Berlin Architecture in Photos

We've done a lot of wandering around the streets of Berlin in the last 7 months and along the way we've taken quite a few photos of the buildings around town. There are loads of interesting buildings dotted around the city and we've enjoyed just wandering around and discovering new places. Here is a collection of a few of our favourite architectural photos we've collected over the last few months.

Heilig Kreuz Kirche (Holy Cross Church) kreuzberg

A beautiful promenade of houses in central Berlin

An interesting residential building in Kreuzberg

Otto Bock Science Center near Potsdamer Platz

The Nhow Hotel on the river Spree

The Kino International on Karl-Marx-Allee

The Humbolt Box on Museum Island

Berlin  Dom Cathedral

The Berlin TV Tower

The Kanzleramts Building as seen from the Bundestag building

Box window design in Pankow

Curvy balconies in Prenzlauer Berg

A  beautiful façade in Prenzlauer Berg

The Southern Spree Riverfront

The Southern Spree Riverfront buildings

Kreuzberg in Pictures: Episode Four

In this section of Explorer Berlin we share photos we took from our travels around Kreuzberg. Our theme this edition is the street art that can be found in the area. 

There is just so much street art in Kreuzberg. Every corner you turn there is a new and inventive piece of grafitti waiting for you. After doing a little research into the murals I found out that two murals pictured in this blog are by an artist called Blu. AndBerlin did a blog about his work earlier in the year if you want to find out a little more about Blu.  

As for the other two pieces I don't know who created them. Do you?

Enjoy the photos and if you get chance, I recommend visiting in person.  

Check out some more street art photos on our facebook page. 

What do you think of graffiti in Kreuzberg?

Do you think it is an eyesore or art?

Begging businessman on Waldemarstrasse

This was hanging from underneath the Oberbaumbrüke a few months ago!

Mural by Blu on Cuvrystraße

Mural by Blu on Oberbaumstrasse

The Oberbaumbrücke

The Oberbaumbrücke is one of the prettiest bridges I’ve ever seen. It is a bridge that links Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain across the waters of the River Spree.

These former boroughs were previously divided by the Berlin Wall. During the division crossings were prohibited and later limited to pedestrian crossings by West Berlin residents only. The Wall stretched along both banks of the river so after German reunification the Oberbaumbrücke became an important symbol of the unity of modern Berlin.

The name Oberbaumbrücke translates literally as “Upstream Tree Bridge” and derives from the original wooden drawbridge that was in this location as far back as the 18th century. It was used as a gate to the city and, at night, a fortified tree trunk was placed under the bridge to stop smugglers coming in and out of the city by water.

Today the distinctive red brick bridge, which originally opened in 1896, is multi-functional as it allows traffic, pedestrians and the U-bahn (line 1 of the metro) to cross the river. Pedestrians can meander along undeneath the train line under the series of brick arches as a herd of cyclists wizz past in the cycle lane. Over the last few months I have also seen a number of buskers and musicians performing on the bridge, a great setting to stop and listen to a bit of music!

The U-Bahn metro line runs through Kreuzberg and terminates just on the other side at Warschauerstrasse. It travels on an upper deck where there is a great view of the city, including the TV tower in Alexanderplatz, as you cross. In fact, a journey along the whole of line 1 of the U-bahn is a great way to see the West of the city as it runs on a raised bridge along the side of the main roads.

It’s current appearance is down to the fact that the Siemens and Halske company (who built the U-Bahn system) insisted that the metro crossing was included in the design. I have crossed this bridge many times by foot, train and bus as I live close by and I have to say that each time I never fail to enjoy the view and it’s architecture. It is a spectacular architectual beauty and an icon of the city with it’s distinctive grand towers visable from far down the Spree. I recommend a stoll across and don’t forget to take your camera.

For more information about the history of the bridge, check out the article on wikipedia

Kreuzberg in Pictures: Episode Three

In this section of Explorer Berlin we share photos we took from our travels around Kreuzberg. Here are a few more photos of the sights of Kreuzberg.

Do you live in or have you visited Kreuzberg? 

What do you think of this part of Berlin? 

Comments are welcome.

Some camouflaged cars!

A barge with a lot of graffiti.

The "Weingarten" restaurant and beer garden.

Open Air Gallery 2012

On Sunday we accidentally wandered into the Open Air Gallery which was taking place on Oberbaümbruke (the bridge between the districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain).

The bridge had been closed to traffic and the road lined with stands displaying artist's paintings, sculptures and photographs for sale.

Along with a variety of different types of art stands there was a paper strip running down in the middle of the road. There were pots of paint and brushes dotted along so that members of the public could add their own artistic touch to the communal painting. And, of course, there was a bar to buy a refreshing beer, wine or snack (I don't think I've seen any event in Germany that doesn't involve beer). 

Our attention, however, was drawn away from the center of activity to an artist displaying his art just off the bridge. His paintings captured our attention and we approached to find out more. Maxamillion arrived in Berlin a few weeks ago from Austria and is currently living in the squat village on the banks of the Spree. 

Artist "Maxamillion"

Some themes he talked about in his art-work include perception, our connection to the universe, consciousness and the universal spiral. After a chat with Maxamillion, we decided to buy some prints. You can find out more about him on his website: maxamillionpossibilities.com

Maxamillion's art work

Here are some more photos of the Open Air Gallery 2012.

If you missed out on the event, don't worry as you will have another chance this year

The Open Air Gallery returns to Oberbaümbruke on Sunday 5th August from 10am - 10pm. 

For more information visit their website (in German).     

Kreuzberg in Pictures: Episode Two

In this section of Explorer Berlin we share photos we took from our travels around Kreuzberg. Here are a couple more photos of the wonderful things to see here. There is a theme this week, Alternative places to have a drink!

Do you live in or have you visited Kreuzberg? 

What do you think of this part of Berlin? 

Comments are welcome. 

The "Kjosk Bus Bar" on Skalitzerstrasse.

Update: I was informed by @jeroenvanmarle via twitter shortly after posting this blog that the Kjosk Bus Bar is no longer there and, low and behold, I went past this afternoon and it had disappeared! It might crop up somewhere else in the city hopefully. Thanks for the info Jeroen.   

A "Boat Bar" on the Spree.

A pleasure boat on the canal. I'm pretty sure it has a bar too!

Kreuzberg in Pictures: Episode One

Kreuzberg in West Berlin is one of the most well-known areas of Berlin. It is rich in counter-culture, road-side cafes and restaurant as well as street art. It went from being one of the poorest West Berlin neighbourhoods during the late 70's to the hip cultural center it now is.

Kreuzberg houses many of the immigrants in Berlin (including us!) and has a well established Turkish community and a load of punks! There are many things to do and see here especially in the summer months when a walk down one of the canals and a cool beer on a terrace is a must!

In this section of Explorer Berlin we will be sharing photos we took around Kreuzberg every few weeks. Here are a couple of photos to get started. We hope you enjoy them.

Do you live in or have you visited Kreuzberg? 

What do you think of this part of Berlin? 

Comments are welcome. 

Line 1 of the U-Bahn which goes right through the center of Kreuzberg. 

Swans on the canal.

Night time factories on the Spree.