Berlin as It Was
Where to Find a Sense of the Old Berlin
By Marilyn and Paul Nejelski
Our pleasantest memories of visiting Berlin over the last 40 years are the result of discovering and returning to those places that retain
a sense of Berlin as it was.
New National Gallery
In an age of internationalized menus, we savor the kneipen, old-fashioned pubs. The friendly Dicke Wirtin (Carmerstrasse 9, Savignyplatz subway) serves German
beer or wine for only $2.50. Four delicious daily eintofs (stews) are each under $3.
The 1910 avant-garde "die Brucke" (the Bridge) artists have their own museum located in suburban Dahlem (Bussardsteig 9, 115
bus). The Brucke-Museum features the work of such expressionists as Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Erich Heckel.
The recently opened Film Museum (Potsdamer Platz Sony Building, Potsdamer Platz subway) traces German cinema from the pioneers and divas
of 1900 to the present. Film clips, interactive exhibits, and an English audio guide made it hard to leave. Berlin born and raised Marlene Dietrich has her
own room filled with costumes and fascinating memorabilia. A photograph from Mae West is inscribed: "The admiration is mutual."
The years of Nazi rule (1933-45) are searchingly examined at more than a dozen museums. The newly opened Judisches (Jewish) Museum (Linden-strasse
9-14, Hallesches subway) was designed by a team of Berlin-based architects led by Daniel Libeskind, an American of Jewish descent. Exhibits focus on Jewish
history and art, especially in Berlin.
In the 26-room Museum of German Resistance to Fascism (Stauffenbergstrasse 13-14, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park subway) 5,000 photographs
honor the religious and labor leaders, homosexuals, military officers, and others who opposed the National Socialists. The museum is located in the former
military headquarters where officers who planned the unsuccessful July 20, 1944 assassination and coup attempt against Hitler were summarily executed in the
courtyard when it failed.
After a day of museum going, we often join Berliners at a show. Music theater has always been popular. Frederick the Great personally
helped design the 1742 Staatsoper (Unter den Linden 5-7, Franzosische Strasse subway). With plenty of tickets and relatively low prices ($15 to $70), this
is a chance to see not only the Staatsoper but also Deutsche Oper (Bismarck Strasse 35, Deutsche Oper subway) and Komische Oper (Behren Strasse 55, Unter
den Linden subway). Tip: the WelcomeCard which comes with the 3-day subway pass includes 25 percent discount coupons for all three opera houses.
The two small theaters at the Neukollner Oper present everything from 18th century Baroque fantasies to contemporary satires. With tickets
from $6 to $17, this proud survivor of the "East Berlin" arts scene draws young audiences. Critics correctly call Neukollner "the best in music
entertainment." (Karl-Marx-Strasse 131-133, Karl-Marx-Strasse subway).
The musical reviews at Theater des Westen (Kant Strasse 12, Am Zoo subway) offer entertainment in a more traditionally commercial vein.
The theater's beautiful 1896 art deco lobby is worth the price of admission.
Our final tip: take a boat ride. The Spree river runs through the center of town. Berlin is also filled with lakes and canals: a metropolis
one-third green. This side of Berlin is best seen from the deck of a modern tourist boat-sipping a local beer.
For More Information
The Berlin Tourist Office web site lists events and links to other sites: www.berlin-info.de.
The English edition of their Berlin Das Magazin/The Magazine (helpful articles and calendars)
appears three times a year and is $2 at their Berlin information booths and some newsstands. Their excellent city and subway map is 50 cents. Both are
free in the U.S. from the German National Tourist Office at 122 E. 42nd St., 52nd Fl., New York, N.Y. 10168-0072; 212-661-7200, fax 212-661-7174.
Details on current exhibitions and interesting graphics can be found on the museum web sites: art and film
www.kaethe-kollwitz.de, www.bruecke-museum.de, and www.filmmuseum-berlin.de,
as well as the Jewish Museum www.jmberlin.de, and German Resistance to Fascism Museum www.gdw-berlin.de.
The music theater web sites have calendars of performances: www.neukoellneroper.de.
The sites for the major opera companies in addition sell tickets online using major credit cards: www.staatsoper-berlin.org.
Pick up the tickets at the box office or have them mailed to your home.
Operating from April to October from several locations, the boat companies advertise in Berlin Das Magazine/The
Magazine and give discounts with the WelcomeCard. |
Marilyn and Paul Nejelski are writing a book on the music festivals of Central Europe. They live in Bethesda, MD. |
