I lived here for three years....
by Lutz_H
I lived here for three years. An unconditionally regretless experience. Whatever you want to do or experience, whatever you have on your mind, from normal to extreme, this is the place to live it!!! Maybe not for the tourist who visits for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but I promise - it will still be very exciting if you're open minded and interested. Nobody will judge you for things you do or how you present yourself, almost everything's accepted. Can you tell, I love this city.
Of course, as always in big cities, be a little careful at night in certain areas, but Berlin is basically a safe city. Crazy young people and the variety of things Berlin has to offer.
Berlin Tip
by greentara
When i lived in Berlin, Nollendorfplatz was my favorite place to go. Best kebabs as u will read in my favorite restaurants section, fun to rollerblade or just watch the others rolling and there's a great craft/hobbies shop just behind the church. Lots of indian restaurants in that street too! Not to forget my favorite jellewry shop opposite the kebab place. You really should go there! Oops almost forgot to tell you.... on Wed. and Sat. it turns into a market :)))
Sachsenhausen - Oranienburg....Tragic History...
by Greggor58
Ive been hesitant to build a page about Sachsenhausen..Last night I watched a film ...a true story about certain events that transpired here during the last years of Nazi rule in Germany.The film was called simply "The Counterfeiters", winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.A group of men were taken from various camps throughout the system and brought here to Sachsenhausen to participate in a counterfeiting project called Operation Bernhard.
The Nazis forced Jewish artisans to produce forged American and British currency, as part of a plan to undermine the British and United States’ economies. Over one billion pounds in counterfeited banknotes was recovered. The Germans introduced fake British £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes into circulation in 1943: the Bank of England never found them.
After watching this film I decided to share some of my photos here...and tell you a little about the place.
I made the decision to venture here on my first full day while in Berlin...I had an overwhelming curiosity to see this Memorial and remains of the first Concentration camp in Nazi Germany.It was this day or not at all....so I made it happen.
The day was gray and cool...I connected with the "Berlin Walks" tour operator and we made our way here to the spot where more than one hundred thousand Souls spent they're last days on this Earth.
The Sachsenhausen concentration camp was built in July 1936, by teams of prisoners transferred there.By the end of September of 1938 the facility was ready to house the first of many political prisoners of the Nazi Party. Sachsenhausen became a central training facility for SS officers.
Before the outbreak of World War II, most of the inmates were German communists and some Jewish prisoners. In November 1938, just after the events of Kristallnacht,1,800 Jews were jailed in Sachsenhausen and about 450 of them were subquently murdered in the following weeks.By the end of 1944 there were almost 44,000 people kept here.
"Sachsenhausen was intended to set a standard for other concentration camps, both in its design and the treatment of prisoners. The camp perimeter is, approximately, an equilateral triangle with a semi circular roll call area centred on the main entrance gate in the side running northeast to southwest. Barrack huts lay beyond the roll call area, radiating from the gate. The layout was intended to allow the machine gun post in the entrance gate to dominate the camp but in practice it was necessary to add additional watchtowers to the perimeter."
In 1945 after the Battle of Berlin the Russians liberated the camp and turned it into a camp of theyre own and by 1950 the Russians had interned about 50,000 people.At least 12,000 of these internees eventually died of malnutrition and disease.
You can imagine the importance of this place and for some reason I felt a need to experience being here.
In 1956, the East German government established the site as a national memorial, which was inaugurated on 22nd April 1961.Presently the site of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp is open to the public as a museum and a memorial. Several buildings and structures survive or have been reconstructed, including guard towers, the camp entrance, crematoriums and the camp barracks.
Just outside of Berlin....the town of Oranienburg is easily reached by the S-Banh S1 or regional train RE5 from Berlin-Hauptbahnhof.
From the Oranienburg train station use bus number 804 from the station in the direction of Malz until the Gedenkstätte or follow the sign posts for 20 minutes and enjoy the walk.
Paintings
by matcrazy1
I went upstairs to the top of the tower of St. Mathew church (St. Matthäus Kirche) at first to enjoy the view towards impressive new and modern architecture of Berlin around Potsdamer Platz.
The stairs were quite steep and on the way up I could see two large paintings or rather compositions of a few pictures put together hanged on the walls of the tower. One of them is on my picture. Excuse, I have no idea what picture it was.
Address:
Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin (Tiergarten)
Directions:
U-/S-Bahn Potsdamer Platz
U1 Kurfürstenstraße
U2 Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park
Bus 129/148/200/248/348
Popular Place, Simple Idea
by JourneyOf1 about Steinhaus
The Steinhaus sign is easily seen from street side on Straßburger Str, but you have to go through the iron fence and up some wide spaced metal stairs to get inside. There's strong arm at the door to check you over, an entry fee of 5€ most times, but its worth the minimal price. Steinhaus is a very popular nightstop for all kinds of Berliners and visitors: Goths, popfans, leather guys, gays and lesbians, those who just heard about a party through ads, or whatever. They all crush together here in the red-lit draped rooms.
2 dance floors, one usually for dark wave, new wave and Goth music, then one for 80's music or hiphop/dance music, depending on the night and party you come for. I went there for the first time for the "After The Sunset Party 9 Juni 2006 "Life is too short for boring music", which started at 23 hour, or 11pm. We arrived at nearly midnight, and the place we slow, yet by 1pm it was truly rocking and packed wall to wall. As I looked around I thought about how this place would look during the day: sparse furniture (mostly plastic lawn furniture, a few couches, and some seats pulled from an old theatre), little decoration on the walls, false doorways or stone arches, drapery scattered around behind which there dwelt no windows....and overall the red lights. During the day, the place probably looks empty and horrible, but at night, it is positively magical.
A great place to go and just have a drink, listen to music and chill out to the music. That's all we did: chose a couch, stretched out, had some pretzels, a few shots and some beer, and enjoyed watching the interesting people come and go. Most people were dress in party clothes (very sharp), dark fabrics and make-up, city dress more or less. I saw a couple of ones in jeans and tennis shoes, fleece pullovers, but they were very, very much in the minority and got eyed with bewilderment much of the night.
Regular parties?
Friday Nightclub. "Blackmusic" and 80s, with 5€ entry fee, and 2 for 1 drinks special until midnight. Excellent, considering the prices are very low anyway!
80's Parties on every 2nd Saturday, 80s music, Wave, Pop, and NDW music! No entry fee up til midnight!
PleasureNight. "Blackmusic" and 80s, every third Saturday of the month, ladies get in for only 1€. Prepare for a sensual night!
And they have a pool!! It opened on June 3rd, so get ready for pool parties with great music and fun! Ladies get in for 2€, guys for 5€, or if a couple, for 6€. Black music, hiphop, disco classic and a barbeque all poolside.
Check their monthly schedule regularly if looking for special events at Steinhaus.
Very Much A Local's Oasis
Queen Tiy
Berliner Unterwelten
St George
