Page 5 - AIT0924_Berlin

SERIEN EIN WOCHENENDE IN ... • WEEKEND IN ...

Foto: Claudius Pflug Foto: Messe Berlin GmbH

Zeitgenössisches Berliner Lebensgefühl: Flughafen Tempelhof (18) • Contemporary Berlin attitude to life Treppe hoch zum Abschiedspanorama: Aussichtsplattform des Funkturms (22) • Upstairs to farewell panorama

Foto: Enric Duch Foto: Messe Berlin GmbH

Backsteinensemble unter märkischen Kiefern: Georg-Kolbe-Museum (19) • Brick ensemble under Brandenburg pines Grandioses Relikt von 1979 (Entwurf: Schüler/Schüler-Witte): ICC (23) • Grandiose relic (Schüler/Schüler-Witte)

Sunday: From the Holocaust Memorial to the residential high-rise end of the Nazi-era airport building. The panoramic view from the roof reveals the
true dimensions of the airport, which Norman Foster once called “the mother of
r 10:00 – On the boulevard Unter den Linden, we head west towards the Branden- all airports”.
burg Gate (13). We stroll through this symbol of reunification, greet the Reichstag r 16:00 – After so much monumentality, now a gem: the Georg Kolbe Museum
to the right, then turn left. To the south, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of (19) in Westend. The sculptor’s studio building and home form a picturesque brick
Europe (14) by architect Peter Eisenman (2005), a field of stelae and an under- ensemble with a sculpture garden, built in the late 1920s. The studio hosts chan-
ground information centre, commemorates the darkest chapter of German history: ging art exhibitions, and Café Benjamine in the residence offers coffee and cake.
the extermination of six million Jews across Europe. Opposite, in the Tiergarten, Afterward, we head to the extensive Olympic grounds with the Olympic Stadium
stands another single concrete stele: the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecut- (20). Here, Germany showcased itself to an international audience in 1936, while
ed under National Socialism (15) (Elmgreen & Dragset, 2008). We then reach our preparations for war were already underway. Another icon of post-war architecture
next destination, the Neue Nationalgalerie (16). Berlin commissioned Mies van is a nearby Corbusier building (21). Le Corbusier had planned the Berlin version
der Rohe directly for this museum building, opened in 1969, as restitution. The of his Unité d’Habitation for the 1957 International Building Exhibition but later
unique exhibition hall now shines more beautifully than ever after renovation by removed it from his works list due to deviations from his original design.
David Chipperfield Architects. Next door, the controversial museum berlin modern r 18:00 – To end the day, we go up to the observation deck of the Funkturm (22),
(Herzog & de Meuron) is currently rising from the construction pit. built in 1926. It affords a spectacular farewell panorama of the city. Be sure to also
r 12:00 – We recharge our batteries at Café Frühstück 3000 (17) in Schöneberg. The look down at the International Congress Center ICC (23) by architects Ralf Schüler
next stop also embodies contemporary Berlin lifestyle: the former Tempelhof Air- and Ursulina Schüler-Witte (1979). The 313-metre-long colossus of concrete and
port (18). On the vast open space, skaters and kite surfers practice tricks, families aluminium has been shut down for years; due to dilapidated building systems and
meet party people, and there’s even a container village for refugees. However, in asbestos, renovation will be very costly. Demolition is off the table thanks to the
strong wind and blazing summer sun, the almost treeless expanse is inhospitable. building’s landmark status. No one knows yet what will become of this grand relic
It’s better to visit the new observation platform (:mlzd, 2023) at the southwestern from more future-optimistic times.

036 • AIT 9.2024