Bike of the Week: Number 14

Not sure if the "Bike of the Week" is...

Elvis' old bike?

...made of solid gold or just rusty.

Müggelsee: Berlin's largest lake

Berlin has many rivers, lakes and canals and we recently discovered the biggest lake of them all, Müggelsee, in the district of Treptow-Köpenick to the south-east of the city. Großer Müggelsee ("Large" Müggelsee), with an area of 7.4 square kilometers (2.9 square miles) and a length of 4.3 km (2.7 miles), reaches a depth of 8 meters whilst it's smaller brother, Kleiner Müggelsee ("Small" Müggelsee) feeds the River Spree into the larger lake from the east.   

We visited the lake recently and found out that on a weekday morning it is mainly deserted. We can imagine that it can get rather busy though especially during a hot summer weekend. It was actually very nice to escape the city and to enjoy the soothing sounds nature had to offer for a few hours. We approached the lake from the south side at Müggelseeperle but there are some other worthwhile places to visit all around the lake including the towns of Friedrichshagen and Rahnsdorf. 

The lake, being a quite popular day-trip destination for Berliners, has beaches as well as public paths and various resorts around the lake. There are a couple of official bathing beaches and plenty of places to hire paddle boats, motor boats and even canoes.    

There are many paths and cycle lanes as well as lake-side cafes, restaurants and beer gardens to relax in and enjoy the view. What we really liked about our quick visit was that there was a lot of wildlife there including ducks, swans and deer. We also spotted a fox on our walk. 

There are quite a few activities close by such as a Waterworks Museum ("Museum im Wasserwerk") in Friedrichshagen on the north side of the lake. There you can find out about the history of the water supply system and see a permanent collection of machinery, tools and documents related to Berlin's water supply and the history of the plant which still supplies water to Berlin today.

It takes around an hour to get there by public transport (S-Bahn and/or bus) from the city center depending on which part of the lake you wish to visit. Check the useful 'journey planner' on bvg.de to find out the best way to get there. By car it takes about 30-40 minutes and there are lots of places to park around the lake.

A walk around the whole lake I suppose would take around 3-4 hours and I will definitely write a blog about it if I decided to go back and see how long it takes.

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

Bike of the Week: Number 13

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

Poser!

...simple and sophisticated.

Berlin Tourism for Dummies: The East Side Gallery

If you haven't already visited Berlin then you have probably at least heard of The East Side Gallery. It's kind of essential to visit, even on a short trip to the city. The Gallery itself is situated on a 1.3 km long  (3/4 of a mile) stretch of the original Berlin Wall. It is the largest open air gallery in the world and home to over 100 'freedom' paintings from a host of international artists.

It was originally created in 1990 just after the fall of the Berlin Wall as an expression of freedom and hope for a new future. In the new unified Germany artists descended upon the east side of the famous barrier to tell the story of a divided then reunified Berlin, to preserve the memory of those who suffered under oppression and inhumanity and to show hope of a better world for all.

The wall runs along the eastern bank of the river Spree and is the 12-foot high canvas onto which the artwork is directly painted. It is the longest preserved part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing today. Although the gallery's original significance was a celebrated success, it's story is not without controversy and neglect.

After just two years the cheap paint was already showing signs of weathering and so the first restorative attempt took place. In 1996 the Künstlerinitiative was created by a group of artists in order to help raise donations and get sponsorship. The gallery had no public funding so they relied on donations to upkeep and maintain the art.
 

Covered in graffiti in 2005. "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love", Dimitrij Vrubel, Soviet Union

As time went on, not only was the appearance of the artwork deteriorating, but the concrete itself was also showing signs of decay. Originally built in 1961, the steel reinforcements within the concrete had started to corrode and the wall started to crumble. Restoration was not going to be easy or cheap. Over the years the gallery has also suffered from an over abundance of graffiti as you can see in the photo of the famous work above.

"Test the Rest", Birgit Kinder, East Germany

2006 saw another blow to the project as a 45-meter section was ripped down to make way for river access to the new O2 World arena site which was being built next door. In 2008 however, the city of Berlin along with the national lottery provided one million euros in funding to help restore the gallery and, by December 2009, 99 of the remaining 106 paintings had been restored (many by the artists who originally painted them).    

"Es geschah im November", Kani Alavi, Persia

"Politik ist die Fortsetzung des Krieges mit anderen Mitteln", Carsten Jost, Ulrike Steglich, East Berlin

I've walked along the stretch of the gallery quite a few times, mainly to bring new visitors to see it. Some of the art is simple, some provocative. Some pieces are dark and symbolic whilst others are bright and celebratory. Although it might not be as powerful a symbol as it would have been in its heyday I think that you can still learn something from it and hear the common international voice towards peace and understanding.

Tolerance, Mary Mackey, USA

Five facts about the East Side Gallery: 

01 - The East Side Gallery was officially opened on the 28th Septemeber 1990. 

02 - 118 artists from 21 countries participated in the project in 1990.

03 - Restoration of parts of the concrete wall was undertaken in 2002.

04 - In the year 2000 about a third of the wall was restored and repainted.

05 - In 2009 74 of the original artists helped restore their own work.     

The East Side Gallery is located between the Ostbahnhof train station and the Oberbaumbrüke. There is no cost to see the gallery and you can visit it at any time day or night.

Some interesting links and articles about the East Side Gallery:
The Künstlerinitiative
Berlin Tourist Guide: East Side Gallery (with a photo gallery)
The Telegraph: Berlin Wall anniversary: East Side Gallery restored to state twenty years ago.
An East Side Gallery Timeline. 

Our new Berlin Tourism for Dummies section aims to give quick introductions to some of the main sights to see in Berlin. We hope it is helpful to those of you planning a trip to the city.