Berlin Wall to transform the city into one of the world's primary venues for contemporary art. Berlin has a number of outstanding locations for contemporary art, but Strausberger Platz is the best of the best. Nowhere else in the city can an artist set up tables under towering trees for their exhibition opening; nowhere else offers visitors so much space in and around artistic venues; and nowhere else offers such views and insights into galleries from the sidewalk. But it wasn't always like this - at the start things were very modest. In 1996, Ulrike Miebach organized three separate exhibitions in the "Concierge Box", a space amounting to not much more than 30 square meters. Residents of the tower, once known as "House of the Child" and now famous as "Henselmann Tower" (named after the architect), exhibited photographic works by Dr. Motte, the Love Parade founder, Stephan Köhler, an artistic architectural photographer, and Andreas Mühe. The series of exhibitions began with the works of Andreas Mühe, son of the Oscar-winning actor Ulrich Mühe ("The Lives of Others"), who is now a celebrated star of the arts' scene. His photographs have toured the world and his portrait of Helmut Kohl, taken to mark the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, has caused a sensation.

Miles Alridge, Capital Gains, 2007, image courtesy of Contributed.de

Dame Miebach served as a lure not only to talented young artists, but also to an increasing number of gallerists who recognized the exceptional situation around Strausberger Platz. For example, Nadine Barth, exhibition curator, journalist and philosopher, initiated "Contributed", which saw the heroes of modern fashion photography display their works in a three-year series of temporary exhibitions. Rankin (who many became acquainted with via his shoots for Heidi Klum's "Germany's Next Top Model" television show), Miles Aldridge, Mary McCarntey - Nadine Barth brought the international stars, along with their hundreds of admirers, to Strausberger Platz. Her permanent gallery may have closed, but Nadine Barth still exhibits her extraordinary photographic artwork at irregular intervals a little further down Karl-Marx-Allee.

Kunst im Heim, (Groupshow), October 31 - December 17, 2008, image courtesy of Roman März, capitainpetzel.de

The frequent comings and goings at Strausberger Platz may be a source of irritation to some, but it is symptomatic of Berlin, a city in transition, and symptomatic of a space at the very heart of goings on. And, alongside so much movement, there is also stability: in 2008, the gallerist Capitain Petzel took up residence in a futuristic cube at the entrance to Strausberger Platz. The building was known in the 1960s as "Art in the Home" ("Kunst im Heim"). The display cases of this 1,300 square meter building used to house paintings, sculptures, ceramics and crafts from the most renowned manufacturers from across the Eastern bloc countries. The exhibitions today present works from great artists such as Martin Kippenberger and Robert Longo. Friedrich Petzel, owner of a gallery in Chelsea since 1993, jointly curates the exhibition space together with one of Cologne's most successful gallerists, Gisela Capitain. Limousines may bring international collectors in droves to Art Weekend, but smaller-scale exhibition openings also take place, serving as get-togethers for insiders and art lovers.

WAGNER + PARTNER, image courtesy of monopol-magazin.de

And it is just a short walk down the street to Wagner + Partner at Strausberger Platz 8. Alongside extraordinary art, the gallery also organizes artists' talks. Roland Nachtigäller, Director of MARTa Harford, in conversation with the painter Mona Ardeleanu, Dr. Frank Schmidt, Director of the Kunsthalle in Emden, talks with the artist Thomas Wrede - these are exclusive events that accompany the exhibitions and provide unusual insights and intimate perspectives into the artists' works. Just a few meters further and you are at the gallery owned by Stephan Adamski. Around thirty visitors per day come to Strausberger Platz 3 to appreciate the art on display, approximately half of which has been created by artists from Los Angeles. "My buyers are most interested in conflict, dialogue and engagement", says Adamski. And here they've found just the right place. Everything here takes place in the shadow of the most important art publication of them all, "Texte zur Kunst", which resides in the fifth floor of the "House of the Child". The magazine does not just restrict itself to theoretical considerations of art. The editions, curated by Heft and available for relatively little money (€350), range from Kippenberger to Monica Bonvicini and are a good starting point if you are looking to create your own collection. Buyers may even be invited to collect their newly acquired work in person at the publisher's offices. A view of Strausberger Platz's galleries is included in the invitation!

author: Andreas Tölke

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Architecture of the GDR: Bauhaus, Plattenbau, Gingerbread Style

When most people are asked about GDR architecture, their thoughts turn automatically to the extensive Plattenbau projects constructed with pre-fabricated concrete slabs. It might come as something of a surprise to hear that both the architecture and the art that came out of East Germany had much more to offer than just this. The architecture of this period gave birth to buildings with a variety of styles, many of which still adorn Berlin's streets today.

image courtesy of HG Esch

Post-war (re-) construction: New styles get their chance

East German architecture expressed itself in a variety of styles. On the one hand, politics played a central role; on the other it was the economic conditions that exerted a strong influence. The destruction of large swathes of the city, focussed above all on central districts, during the Allied bombing campaigns of the Second World War, at least offered an almost blank slate for the construction of new quarters and the realization of new architectural approaches. Along Karl-Marx-Strasse - formerly Stalinallee - an architectural ensemble was erected in the Bauhaus style, surrounded by wide-ranging green spaces. The stated intention of the architect, Hans Scharoun, was to create an architectural antidote to the housing developments for workers that were widespread at the time. His extremely functional architecture was unable to gain much acceptance. His style was classified as "petit bourgeois" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and was abandoned as a result.   

