Walking along the East Side Gallery. Photo by Mark Turner.

By Susan Buzelli in Berlin–

With only a handful of sights to its name, the edgy Berlin district of Friedrichshain, which is infamous for its anti-capitalism protests, prolific graffiti artists, and rocking music venues, isn’t a jackpot in the sight-seeing department. But thanks to its free-to-see landmarks and a bevy of inexpensive and innovative eateries, this is a great day-time destination for Cheapos desperate to give their wallets some serious R and R.

Here are some great ways to spend a Cheapo-friendly afternoon in Friedrichshain.

Open-air Art: The East Side Gallery

From the Ostbahnhof S-bahn station, stroll alongside Friedrichshain’s best-known attraction: the free-of-charge East Side Gallery (Mühlen Str., between the Ostbahnhof train station and Warschauer Str.) Reputed to be the continent’s largest open-air gallery, it’s a great way to pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The .8-mile-long stretch of Wall bordering the Spree river is a concrete canvas for some 100 graffiti-style artworks. The two most famous images: Birgit Kinder’s painting of a Trabant, the iconic East German car, bursting through the Wall and Dmitri Vrubel’s rendering of a passionate kiss between the Soviet Union’s Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany’s Erich Honecker. If you need a break, spread out on the recently revamped Spree river banks, tucked away just behind the Wall.

A Bridge with a View

The Oberbaumbrucke. Photo by Stadtneurotiker.

Once you’ve reached the end of Mühlen Str., the historic, red brick Oberbaumbrücke bridge, which links Friedrichshain to Kreuzberg, is impossible to miss.

Originally built in the 18th century, the two-story structure with a 21st-century addition by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, offers sweeping views of eastern Berlin. Look east to see the shimmering silver Molecule Man sculpture rising from the river. Look west to spot the ubiquitous Fernsehturm (TV tower).

Music fans should check out the patterned brick-and-glass Universal Records building, where the company’s European headquarters is located, adjacent to the bridge.

Lunch in a shabby-chic hood

Continue north on Warschauer Strasse to reach the heart of the Boxhaganer Kiez, a shabby-chic hood between Boxhagener Strasse and Revaler Strasse. A gathering place for stylish students, wannabe musicians, and other low-earning Berliners, this colorful corner boasts plenty of eateries serving low-budget food with flair. The best spots serve portions so large that a party of two could fill their bellies for less than €10.

Organic burger joints and vegan eateries are the restaurants du jour in this trend-conscious foodie zone. Since you probably didn’t travel all the way to Berlin to sample diner-style cheeseburgers (or veggie burgers) and fries, you should skip places like Kreuzburger (Grünberger Str. 52-53), Green Burger (Grünberger Str. 38), and Burgeramt/Frühstucksclub (Krossener Str. 22).

Vegan Pizza at Yoyo Foodworld. Photo: Milgrammer.

If you can’t resist the urge, head to the best of the bunch, Frittiersalon (Boxhagener Str. 104). Reminiscent of a 1950’s diner, the organic burgers served in this greasy spoon are big and tasty. Not to be missed are the house-made potato chips and the diverse, house-made sauces. Vegetarian Wurst is also on the menu.

Meatless meals

Vegans and the green-minded are well served well by another set of Friedrichshain faves that specialize in politically-responsible dishes. The popular Yoyo Foodworld (Gärtner Str. 27) is dedicated to providing strict vegans with dishes that are usually verboten from their diets: Käsespätzle (cheese-covered egg noodles), gyros, schnitzels, burgers, and even banana splits. And the price is right: a vegan hot chili cheeseburger with fries and a salad is €6.99.

A few blocks away, Vöner (Boxhagener Str. 56) draws the vegan masses with its P.C. version of the city’s most beloved meat-centric snack: the Döner kebab. The Imbisse (snack stand) also turns out a mean veggie burger and a meaty bio burger.

A Soviet-era Avenue: Karl Marx Allee

Karl Marx Allee's Soviet facades. Photo by Mishkabear.

After lunching, wrap up your tour of Friedrichshain with a visit to the Stalinist-era Karl Marx Allee (at the northern end of Warschauer Str., between Alexanderplatz and Frankfurter Allee).

A showcase of monumental Communist architecture, including eight-story, “wedding cake” apartment buildings sheathed in creamy white tiles, the wide boulevard was built by the Soviets shortly after World War II to impress the west. In addition to hosting government-sanctioned marches, it also hosted a brutally-put down demonstration by workers on June 17, 1953.

After staring up at the 2,620-feet-high, neo-classical towers marking the Allee’s eastern end, meander west, past chipping, graffiti-covered facades, funky movie theaters, and retro store fronts, some of which still bear their funky 1950’s shop signs. The apartment buildings west of the Weberwiese U-bahn stop are the most impressive as they’ve been wonderfully restored to their Stalinist/neoclassical glory.

