« Style Division Singapore | Main | Style Division - 18.12.08 »
Berlin Love: 12 Must See Places
By Destroyx | December 22, 2008
Photograph I took of some incredible graffiti near the Neurotitan shop/gallery.
Berlin has to be one of my favourite places to live in the world. Many people find it a hard city to get acquainted with, because of its seemingly rough exterior. Berlin has a ‘don’t give a fuck’ personality to it and is a city without pretension. It’s an extremely affordable city to live in and has some of the best cultural tourism in the areas of music, art and fashion.
Here is my personal guide to one of my favourite cities in the world. It’s not a definitive guide which will show you all of its historical hotspots- Lonely Planet guide does an admirable job of that. Instead this guide highlights some of the hidden treasures that I uncovered during my stay in Berlin with a focus on art and music.
1) Best Bookstore & Underground Art Gallery: Neurotitan
Neurotitan is the coolest underground book store and art gallery in Berlin. It is quite possibly my favourite place to find unique arty stuff in Berlin. It is located in the extremely cool Hackescher Markt area. You have to burrow through a few back alleys and up a heavily graffitied stairwells to get to the store. At Neurotitan you can buy screen printed zines, art and design books, second hand records, new electronic music and original pieces of art. They also have a small gallery attached to the shop which offers the latest in underground art. I can not recommend this place enough!
2) Best Cafe or Restaurant: Tiki Heart Cafe
Deep in the heart of trendy Kreuzburg (or X’burg) this Tiki themed cafe is an extremely fun place to spend an evening. The decor is exceedingly kitsch, with the atmosphere being further enhanced by the rockabilly music that blares. The staff are very cool and friendly (and speak English in case you were worried). The best thing is that if you go on a Tuesday night, it’s only 9,50 Euros for a 4 course meal (they offer vegetarian and meat varieties).
3) Best Musical Gear Store: Schneider’s Buro
Pretty much the best specialist shop for those in the know about synthesizers and modular gear. This store is located on the east side of Berlin in the famous Sharp building in Alexanderplatz. It is a haven for synth geeks and those into electronic music. I went with Zoog many times into this store and we bumped into many inventors of the gadgets that they sell there. The staff are not intimidating and they don’t mind if you spend hours playing with the gear.
Antique surgical equipment and hunting knives at the Flohmarkt
4) Best Fleamarket (Flohmarkt oder Trödelmarkt)
Berlin is full of fleamarkets all around the city. Generally they happen on a Saturday or Sunday. The best weekly markets are held near Museen Insel (Museum Island near the Egyptian Museum) where you can find a fine assortment of quirky antiques. Here they sell everything from people’s personal effects from the wartime era such as postcards (between loved ones), diaries, lockets (with lockets of hair inside them) and letters from soldiers to their wives. There are also a plethora of stalls selling military uniforms and equipment such as gas masks, helmets, military medals and uniforms from the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik). My favourite stalls were the ones selling antique surgical equipment and fine taxidermy specimens.
5) Best Club: Maria Club
The Maria Club is the best club for those who like their electronic and avant garde music. Here I got to see the likes of Alec Empire, Chicks on Speed, Peaches & Miss Kitten perform, who are just some of the regular faces that DJ or play at the club. The DJ’s are all world class every week and they are incredibly amazing and will probably blow your mind. The venue is also very suave looking. It’s located in Friedrichshain near the Ostbahnhof station. Don’t worry if the venue looks a bit like an abandoned crack warehouse on the outside… just look for the neon ‘Maria’ sign on the roof.
6) Best High Brow Art Museum: Hamburger Bahnhof- Museum für Gegenwart
This building used to be a train terminal, now it has been converted into one of the most impressive venue’s for contemporary art in Berlin. The collection of modern art they house here is basically a who’s who of art, from painting, multimedia and video and everything in between. The venue is extremely large (you’ll need a while to actually make your way around it) which is an advantage when displaying installation artwork. The gallery features many Joseph Beuys installation works in all of their glory, giving them enough space to breathe and for visitors to be able to walk through the installations. Their permanent collection also features many Andy Warhol works (they are huge and impressive in real life!) and a few from one of my favourite artists Matthew Barney. The special exhibitions held there are often very challenging and are always worth checking out. If contemporary art isn’t your thing, check out the Pergamon museum instead (it’s also extremely impressive).
