Park sights in Berlin
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Schloss Glienicke
Glienicke Palace, at the far southwestern tip of Berlin, is the result of what happens when a rich royal kid goes to Italy and falls in love with the country. Prince Carl of Prussia (1801–83), son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, was only 21 when he returned to Berlin giddy with dreams of building his own Italian villa. He hired Schinkel to turn an existing estate – surrounded by a rambling, romantic garden designed by Peter Joseph Lenné – into an elegant, antique-looking compound. When Schinkel was through, he had indulged the prince’s love of antiquities by expanding the existing mansion, converting the former billiard house into the Casino, an Italian villa with a do…
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Kleistpark & Around
This romantic little park is dominated by the richly ornamented sandstone Königskolonnaden (Royal Colonnades), designed in 1780 by Carl von Gontard (he of Gendarmenmarkt churches fame). They originally stood near the Rotes Rathaus in Mitte but were displaced by road construction in 1910. West of Kleistpark, the imposing 1913 Kammergericht (Elssholzstrasse 30-33) was the courthouse that staged the notorious show trials of the Nazi ‘people’s court’ against the participants – real and alleged – in the July 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler. Led by the fanatical judge Roland Freisler, hundreds of people were handed their death sentences; many were executed at Ge…
reviewed
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Viktoriapark
This unruly, rambling park drapes over the Kreuzberg, Berlin’s highest natural elevation, although at 66m it’s not exactly the Matterhorn. Still, views are quite impressive from the top (especially in winter) where a pompous Schinkel-designed Kreuzberg memorial heralds Prussia’s military triumph over Napoleon in 1815. On New Year’s Eve thousands come up here to drink, dance and watch the fireworks. In summer the park is a popular spot for tanning, taking the kids to the playground, strolling along steep, meandering trails or quaffing a cold one at the Golgatha beer garden. An artificial waterfall tumbles downhill into a pool where Neptune is frolicking with an oce…
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Strasse des 17 Juni
This broad boulevard bisecting the park was originally called Charlottenburger Chaussee and linked the City Palace on Unter den Linden with Schloss Charlottenburg. In 1937 Hitler doubled its width and turned it into a triumphal road called, rather mundanely, East-West Axis. Its present name commemorates the 1953 workers’ uprising in East Berlin, which brought the GDR to the brink of collapse. The section of Strasse des 17 Juni between the Brandenburger Tor and the Siegessäule turns into a mega-party zone on New Year’s Eve, for such festivals as Christopher Street Day and during major soccer championships like the FIFA World Cup. Also along here is the bombastic Sowje…
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Schloss Britz
More a large country estate than a palace, Schloss Britz has a pedigree going back to the 16th century but, having been toyed with repeatedly, now sports more of a French Renaissance look. In recent years it has emerged as a hub for highbrow culture in largely lowbrow Neukölln and frequently hosts concerts and exhibits in its historical rooms, the former horse barn or the park. Tours of the interior offer a look at the lifestyle of a wealthy family in the late 19th century. In fine weather the pretty gardens make for a nice stroll or picnic. To get here from Parchimer Allee U-Bahn station walk west about 500m or take bus M46.
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Volkspark
Berlin's oldest public park (since 1840) provides treasured relief from urbanity. Besides expansive lawns, it has playgrounds, tennis courts, a free half-pipe for skaters, the adorable Märchenbrunnen (Fairytale Fountain; popular with gay cruisers) and various socialist monuments. Its two hills are actually piles of wartime debris; the taller one is nicknamed Mont Klamott. Summer events include a popular outdoor film series.
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Volkspark Friedrichshain
Berlin’s oldest public park (since 1840) provides treasured relief from urbanity. Besides expansive lawns, it has playgrounds, tennis courts, a free half-pipe for skaters, the Märchenbrunnen (Fairytale Fountain; popular with gay cruisers after dark) and various socialist monuments. Its two hills are actually piles of wartime debris. Summer events include a popular outdoor film series.
reviewed
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C
Karl-Marx-Allee
This monumental boulevard is one of the most impressive relics from the GDR era. At 90m wide, it was built between 1952 and 1960 and runs for 2.3km between Alexanderplatz and Frankfurter Tor. A source of considerable national pride, it provided modern flats for thousands of comrades and also served as a backdrop for vast military parades.
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D
Spreebogenpark
This triangular park links the government buildings with the Spree River and the Hauptbahnhof. It’s a simple, geometric space of lawns dappled with beech and oak trees. In summer, a rather commercial beach bar called Capital Beach sets up shop below the pedestrian-only bridge.
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E
Mauerpark
Mauerpark is not your typical leafy urban oasis, but you might forgive the wimpy trees, scraggly bushes and anaemic lawn when you learn that the infamous Berlin Wall used to run right through here. An artificial mound curves up towards a section of remaining Hinterlandmauer (inner wall) where graffiti artists are officially permitted to live out their fantasies. The floodlights jutting out from behind this colourful strip belong to the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, the stadium where Stasi chief Erich Mielke used to cheer on his beloved Dynamo Berlin football (soccer) team. Just north of here is the Max-Schmeling-Halle venue. Bargain-hunters should visit Mauerpark on Su…
reviewed
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