Thursday 30 July 2015

Rüdesheim Square

Undoubtedly one of Berlin's most beautiful, if not most romantic, squares, Rüdesheim Square is located in the staunchly bourgeois neighborhood of Wilmersdorf. But even a neighborhood like that does have its highlights, and next to Preussenpark - or as it's come to be dubbed: Thai-Park - and Paris Street, Rüdesheim Square is one of them!

And just so you know: it didn't exactly take the New York Times for me to realize what a gem this square is. Still, I must admit that I was as surprised as I was thrilled to read one of their articles recently, where they named Rüdesheimer Strasse (the street that leads up to the square of the same name) one of Europe's most beautiful.

No, as someone who lives relatively close by, I've long appreciated the wonders of this Berlin hideaway, perhaps because of its distinct Parisian feel ...

please click on each image to enlarge: 


Rüdesheim Squre is named after the City of Rüdesheim, located in Germany's south, on the river  Rhine. References to Rüdesheim's age old wine growing tradition are evident in the Bacchanalian detail on the entrance door belonging to an apartment building located near Rüdesheim Square. 







Rüdesheim Square and its surrounds are known for their grand period buildings, many of which feature stunningly beautiful details:




The centre piece of Rüdesheim Square is the actual square with its landscaped garden and its impressive fountain at its top end:









This former phone booth on Rüdesheim Square has been converted into a book exchange, named Villa Libris, where anyone can borrow - as well as lend - books for free (and, of course, without the  additional hassle of having to become a member or anything): 


One of the best things about Rüdesheim Square is its variety of shops, bars, restaurants, organic food stores, and cafes ... there's everything from hearty German (Landauer) to haute cuisine French (Pastis). But there's also an organic bakery (Bio Backhaus), a  vinotheque (Hertz), and even a pet bakery (Königsplätzchen), offering only vegan (!) cookies for dogs, all organic, of course :



Rüdesheim Square can best be reached by underground. It is located along Line 3 - Berlin's metro line with the most beautiful stations -  and even has its own stop: 




Friday 24 July 2015

Urban Nation Berlin

URBAN NATION is an international collective of (street-)artists, based on Berlin's Bülow Street. 

True to form, they turned their premises into a spectacular, eye-catching work of art: 








Thursday 23 July 2015

Lake Lietzensee

Lake Lietzensee is smack in the middle of Berlin. In Charlottenburg, to be precise. 

Lake Lietzensee and its surrounding park is one of my favorite Berlin green spaces - next to Tiergarten - because walking through it is like walking through a hybrid of Miss Havisham's backyard and the lavishly landscaped park Delphine Seyrig jaunts along in L'annee derniere a Marienbad ...

... however, where Tiergarten feels like a forest, Lake Lietzensee really does feel like a proper park, and come to think of it - it is one of the rare green spaces in central Berlin that give you that feeling as more often than not, there's no landscaping to speak of at all in Berlin parks and so the word park is actually a misnomer.

Being a great deal smaller than Tiergarten, Lake Lietzensee has the added advantage of having virtually no tourists as they don't usually venture to this part of town. They have no idea what they're missing! For Charlottenburg is not only the district with the most magnificent period buildings - and that is especially true for the area around Lake Lietzensee! - it is also one of Berlin's most affluent. As a result, the variety of shops, bars, and cafes can easily hold a candle to Kreuzberg, Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg.

Here's Lake Lietzensee & some of the beautiful buildings that surround it (please click on each image for the gallery to open): 















Saturday 18 July 2015

The LUX

The LUX is the latest in what seems like an endless string of luxury coops to be completed here in Berlin. According to the website of of the real estate developer, "nearly all apartments have sold". The building is located smack in the middle of the government district and features a doorman and concierge service. 

However, with its striking architecture (Axthelm & Rolvien), the LUX is one of the more interesting apartment buildings in that area: 




Wednesday 15 July 2015

Europa City/ Berlin-Spandau Canal

One of the things I love about Berlin is, that it's so vast and so diverse that you can be a Berlin citizen for years and still discover new areas, places and hideaways. This happened to me today when, setting out to explore Europa City - as the area around Central Station will be known once completed - I discovered the Berlin-Spandau Canal, which runs along the former Wall, and which has a lot going for it ...

 ... the Canal begins at Humboldt Harbour, opposite the Hamburger Bahnhof (Museum for Contemporary Art) ...  ... please click on each image to enlarge: 



... right behind the Museum (and easily visible from this side of the Canal), there's a whole new neighbourhood in the making, consisting of apartment buildings, office blocks, converted warehouses, and so on ...




... while this side of the Canal, you walk along (more or less) landscaped paths and green spaces, tracing what used to be the Berlin Wall ...



... going past the old Invalid's Cemetery, with plenty of tombs of Prussian generals fighting in the 1866 and 1871 wars as well as in the Great one ...




... while at the far end, yet more apartment buildings are springing up seemingly by the minute ...



... with the ballet of cranes in the future Europa City visible in the distance ...