When you’ve had enough, rest your feet and grab a coffee at the historic Café Sybille (Karl Marx Allee 72), which includes an exhibit about the Berlin Wall. A hipper option across the street, Ehrenburg Café (Karl Marx Allee 103) is named after Ilya Ehrenburg, a Soviet-Jewish journalist.

About the author: A Pittsburgh native, Susan Buzzelli had stints in Dresden, Munich, and Hamburg before settling (possibly for good) in Europe’s most dynamic city: Berlin. Her comprehensive guidebook to Germany, Zeitguide Germany, will be published soon. Look for updates on her website, www.susanbuzzelli.com.

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A stretch of the wall at the East Side Gallery. Photo by Franz Patzig.

By Susan Buzzelli in Berlin—

On November 9, thousands of Berliners, visitors, and VIPs, including Kofi Annan and Mikhail Gorbachev, will gather at the base of the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But you don’t have to wait until the action-packed Fest der Freiheit (Festival of Freedom) to pay tribute to Germany’s division into East and West between 1961 and 1989.

Dozens of exhibits, concerts, tours, readings, and more related to life and times on both sides of the Mauer are dominating the Berlin’s cultural calendar this fall.

Seeing Red

Information about Wall-related happenings isn’t hard to gather. Painted a jarring shade of tomato red, the Infotreppe (Info stairs, Washingtonplatz, U- and S-bahn: Hauptbahnhof), a staircase parked in front of the Hauptbahnhof (central train station), offers a multimedia exhibit and tips about how to celebrate the Wall during your visit.

From the viewing platform atop the Treppe, you can spot giant, red, helium-filled arrows hovering above the city, one of which points out the current location of a roving red “info box”. This small exhibition space, set up in front of various Schauplätze (show places), throughout the city, emphasize the exciting and myriad ways in which Berlin has changed over the last two decades. Until September 20, the spotlight is on the Adlershof, an impressive cluster of 8,000 high-tech science and media companies that’s located on a former airfield in Treptow, a district deep in the former East.

In addition to visiting these Schauplätze and the city’s most famous Wall-related sights, including the admission-free Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial) and the East Side Gallery, you can pay tribute to the city’s division and reunification, Cheapo-style, by visiting a handful of temporary (and free) exhibits in both halves of the city.

In the east

The open-air exhibition Peaceful Revolution 1989/90, in German and English, (open until Nov. 19) sheds light on the non-violent protest movements that led to the fall of the Wall. Fanned out in the southern end of the Communist-era square, Alexanderplatz (near the Saturn electronics store, U-bahn: Alexanderplatz), the extensive exhibit is broken down into three categories: Awakening, Revolution, and Unity. Free and open 24-7, this is a Cheapo alternative to the pricey DDR Museum nearby.

In the west

Less centrally-located, but worth the journey south of the center (near Dahlem, where Free University is located), the free and fascinating Erinnerungsstätte Notaufnahmelager Marienfelde (Marienfelde Refugee Centre Memorial, S-bahn: Marienfelde) marks the spot where the 1.3 million East Germans who successfully “escaped” from the East between 1949 and 1990 were temporarily housed before their relocation to the so-called Goldene Westen (the golden west). After checking out the permanent display, stop by the special exhibit, Mit der S-bahn in den Westen (“To the West with the S-bahn”), about the role that the city’s commuter rail played in the divided city.

For a complete listing of the dozens of Wall-related things to do and see, check out the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall website.

About the author: A Pittsburgh native, Susan Buzzelli has been a sworn Germanophile since she spent a high school summer as an exchange student in Buxtehude. After stints in Dresden, Munich, and Hamburg she settled (possibly for good) in Europe’s most dynamic city: Berlin. When she isn’t exploring Berlin, she’s traveling throughout Germany (with an occasional hop over the border). Her comprehensive guidebook to Germany, Zeitguide Germany, will be published soon. Look for updates on her website, www.susanbuzzelli.com.

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Flohmarkt finds at Mauerpark; photo by jsighara

By Susan Buzzelli in Berlin—It’s no secret that Berliners take a deep breath on Sundays. Shops are closed and traffic dissipates, making the already laid-back city feel completely chilled out. Capture the spirit by heading to a hip hood where part of the Berlin Wall once stood (at the Mitte-Prenzlauer Berg-Wedding border, near the U-bahn stop Bernauer Str.). Hipsters, students, and young families crowd the café-lined drags of Kastanienallee and Oderberger Strasse to indulge in leisurely breakfasts, followed by a twirl through a flea market or two. (If you won’t be around on Sunday, you can replicate this routine sans flea markets during the week.)

