111 Places in Berlin That You Shouldn't Miss

111 Orte

by Lucia Jay von Seldeneck, Carolin Huder, Verena Eidel

In Berlin, the city divided after World War II, everybody knows about the Brandenburg Gate, Hitler s bunker, Kennedy s speech, red and green beer, splendidly broad boulevards, and numerous lakes. But this metropolis, once again the capital of Germany, encompasses many clandestine niches characteristic of a heterogeneous city without a beginning and without an end between its famous backyards, nature parks, and bridges. It is often these miniscule witnesses that tell authentic history. Besides the larger attractions, this unusual guide presents Berlin s other side - such as a tower so ugly that no-one wants to open a restaurant in it; a library offering its books in the trunks of living trees; the monument for the inventor of the currywurst; a residential settlement in a former East German prison; the place where the Nazis concealed the so-called "degenerate art" which they had confiscated; the house where David Bowie lived; an automat out of which maggots can be pulled; a museum for things used for purposes for which they were not created; the reception camp for refugees from East Germany - and, in a completely unexpected spot, the most romantic place in Berlin.

Genres: Travel

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Elise Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lol

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) Deutsche Rezension
2) English Review

1) Deutsche Rezension
Dieses Buch hat kaum eines der bekannten Touristenmagneten des Bundeslandes Berlin und es ist dennoch erstaunlich wie viel es ist (vor allem da Teil 2 sich in Bezug auf die Orte nicht mit diesem überschneidet).
Viele der Orte kannte ich schon, genauso viele wenn nicht sogar mehr hatte ich noch nie von gehört und bei anderen ging ich ständig daran vorüber weil ich sie einfach gewöhnt war.
Nun, alles ist nicht mehr aktuell in diesem Buch aber das bezieht sich auf temporäre Sehenswürdigkeiten, wie ein Ring an der Potsdamer Brücke oder die Kanincheninsel in der Spichernstraße. Sicher als dieses Buch geschrieben wurde waren sie noch da aber in diesem Jahr habe ich sie noch nicht dort gesehen, allerdings an genug anderen Stellen in Berlin (genauso wie Eichhörnchen und Füchse).
Dennoch gibt es hier eine Menge, wofür man Wochen wenn nicht sogar Monate braucht, mit einer riesigen Bandbreite, vom Großhandel Dong Xuan Center, zum Fledermauskeller und dem Koreanischen Garten, zur Hafenkirche und einem bunten Gebäude welches Bierpinsel genannt wurde. Und noch vieles mehr wovon selbst viele Berliner nichts wissen.

2) English Review
That book has barely any of the known tourist magnets of the federal state Berlin and it is still extraordinary how much there is (especially since none of the places here overlaps with the ones listed in the second volume).
Many places I already know, but just as much if not even more I never heard about and others I had passed by all the time simply because I was used to them.
Now, not all here is still up to date in the book but that is about temporary attractions, like the ring at the Potsdam Bridge or the rabbit island in the Spichernstraße. Sure when this book was written, they were still there but I haven't seen them there yet, but in plenty of other places in Berlin (just like red squirrels and foxes).
But there is still a lot that would need weeks or maybe months to visit all, with a huge range, from the Dong Xuan Center, to the bat basement and the Korean Garden, to the harbor church and the colorful building that is called the beer brush. And a lot more that even Berliners don't know about.

[Nathaniel Flakin · Rating 3 out of 5]

These three books present 111 Places in Berlin That You Shouldn't Miss. 111 places each — so 333 places total. These are not tourist magnets, but rather little-known locations usually connected to a specific historical anecdote — arranged in alphabetical order, so without any kind of story. I added many things to my endlessly growing list of historical sites — in fact, I've already visited a few quirky little museums I discovered here.

This book includes bits of revolutionary history, such as the Eden Hotel where Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were murdered on January 15, 1919, or the Bolle supermarket that was burned down during the Neighborhood Uprising of May 1, 1987. Some locations have a revolutionary past that goes unmentioned, such as the Bötzow Brewery (where Liebknecht had his headquarters during the January Uprising in 1919) or the Circus Busch (where the assembly of workers and soldiers councils took place on November 10, 1918. These are nice little books full of miscellanea.

[Fragmentage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diesen außergewöhnlichen Städteführer habe ich anlässlich einer anstehenden Berlinreise aus der Bibliothek ausgeliehen. Nach nur wenigen Seiten beschlich mich das dumpfe Gefühl, dass mich womöglich kein einziger der 111 vorgestellten Orte NICHT interessieren würde und ich daher besser 365 Tage statt 3 Tage Berlin hätte einplanen sollen. Dabei sind die Standardtouristenmagnete nicht mal vertreten! Ziemlich vehement musste ich mich daher schnell von dem Gedanken verabschieden, hier nacheinander abhaken zu können, zu viele Ideen sind in diesem wertig aufgemachten Buch vertreten. Stattdessen habe ich mir einige Highlights herausgepickt, die ich mir ansehen will. Und man kann ja immer noch mal wiederkommen :-)

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the places were indeed must-see others weren't very intersting for non-locals