Left: Skeleton with spinal deformity from the Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum
Right: Happy people at the Strychnin Gallery
7) Best Bizarre Museum: Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité
This museum specialises in the historical artifacts related to medicine and has been established for over 100 years. It contains specimens of all kinds of disease and could be described as a three dimensional textbook of pathology. Here you can see things that you’ve probably wondered what they would look like but haven’t ever been able to see, like many types of bone deformities, cancers, tumors, two headed babies, a baby with a tail, a cyclops baby and many more weirdly wonderful and interesting specimens. The scariest thing I saw was a preserved human foot in formaldehyde which had a sailor’s tattoo on its ankle. Its a totally amazing experience but its definitely not for the faint hearted!
8) Best Low Brow Art Gallery: Strychnin Art Gallery
This is the best low brow art gallery I have ever visited (I did not have a chance to visit the recently opened London branch but I also hear it’s amazing.) They exhibit innovative and emerging artists who often explore dark and surreal themes. The prices of the artworks are also reasonable and the gallery owner is extremely friendly and approachable.
9) Best Photography Gallery: Helmut Newton Foundation Gallery
If any of you are unfamiliar with the late Helmut Newton’s work, please acquaint yourself immediately. He was one of the greatest photographers to combine the likes of fashion, fetish and art into a delicious body of photography. This gallery is devoted to him and his life’s work. It features a permanent collection of his personal belongings (including Christian Louboutin Stilettos, Hermes saddles and Italian Memphis furniture) while exhibiting collections of his work in conjunction with other contemporary photographers such as Larry Clark. I spent many hours in this museum staring at the large format prints and it has definitely been a great inspiration to me.
Gambling party people at Boheme Sauvage
10) Best Themed Nightclub: Boheme Sauvage
Boheme Sauvage is the best themed nightclub in Berlin. It has a Weimar Republik theme on most occasions (think the decadent time between the two world wars) and to gain entry, you must be dressed in 1920’s attire (they can be quite strict about this). What is also really fun is that if you email them earlier and get the ’secret password’ and if you say it upon entry, you can get a discount on your ticket. The entertainment provided is a mixture of classy burlesque, cabaret and vaudeville, and there is often a live swing band performing. The atmosphere of the club is amazing because it really feels like you are transported back to those decadent days of Berlin. Another extremely fun activity to do is pretend gambling where you are given fake reichmarks and you can gamble them at the poker table or at roulette. If you win enough reichmarks you can go to the absinthe stand and redeem your money for an absinthe cocktail. Throughout the night beautifully dressed up ladies offer you cigars or to draw your silhouette. Simply a charming and unique experience.
11) Best High Brow Fetish Store: Hautnah
Residing in the west side of Berlin, this upper class fetish store is elegant, well presented and classy, it is not your regular sleazy sex store. Apart from having an incredibly well picked selection of fetish clothing and footwear they also have a room full of incredible toys and whips and an accompanying wine cellar. What a combination! On Saturday’s you can shop in style as lovely sales assistants offer free champagne and wine while a piano man plays a grand live in the store. Luxury fetish shopping the way it should be.
12) Best Liquor Store: Absinthe Depot
This tiny liquor store is tucked away in the Mitte district and it is unique because it pretty much only sells the emerald coloured strong stuff. As its name suggests it only sells Absinthe and in basically every brand sold in the world. They have absinthe in many colours (including black, which is 80% proof and tastes of berries) as well as absinthe accessories such as the infamous slotted spoons and absinthe fountains. You can also purchase absinthe cocktails to enjoy on premises. A must for Absinthe aficionados!
I hope this guide has interested you in Berlin, an amazingly overlooked city. I hope to study there again soon because I fell in love with it and I’m sure you will too if you are lucky enough to visit.
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
DX im really loving your blog! Some of its fashion, travel etc.. like an Alternative Vogue or something :)
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Amelia, this is amazing! Seriously need to get back to Berlin, when is the time, when is the time!
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I definetely want to check out Neurotitan and the fleamarket. Those look awesome!
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
That flea market sounds amazing… I have a friend who knows basically everything there is to know about World War 2, and since I’m planning to go to Berlin in the near future I’ll definitely buy some WW2 memorabilia for her!