Let’s do breakfast!

Berlin-style breakfast is a jackpot for Cheapos, especially on weekends, when cafés roll out all-you-can-eat buffets. Laden with German breakfast basics—cheese, cold cuts, vegetables, fruit, jam, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and crusty rolls—the best spots offer extras like Sekt (sparkling wine), exotic fruit, and homemade spreads. Coffee, tea, and the Berlin favorite, Milchcafé (coffee with milk), usually aren’t inclusive.

We recommend showing up before 11 AM, when the buffet is freshest, the staff is alert, and the crowds are thin. (Most spots serve breakfast from 10 AM to 3 PM) Once you’ve occupied a table, take your time—read a newspaper, people watch, and make plenty of trips to the buffet. Do it right and you won’t be hungry until dinner.

Where to go?

Typical fare at Morgenrot; photo by muckster

The cozy neighborhood favorite Schwarze Pumpe (Choriner Str. 76, one block east of Kastanienallee) is a Cheapo hit. For €4.90, you can graze the basic but high-quality buffet with great scrambled eggs. Order a Milchcafé, load your plate, and have a seat in the rustic-cozy interior or on the tree-shaded sidewalk. (Breakfast à la carte is available the rest of the week.)

Vegetarians, leftists, and budget travelers are also fans of the vegan-friendly buffet (available Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM) at the grungy café-bar-collective Morgenrot (Kastanienallee, 85). A colorful spread laid out on the bar in this dingy, art-filled space features tofu cream cheese and fruit-studded yoghurt. In keeping with its leftist mission, the café asks for €4¬–8, depending on your income.

If you prefer breakfast à la carte, try the Kiezkantine (Oderberger Str. 50). Operated by a non-profit organization for the mentally challenged, this homey place is beloved for its bargain breakfast. Ample enough for two hungry travelers, the Grosses Frühstück (big breakfast), a composition of cheese, ham, salami, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables, warm rolls, and seed-studded bread, is only €4.20 (students pay a reduced rate of €3.30). Gourmet it isn’t, but filling it is.

Snap up a flea market bargain

Walk off breakfast while exploring two of the city’s best flea markets, which get going around 11 AM. The Mauerpark Flohmarkt (Bernauer Str. 63-64, at the western end of Oderberger Str.), a maze of stalls next to a scrubby park that once bordered the Berlin Wall, is well stocked with chic and cheap souvenirs hand-crafted by local designers. Look for photographs of Berlin, silk-screened T-shirts, glass bead jewelry, and trendy clothing. Pick through the junkier stands to find retro teapots, vintage leather purses, and LPs.

Afterwards, stroll south on Wolliner Strasse to reach the Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz (Arkonaplatz). It’s small, but the items on display in this picturesque square are more valuable—and more expensive. Expect vintage sunglasses and retro vases in groovy shades.

Check out the Wall

Cap off your tour with a stop at the admission-free Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Str. 111), which is hidden five blocks east of Arkonaplatz (take Anklamer Str., then make a right onto Acker Str.) Study an original stretch of the Berlin Wall up close and from the top of a lookout tower across the street.

From there, pick up a tram on Bernauer Strasse or walk west to the Nordbahnhof S-bahn station to continue your Berlin adventures.

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A section of the East Side Gallery in Berlin. Photos by Campru.

Berlin—Critic and curator Emilie Trice writes, “Berlin is the graffiti mecca of the urban art world.” And a recent New York Times article confirms Trice’s assertion with the observation that “The city’s skyline might be defined by a Sputnik-era TV tower, bombed-out churches and the ghost of a certain wall that once split the German capital. But its streetscape is largely molded by graffiti.”

It is therefore unsurprising that the city’s art landscape includes a number of galleries exclusively showing street art. Overkill Shop, Circle Culture, and Intoxicated Demons are a few choice examples of galleries specializing in bringing street art inside. And recent super-successful shows by celebrated local street artists such as EVOL and Jaybo Aka Monk demonstrate the commercial viability of street art for international collectors.

A graffiti guide

Street art in Berlin.

But for everyone interested in just appreciating the work in its natural habitat, there is a new book by graphic designer Benjamin Wolbergs, “Urban Illustration Berlin: Street Art Cityguide.” The book makes the perfect guide for a walking tour through Berlin’s outdoor street art scene.

Written in both German and English, the book offers exclusive interviews with seventeen of the elusive artists. Wolbergs does not limit his focus to spray paint. Instead, he gives attention to the rich range of stencils, cutouts, markers and wheatpaste works across the city.

