The Abandoned Spreepark Will Be Open to the Public this Weekend

The Abandoned Spreepark Will Be Open to the Public this Weekend

photo: Tonkberlin / CC

Berlin, are you ready for the Spreepark to finally (legally…) open its gates again?! You probably heard some stories of this abandoned amusement park in the Southeast of Berlin, but we got the real crazy sauce for you. So, why was it abandoned and how come no-one ever tore it down? And how can you get in there to see some of the crazy old rides of the park? Let’s start from the beginning.

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The Talented Female Photographers of Berlin

The Talented Female Photographers of Berlin

Today is the very first time in history that the International Women’s Day is celebrated in Berlin as an official public holiday. What better occasion could there be to introduce you to a hand-picked selection of our favorite female photographers in Berlin?

As with many creative guides on iHeartBerlin, with this article, we want to create a supportive space to celebrate the many many talents, that Berlin has to offer. Especially in the field of photography and visual content creation, there is an incredibly wide array of interesting female voices that we think you should know about. Enjoy our selection of amazing ladies, who create outstanding work with their cameras.

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Finding Back To Your Intuition: An Interview with Meditation & Yoga Expert Michaela Aue

Finding Back To Your Intuition: An Interview with Meditation & Yoga Expert Michaela Aue

In this day and age, we are constantly exposed to countless impressions and digital distractions that leave us exhausted. Many apps try to reach us with their push messages, while social media is making it easy to compare ourselves to our high-achieving colleagues at work. And if that isn’t enough stress, living in a big city like Berlin, life is loud and busy. In need of good wellness tips, I reached out to the amazing Michaela Aue, who has got detoxing and balanced living down, like no other. Michaela works as a yoga teacher and consultant and has recently launched a very powerful podcast, Die Kunst du selbst zu sein (The art of being you), that discusses everything we need for a balanced and healthy life.

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Try Something New: 10 Amazing Courses & Workshops in Berlin

Try Something New: 10 Amazing Courses & Workshops in Berlin

When you’ve got your life somehow vaguely figured out in Berlin, it is very easy to fall into a weekly routine. You see the same people, eat at the same restaurants and go after your favorite hobby. And somehow, this routine becomes dangerously comfortable, until boredom dares us to try something new. Personally, I fear and love my comfort zone. Love it, because Netflix & Angry Chicken with my hubby is fricking amazing. Hate it, because it keeps my mind from expanding. So, I challenge you and me to go out and try something new in the upcoming weeks. I came up with some ideas, fellas, see you there!!

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How You Can Fight Off Excessively High Rents

How You Can Fight Off Excessively High Rents

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Renting an apartment in Berlin has become outrageously expensive and doesn’t fit the anti-capitalist flair that many residents are here for. In fact, rents in Berlin have almost doubled in the last 5 years. The more often I talk to friends about the situation, the more I get used to it. And that’s even scarier.  The other day, a friend who recently moved to Berlin told me that, she pays a staggering 920€ for 35m2 in Sonnenallee. That’s over 25€ per sqm! Allegedly luxuriously renovated and provided with a plush fitted kitchen.

We think that’s the new normal – but it’s still illegal. Indeed, even a rent of 10€ per sqm is often already illegal. To prevent rents from rising any further, the government passed a rent control law – the so-called Mietpreisbremse. That law has been in place for more than three years. So why has hardly anyone used it so far? Why do rents continue to rise?

We did some research on this and want to show you three different options for how you can actually and effectively lower your rent. We will start with the online service of wenigermiete.de, than compare it with going it through lawyer or a tenants rights association.  

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The Electric Minds of the Berlinale: A First Class Experience at the Audi Berlinale Lounge

The Electric Minds of the Berlinale: A First Class Experience at the Audi Berlinale Lounge

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To get in the mood for the Berlinale festivities, Audi invited us to their Berlinale Open House program at the Audi Berlinale Lounge at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. During the entire run of the film festival, Audi and the Berlinale have put together an interesting and diverse program of panels, performances, and interviews, that are taking place in the comforts of their elegant and yet cozy lounge.

We loved the classy and glamorous feel of the place, with its dark walls, dimmed lights, stylish food and drinks, and the first class view right onto the Red Carpet. The location is one of a kind, since it is right next to the Red Carpet and thus part of the event. On Saturday, we went there to experience one of their new formats this year: Electric Minds.

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SchokoKiez – Get your Favorite Berlin Kiez as a Chocolate Bar

SchokoKiez – Get your Favorite Berlin Kiez as a Chocolate Bar

I love chocolate! Everyone knows that eating chocolate that is shaped in a cute way is so much more fun, than just eating a plain chocolate bar. So we are used to pleasurably bite chocolate Santa’s head off and devour yummy easter eggs, but have you heard of someone eating their favorite Berlin Kiez in chocolate? Us neither. That is why we thought this idea is brilliant!

Ray and Lena from SchokoKiez invented a tasty chocolate bar, that has the map of your favorite Kiez engraved! This uniquely shaped artisanal chocolate bar is a treat for all sweet-toothed Berlin fans. Their first SchokoKiez is the much loved Schillerkiez, to be followed by many equally famous and loved Kiez’s, such as Bergmannkiez, Boxhagener Kiez or Kollwitzkiez – just to name a few.

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Berlin Bouncer: A Movie About 3 of Berlin’s Most Famous Club Bouncers

Berlin Bouncer: A Movie About 3 of Berlin’s Most Famous Club Bouncers

Finally! The feared and mystified bouncers of the infamous Berlin club scene are featured in their own film! Didn’t you always want to know what a bouncer is like in daily life? Director David Dietl accompanied three well-known bouncers, Frank Künster, Sven Marquardt and Smiley Baldwin, for a while to give us a glimpse behind the curtains of the people that you usually have a very one-sided conversation with – “bitte” or “heute leider nicht”.

Berlin Bouncer tells the story of the development of Berlins nightlife and fills us in about the good and the ugly parts of its history. From the Fall of the Wall until today, Berlin’s party scene has changed and evolved dramatically. Who has witnessed it more up close and personal than Berlin’s club bouncers? Dietl takes us far beyond the party scene, deep into the story of each protagonist and into their daily lives.

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10 Berlin Exhibition Highlights Not to Miss this Winter

10 Berlin Exhibition Highlights Not to Miss this Winter

Berlin has such a large variety of art exhibitions to indulge in, that sometimes it can get quite overwhelming to decide where to go and what to see! We have curated a list of unusual exhibitions that we want to bring to your attention, some of those you might not have heard of yet. Ranging from the celebratory events of 100 years of Bauhaus, over mixed media to sonic sound explorations. This list will broaden your perception, we promise 😉

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Love in Berlin: Intimate Portraits of Berlin Couples

Love in Berlin: Intimate Portraits of Berlin Couples

The intimate photography project comecloser.berlin is the creation of Berlin-based photographer Julia Liebisch and captures the dynamic of a variety of different couples from Berlin. Her curiosity and devotion towards authentic documentary photography lead her towards the idea of capturing people’s most precious possession – the love towards their significant other. She is devoted to capturing real life and imperfect stories, far away from the staged images, our eyes are already very used to daily on advertisement and social media.

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