Public transport Architecture
The entrance to the S-Bahn station Botanischer Garten. Photo: Ulla Hennig August 2011
This is the facade of the entrance to the commuter train station “Botanischer Garten” in Berlin. It is one example of the public transport architecture in Berlin, especially regarding the commuter train (S-Bahn). Many of the stations are under the ground, like subway stations, but some of them are above the ground, like the S-Bahn station “Botanischer Garten“.
The Berlin S-Bahn
S-Bahn Station Botanischer Garten. Photo: Ulla Hennig, August 2011
The S-Bahn is part of the Berlin public transport system. It connects the outskirts of Berlin with the center. Normally trains stop at the stations every 10 minutes. On some lines you have a train coming every three minutes.
Some of the stations are quite old. The S-Bahn came into existence in 1924, and in 1929 the electrification of the existing suburban lines was completed.
The S-Bahn Station Botanischer Garten (in English: botanical garden) is part of the line from the north of Berlin going straight down to the south. As you can see on the photo there is a lot of green on both sides of the line – taking the S-Bahn will show you how green Berlin really is!
Once upon a time
There once was a pub... Photo: Ulla Hennig, June 2011
There was a time when Berlin – East and West – was famous for their pubs. Often you coud find then at the corner, and so they were called “Eckkneipen” – which means “pubs on the corner”. They served a few brands of draft beer, some snacks, and that was it. No stylish furniture, no latte macchiato, no capucchino. Just beer and “Schnaps”. You did not find any tourists in there, just the locals: hard working people who enjoyed their beer after a long day of work; old age pensioners who escaped the loneliness for their homes; and the one and other person who was unemployed and needed the booze to get over the day.
Of course people were allowed to smoke at that time, and how they did! You could even smell the smoke when you got near the premises, and the door were open in the summer time.
The times they are a changing – and only a few of this kind of pubs have survived. And not all of them which have survived are recommendable. But some of them still are.
The Charlottenburg Gate in Berlin
The Charlottenburg Gate in Berlin. Photo: Ulla Hennig, July 2011
This gate has been built at the beginning of the 20th century in Berlin. It marks the border between the districts of Charlottenburg and Tiergarten, and is part of the Charlottenburg bridge which crosses the Landwehrkanal.
The sculpture on the left is a sculpture of Sophie Charlotte, the wife of King Frederick I.
The Landwehrkanal in Charlottenburg, Berlin
The Landwehrkanal in Charlottenburg, Berlin
The Landwehrkanal is a waterway which goes through several districts of Berlin. This photo shows it in the district of Charlottenburg, not far away from my office at work. Actually I took this photo on Monday on my way to work.
Although I have been living in Berlin for a long time now I am still fascinated with the amount of green which we have in this big city. Charlottenburg is one of the more urban districts with a big train station and the Kurfüstendamm, the famous boulevard during the time when the west of Berlin was surrounded by the wall.
But, as you can see, even this urban district has got its green islands…
Closer view
Closer view, originally uploaded by Ulla2004.
This is one of the few houses left in the southern part of the Friedrichstrape. You can actually read who’s built this house. Below the balcony is written: A. Gutschow
This house must have been built sometime in the end of the 19th century.
Under the Subway in Kreuzberg, Berlin
In order to understand this you must know that parts of the subway lines in Berlin are high above the ground.
As you can see there is a nice lane for pedestrians (and bikers, of course) under the subway. On the left side there is the “Landwehrkanal”, one of Berlin’s most famous waterways. You cannot see it because of the green shrubs.
Capoeira Dancing at the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin 2011
Capoeira Dancing at the Carnival of the Cultures, Berlin
The carnival of cultures takes places every year in June in Berlin. Many nationalities participate in this carnival – people from Afrika, Asia and lots of people from Brazil, South America. You can hear a lot of Samba music, and you can see capoeiristas performing.
As you can see in the photo above people form a big circle, and in the middle of this circle (which is called “roda” by the capoeiristas, two people move. Capoeira is a mixture of martial art, artistic movements and dance. It is said that it was once developed and practised by African slaves in Brazil who were forbidden to carry any weapons.
Wherever capoeira is shown today it is practised without actually hitting the other person. It looks very elegant, almost like a kind of ballet dancing.
The Buddy Bears of Berlin
One of the Buddy Bears of Berlin
In 2001 the fibreglass life-size sculpture of the Buddy Bear was created, and artists painted approximately 350 bears in various colours. These sculptures now populate the city of Berlin, serving as decorative elements. They stand in front of public buildings, hotels and other private premises.
This one here is ten minutes away from where I live – and I didn’t know that he was standing in that street until I passed him on my way to my local bank. Another bear – one painted in brown colour – stands directly in front of the house next to mine and has been bought by a dentist (the name of the dentist is written on the base on which the bear stands).
I actually like the blue and cheerful colour of this one better!
The Jewish Museum in Berlin
The Jewish Museum in Berlin. May 2011, Ulla Hennig
First the facts as they are given on Wikipedia:
“The Jewish Museum Berlin (Jüdisches Museum Berlin), in Berlin, Germany, covers two millennia of German Jewish history. It consists of two buildings. One is the old Kollegienhaus, a former courthouse, built in the 18th century. The other, a new addition specifically built for the museum, designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. This was one of the first buildings in Berlin designed after German reunification. The museum opened to the public in 2001.”
The museum is only 10 minutes away from where I live in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It presents one big permanent exhibition and always smaller, temporary ones. At the moment there is an exhibition about Radical Jewish culture.
