Info for New Berliners

 

Here you will find places in Berlin and surroundings that you should visit when you stay a little longer in the city.

 

Teufelsberg

Teufelsseechaussee, 14055 Berlin

On the western edge of Berlin there is the highest spot of the city. There are impressive remains of the former communications intercept station of the allies. Not far away lies the beautiful Teufelssee and the Drachenberg - a plateau from where you can see the entire city.

 

Schöneberger Südgelände

Prellerweg 47-49, 12157 Berlin

This nature park used to be a railway yard where now nature grows on top of technical remnants. Cultural events and exhibitions are frequently shown as well.

 

The forest of books

Sredzkistraße/Kollwitzstraße, 10435 Berlin

A nature library in the streets of Prenzlauer Berg: you can find books inside of trees and join the so called BookCrossing. You are free to take them home, to read them, to put them back, or to leave your own books there...

 

Panke river

Gerichtsstraße, 13347 Berlin via north

If you take a bike and follow the Panke river via north, you will discover many beautiful places: the cultural centres Panke e.V. and the Uferhallen, the library at the former spa Luisenbad (18th century), the farm for children Pinke-Panke, the green spots Bürgerpark Pankow and Schlosspark. After that it gets slowly more and more quiet and green. You can take a side trip to the lakes Karower Teiche before you arrive at Berlin-Buch or continue to the nature reserve Schönower Heide.

 

Wild rabbits in Schillerpark

Müllerstraße/Seestraße, 13349 Berlin

You can hardly miss the cute animals when you go for a walk in this park...

 

The market at Maybachufer

Maybachufer, 12047 Berlin. Tuesdays and Fridays

This open air market close to Kottbusser Tor is also called Turk’s market: loud market shouts, many vegetables and fruits, jewellery, colourful fabrics, delicious food, fresh juice and almost all year long you can watch creative street artists and musicians.

 

Dong Xuan Center

Herzbergstraße 128-139, 10365 Berlin. Tuesdays closed

Are we still in Berlin? In the middle of "Plattenbau" buildings there are big market halls filled with Vietnamese traders. They sell everything you can imagine: cheesy, trashy, and very authentic.

 

GDR apartment in Hellersdorf

Hellersdorfer Straße 179, 1267 Berlin. Sundays  2-4 p.m.

In this apartment museum you can admire the typical furnishing of the former GDR with many nice details.

 

Many of these places are also described in a book that advanced German learners should read. It is called L. J. von Seldeneck et al. (2011): 111 Orte in Berlin, die man gesehen haben muss. Emons Verlag. The authors have chosen the places with much love and the book is written in a wonderful language.