image courtesy of tiefpics / photocase.de

The "Gingerbread Style" of the 1950s

The architecture of the 1950s was dominated by what has come to be known as the "Gingerbread style" or "Socialist classicism". This architecture called for buildings to be much more dominant and striking than previous objects, such as the Bauhaus buildings. The Gingerbread style, adopted across the entire Soviet region, was based upon a clear cultural and political concept, the so-called "National Elements", which had a massive influence on the architecture of the period. For example, the classical and baroque ornamentation of buildings was embraced. At the same time, one major goal was to secure higher levels of residential comfort. Buildings in the gingerbread style can still be found today both in Berlin and in a range of Eastern European countries.

image courtesy of waldmeister. / photocase.de

Plattenbau: Standardized Comfort

From the mid-1950s on, the importance of the gingerbread style waned. The main reason for this was the dramatic shortage of housing and space for housing at the time: modern, well-equipped apartments were rare and the ostentatious gingerbread buildings were simply too expensive to construct in sufficient numbers. Pre-fabricated Plattenbau developments offered a perfectly affordable and functional solution. The interiors were designed to be both modern and comfortable. No one could dispute the fact that the range of floor plans, sizes and furnishings were extremely limited: there was a sofa and a wall unit in the living room, and a dining area just inside the entrance to the kitchen. Ideas of unity and equality were reflected in the furniture, constructed as part of a unified system. Functionality was of paramount importance to the designers: despite the relatively limited space available in the apartments, the furniture and fittings should be able to satisfy general, everyday requirements.

image courtesy of Nanduu / photocase.de

One landmark building created in Berlin the 1960s has retained its status as a truly defining building: the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. Construction was completed in 1969. Towering almost 370 meters over the city, the tower is Germany's tallest building and the fourth tallest, freestanding building in Europe.

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Load the cameras, turn on the lights: Hollywood Stars at Strausberger Platz

Gray, boring, bland - winter in the big city. And then, in the midst of this growing gloom, the overwhelming glow of lights. The legendary Kino International cinema is as radiant as the brightest day.

image courtesy of giftgruen / photocase.de

Steven Spielberg is in the city. The Hollywood powerhouse is filming his latest spy thriller in and around Berlin, together with the Oscar winning actor, Tom Hanks. Putting any false modesty aside, no film shoot in Berlin can ignore Karl-Marx-Allee (including Strausberger Platz) as a location. Alongside the Museum's Island and Glienicker Bridge (where Angela Merkel visited the set), this landmark example of early 1950's architecture represents Berlin in a way that few other places do. Spielberg has made some changes around the cinema: glass cases display 1950's hats, an authentic-looking kiosk has been constructed and the street is populated by VW Type 1 and 2's and BMW 501s, affectionately know as "baroque angels". If you are eager to discover more, you won't have to wait that long as the film arrives in cinemas in autumn 2015.

image courtesy of jock+scott / photocase.de

Staying with the topic of cinema: Steven Spielberg is not the only filmmaker to realize that Karl-Marx-Allee and Strausberger Platz offer the perfect film backdrop. A few years earlier, in a similar situation, spotlights illuminated the buildings along one side of the square. Matt Damon was in town, filming the Bourne Ultimatum. Maybe one or two of you remember a scene set in Moscow? Ha! What you saw wasn't Moscow at all. It was a supermarket at the end of Lichtenberger Allee, a street proceeding from Strausberger Platz. The supermarket was "disguised" as a Russian post office. And for those of you haven't seen "Goodbye Lenin", please do so! This heart-warming and highly amusing film comes highly recommended. Katrin Sass, playing the role of a mother emerging from a coma following the fall of the Berlin Wall, walks down the street only to see a giant statue of Lenin hovering over Strausberger Platz. A scene is being shot in Strausberger Platz's renowned Italian restaurant. The interior shots feature Detlef Buck, who recently starred in "Measuring the World" ("Die Vermessung der Welt"), and the comedian Dieter Hallervorden. But they're not just here to enjoy themselves. They are filming a new commercial for Germany's Environment Agency. And the real star of the show is Strausberger Platz itself.        

image courtesy of jodofe / photocase.de

Mineral water companies have even filmed chic young men and women splashing about in the square's fountain for commercials. Germany's longest running police procedural, Tatort, also sets up shop at Strausberger Platz once a year. One of the square's residents has attached a spotlight to their balcony as a cheeky acknowledgement of how often filming takes place here. And when the film crews roll in, the residents know that excitement is in store. Six months later they can enjoy the results as they settle down on a Sunday evening to watch Tatort. This is cult - not just the show, but Strausberger Platz. Room for one more? Diane Kruger sits in a taxi racing around Berlin. The film, a high-concept science-fiction movie called "Mr. Nobody", was also partly shot in Berlin - at Strausberger Platz, of course.      

image courtesy of HG Esch

Living here means being a part of the live audience. I live here. In the morning, when I take my first glance out of the window, I see tourists aiming their cameras at Strausberger Platz and the Karl-Marx-Allee, their tour guides filling them in on the details of this historical place. And if a week goes by without a team of photographers and models taking up positions in the center of the square or around the fountain with it's jets of water shooting 50 feet into the air, we start to ask ourselves whether Strausberger Platz might be on the "out". But Strausberger Platz will never be "out". This is where the past, present and future all meet. Strausberger Platz may sometimes "just" be a film set, but it is always a great place to live. A place with real Hollywood appeal.

author: Andreas Tölke

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