Wolbergs’ stunning street photography in “Urban Illustration Berlin: Street Art Cityguide,” along with the interviews’ insight into the artists’ working techniques, motives, and philosophies on street art, make the book a valuable purchase, regardless of whether one is planning a visit to Berlin.

A self-guided graffiti walking tour

However, the book’s real treasure is a tear-out city map detailing the locations of 500 iconic and admired instances of Berlin’s street art featured in the book. Tear it out and take yourself on a walking tour.

Street art is fragile. And a few of the works Wolbergs spotlighted no longer exist. But the neighborhoods remain active areas for street artists and well worth visiting for anyone interested in the origins of Berlin’s vibrant international art scene.

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Berlin is one city where your euros can still pack a punch. And, perhaps even more importantly, it’s also full of art, history, sausage, and frei stuff to do.

Here are six of our favorite freebies in the German capital:

The Reichstag

The official seat of the German Parliament, the Reichstag affords you (at no cost!) one of the best views of the city from its famous dome and roof terrace. Wait times can be hefty, so we’ve found it’s best to visit at night (the building stays open until midnight, although the last entry is at 10 PM). Take a quick elevator ride to the top and snap a bunch of photos. A free brochure, available as you enter the building, offers a pictorial guide to the Berlin skyline. (So, that’s the new train station!)

Brandenburg Gate

This majestic gate, called “the trademark of Berlin” by the local authorities, was built by King Wilhelm II in 1788. The Gate has seen a lot. It has survived conquests, bombings, and oppressive regimes. The monument sits at the end of the mighty Unter den Linden, and has recently received a city-sponsored cleaning. We think the best time to view this beauty is at night, when its majesty shines under soft lights.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie, the name for the passport control for visitors going between East and West Berlin, is today a major tourist draw. There’s no charge for hanging out next to the original booth once manned by Soviet and American soldiers. Located along busy Friederichstrasse, today guards smile, pose for photos, and answer questions from tourists. Across the street, several creative vendors charge €5 for a “legitimate” stamp for your passport. Ah yes, nostalgia… (Watch out for the Segueways—see photo above.)

The Wall

There are two good spots to see what’s left of the infamous Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery (in Kreuzberg), where artists like Keith Herring have painted over old pieces of the Wall as part of a public exhibit, is the cheerier of the two locations. This part of the Wall bursts with color, celebrates freedom and shows off the graffiti talents of many Berliners and friends of Berliners. For a more somber and realistic take on the Wall, visit the piece that’s still up near the Topography of Terror exhibit (below), in Mitte near Checkpoint Charlie.

Topography of Terror

OK, it sounds ominous (and well, it is), but this exhibit—in Mitte—is one of the most comprehensive one-stop shops for facing the magnitude of World War II, Berlin’s role in it, and the Holocaust. Placards with black and white photos show Hitler’s rise to power, the resurrection of the Wall, and many more key historical moments. Explanations and timelines accompany the photos and follow a clear path that leads you parallel to old S.S. Nazi police baracks. It’s a tad creepy, if you really let your mind go there. But, well worth a visit.

The Holocaust Memorial

The newly-opened “Monument to the Murdered Jews in Europe,” designed by architect Peter Eisenman, opened in 2005 and consists of 2,711 concrete slabs arranged on sloping ground. Walking through the enormous memorial can be somber, disorienting, and dizzying. An underground information center is open daily (except Monday). The outdoor monument is open and free to the public at all times.

Cheap eats

Berlin is full of cheap eats. You can hardly walk down the street without bumping into a bargain-priced doner-kabap. In any case, save a couple of euros for a good currywurst and Beck’s beer at the end of the day. You’ll need a breather after a day of intense sightseeing.

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Photo courtesy of Thunderchild5

It has been 17 years since the Berlin Wall fell, but the ghost of it continues to haunt the German capital today. There remain divided in many aspects of everyday life, from differing attitudes of East and West Berliners to disparities in how the city has physically developed since reunification. Berlin was understandably so eager to get rid of the thing that there is little of the Wall left to see today.

Most of the Wall-curious tourist crowd flocks to Checkpoint Charlie and its kitschy private museum, but a better bet is the city-run Berlin Wall Documentation Center on Bernauer Strasse in Wedding. It’s free to the public and offers a sober, non-sensationalistic portrait of the Wall and its era. Inside is an exhibit including original documents and film clips about the construction of the Wall, and you can climb a tower to look down on a preserved section of the barrier, complete with the “death strip” and patrol track in between the inner and outer walls.

The neighborhood of Wedding is also worth visiting. Empty lots still stand where the Wall used to be, and the patrol track remains, now used by dog-walkers and joggers. Reconstruction is moving quickly, however, and even these signs of the past will likely be torn down to make way for Berlin’s future.

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