And if they’ll let me in at the clubs, I’ll be first in line when they open. That Boheme Sauvage sounds like just my kind of place!
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Videokid- I’m glad you are enjoying it. I’m trying to mix it up a bit and post a variety of things that people might enjoy instead of concentrating on only one topic like fashion for example.
Damage- yeah man.. you gotta get back to Berlin! I didn’t even finish exploring everything when I was there and I want to go back!
Keith- Those places come highly recommended from me personally… if you ever go there, do it!
Mahlin- The fleamarkets are a treasure trove of amazing stuff.. definitely worth a visit. Boheme Sauvage is a must to visit for sure, it’s quite unique.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 am
Hmm,I’d love to check out all of those places! :D Too bad Berling is ±7 hours and alot of money away from here. But hey, do you speak German so well, or is it a city so nice to speak English (almost) everywhere? (’Cause my German is…well..there’s a reason I chose French as a subject instead of German..)
xoxo
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 am
I am trying to navigate my way through the Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum website without knowing a word of German (besides what I’ve learnt from Rammstein), and I already know I need to go there before I die. Holy shit!
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Lady Hypocryte- Berlin is not really that far from where you live compared to me! I mean, it’s like 24 hours on a plane and $2000 for a one way ticket =( It’s well worth a visit if you ever get the chance.
Yes I speak German! Not very well… but I can speak it well enough. I’m a bit rusty because I haven’t used it much recently though.
Leesy- Yeah, you would love that museum. It’s pretty freaking nuts. I saw some stuff in there that I will never forget! BTW, I think there is an english section on the site too, click on the ‘Englisch’ button.
December 25th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Hehe, true true, it’s not that far or expensive..But still,as a 16-yo student without a job,it’s not as affordable :P
Hmm,time to polish up my German! Or…just go there with my German classmate :D
December 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I visited Berlin in 2004, but was only there for a week, and didn’t know about all these awesome places… next time I head back to Europe, I’ll take this list with me for sure :)
December 27th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Gem- It’s pretty hard to get to find out all of the hidden treasures within a place without staying there for some time. I went on this Europe tour with my brother and it was nuts, I barely had any time to look at anything and it was very touristy. I think that I was lucky I could spend an extended period of time in Germany and find all of these weird and wacky places to love!
December 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Oh what a guide.
For me as a person which is living in berlin since his birth, the guide is full of unkownfacts.
Like this whole undergroundthings.
I’ll try to check the bookstore,the absinthe-depot and even some of the gallerys. thanks. ;)
BTW: thanks for your sign on the poster I bought.
I’ll buy and eat currywurst and apfelschorle for you.
greets
December 29th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
-ElektroInjektion- There is so much to see in Berlin! I hope you get to check these places out. Sometimes if you live somewhere you don’t go out to explore as much as you would if you were a tourist.
YAY!!! I’m glad you got signature =)… Enjoy Berlin for me! Oh.. I’ll be back there soon, and we should hang out!
July 21st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I believe the graffiti is by Fafi, a french artist.
peace love !!
March 27th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
As a native Berlin girl I can tell you … you really pointed out so much great places! But though … there ‘re so much more places you have to go when you’re in Berlin ♥
Why do you think it is so hard to get acquainted to Berlin?
Funny thing…even in Germany Berlin ppl have the reputation to be very moody. They are the ppl “mit Herz und Schnauze” (with heart n’ gob).
If you visit Berlin I propose to you to be there in summer (lots of festivals, beach bars, artists on the streets, events etc.)!
Have a great time there!
Nice article ♥
July 25th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Wonderful experiences.. especially the Boheme Sauvage part… since 2009 there is another great experience in Burlesque in Berlin.. LA FETE FATALE : check it out… http://www.sheila-wolf.de/tags/burlesque/
October 26th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Thanks for posting this! I <3 Germany, and will have to go to Berlin. It seems like such an exciting city ^^
the artwork espesh looks amazing! <3
I’ve been to Frankfurt before, but that wasnt much fun. there’s not so much to see and do there :/
November 8th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Don’t forget in your Number 2 the Tiki Heart Shop, a cool shop for 50ies and Rockabilly Stuff and Fashion. I’ts great like the burgers and Cocktails from the cafe