It’s safe to say that when I arrived in Berlin at 19, I knew very little in general. In the two years I’ve spent here, there have been times when I fooled myself I’ve obtained some general knowledge I could apply to reality – and time after time found myself utterly perplexed at yet another of life’s intricacies that Berlin exists to accentuate. And then it dawned on me – the only certainty I’ve experienced is the love for this city. The History Phone is my attempt to pay it forward – join us for a journey to discover a few of the lesser known facts from Berlin’s past that will add some sparkle to your everyday walk though familiar streets.
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by Michalina | Stories, Videos
We love posting pictures dating back to Berlin’s glorious past, like the beginning of the 20th century. You’ve already had the chance to take a glimpse of the past in Schöneberg, Charlottenburg, or Kreuzberg. But as it turns out, digging up such visual treasures is not the only way to get into the spirit of past Berlin. We’ve stumbled upon an incredible virtual reality video in Second Life – take a look at it after the jump!
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by Michalina | Videos
photos: Berlin – Sounds of an Era
“The city had a jewel-like sparkle, especially at night, that didn’t exist in Paris”
Josephine Baker
Berlin in the 20’s: With the Jazz emerging and the dresses shortening, a new feeling of life entered the city, invigorating its nightlife. The time frame of the Weimar Republic might have set the tone for the capital’s later years, up until the now – including wild dancing, loud music and free spirit.
The city was in a blaze of glory – with the horror’s of the war and the cultural scene ever-changing – and it has some amazing contemporary witnesses and their music that are testaments for this unique period.
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by Yasmin | Books, Music, Party
photos: Friedrich Seidenstücker
If you think about Berlin in the 1920s today, there are a lot of clichés and stereotypes that come to your mind: the „dance on the volcano“, women with short hair, feather boas and cigarette holders, and men wearing suspenders and flat caps.
But the „Roaring Twenties“ were a much more complex time period. In fact, it was just a small circle that was partying in the hedonistic way we like to remember. The ordinary life was much different to that. In November of 2011 there was a great exhibition about Friedrich Seidenstücker running at Berlinische Galerie that shows exactly that: the everyday life in Berlin in the 1920s und 1930ies. Have a look for yourself after the jump.
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by Jens | Art
