photo: Analog Berliner
When I moved to Berlin in 2000 I chose to live in Friedrichshain. This was 15 years ago now, and as you can imagine, the district looked quite different back then. There was no Berghain, no crazy party mile at Simon-Dach-Straße, no Veganz at the Warschauer Bridge. There was already an alternative hub at the so-called R.A.W. temple, but it was nothing like the pulsating RAW area with all the clubs, bars, galleries, etc that it is now. In fact, it was a little bit tranquil back then – more of a normal East Berlin residential area, but with a few bars here and there.
I stumbled over this video that I want to show you today, which was recorded back in 1991, only a few years after the wall came down. It shows the district like you would never recognize it if you only know it now. It’s a bit shaky and totally random – it follows the route down Warschauer Straße on the tram line that is now the M13, and then through the kiez that it still passes through today. But everything looks completely different. Enjoy the little time travel into a stripped-down version of Berlin Friedrichshain as it used to be.
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by Frank | Videos
photo: Linka A. Odom
I first visited Berlin in the spring of 2008 when I stayed with a friend in Kreuzberg. As we roamed the city, we bumped into people he knew at every turn, even though he had only been living there a few months. A vegan poet cooked us dinner, we rode the U-Bahn without paying, we went to a party in an abandoned warehouse where one of the musicians was, by coincidence, someone I had met the day before in a bookshop. I found all of this unbelievably cool. In Berlin, I felt unbelievably cool. Yes, it was grey and gritty, but there was space, it was cheap, the cafés were filled with unemployed creatives from around the world and a glass of wine was only 1.50 euros.
I fell in love with Berlin in one weekend and its allure lingers with me. Most recently I’ve had the pleasure of returning to it through the eyes of an eclectic and talented group of Berlin writers who are contributors to a series of essays, Letters from Berlin released by The Pigeonhole. More about it after the jump.
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by Guest Author | Stories
Weather conditions are not the best today to walk around the city. Still I warmly recommend you to check out the night of the singing balconies simply because I think the idea is genious and should be supported. The concept is that the neighbors of Friedrichshain will get on stage of their balcony today and sing for their neighbors. 38 Balconies, 38 Gigs of neighbors, 3 different tours means more than 10 hours of music, theatre, video screening and a final after party at the nice underground venue Antje Oklesund. I know that a lot of hip people somehow despise Friedrichshain and see it as too touristy to go out there. So maybe this a good opportunity to discover it from another point of view. Check the full program over here.
by Claudio | Music
Some People may think that flipbooks are totally outdated and may as well stay hidden in the nostalgic area of a bookshop. Not so much Sabine Klar, owner of the small shop called Fingerwerk und Augenweide. There you can buy a variety of 200 different flipbooks. And not just that. As an eye-popping present for a special purpose you can even get a special manufactured flipbook of your own. I am not so sure why I am having strange naughty fantasies about adult porn flipbooks right now. Less pornographic pictures of the shop and the address after the jump.
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by Claudio | Art, City Guide, Friedrichshain
The unevitable finally had been done. Done by the help of a massive police appearance. The house in the Liebigstrasse 14 in Friedrichshain, which has been occupied since 1990 has been evicted. And just another relict of the post wall time had to give way to the economic interests of the house owners – we don’t forget that Friedrichshain has developed being one of the favourite living areas for young well situated New-Berliners. More after the jump.
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by Suz | Uncategorized
I have been living in Friedrichshain for more than 5 years now, but I never really looked at the street art that you find here. Since I bought my first DSLR, everything changed. I suddenly started to notice my neighbourhood. Thank you, Pentax! So I found out: Friedrichshain is not just the district where you can buy Sternburger Pilsener (the cheapest beer that you can get) at every bakery, it is also a district with amazing street art. More of that after the jump.
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by Jens | Art, Friedrichshain
For those of you who are new to Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg or who are just visiting this free guided shopping tour from Buy Buy Berlin might be really interesting. It will take place this Friday at 14h and will last about 3-4 hours. You will also get some discounts in selected stores. Registration is required. Infos after the beep.
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by Frank | Events, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Places, Shops
