Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
architectural departure from the usual East German response of levelling an area and
building enormous concrete edifices.
Unfortunately, the district has barely taken seed, having the sterile feel of a living
history museum that attracts only tourists and those Berliners who work in the
restaurants and Gaststätten which, in keeping with their surroundings, tend to
specialize in heavy traditional German food. Some of the most attractive houses -
mostly pastel-facaded town houses four or five storeys high - are around the
Nikolaikirche, along Propststrasse, and on the southern side of Nikolaikirchplatz,
behind the church itself, where they are particularly convincing. To compare these
with an original head to the Knoblauch-Haus on Poststrasse.
Nikolaikirche
Nikolaikirchplatz 5 • Tues & Thurs-Sun 10am-6pm, Wed noon-8pm • €5, free on first Wed every month • W stadtmuseum.de •
U-Klosterstrasse
he centrepiece of the Nikolaiviertel is the thirteenth-century Gothic Nikolaikirche ,
a restored twin-towered church. It's one of the city's oldest churches and it was from
here on November 2, 1539, that news of the Reformation was proclaimed to Berlin's
citizens. he distinctive needle-like spires date from a nineteenth-century restoration,
or rather their design does - the building was thoroughly wrecked during the war, as
extensive patches of lighter, obviously modern masonry betray. An unusual feature of
its interior is the bright colouring of the vault ribbings: the orange, purple, green and
other vivid lines look like a Sixties Pop Art addition, but actually follow a medieval
pattern discovered by a 1980s restorer. Otherwise the interior features a museum that
traces the building's history.
3
Zille Museum
Propststr. 11 • April-Oct daily 11am-7pm; Nov-March Tues-Sun 11am-6pm • €6 • T 030 24 63 25 00, W heinrich-zille-museum.de •
U-Klosterstrasse
Propststrasse runs past the side of Nikolaikirche all the way down to the River Spree and
ends in a rather clichéd statue of St George and the Dragon. Along it are a couple of
places associated with Heinrich Zille - the Berlin artist who produced earthy satirical
drawings of Berlin life around the turn of the twentieth century. One of his favourite
watering holes - along with another Berlin artist Otto Nagel - was the sixteenth-century
Zum Nussbaum (see p.189) pub, though in those days it stood on the opposite side of
the Spree on the Spreeinsel where it was destroyed by wartime bombing. he replica is a
faithful copy, right down to the walnut tree in the tiny garden. Many of Zille's drawings
of early twentieth-century proletarian life were based on stories overheard in this pub,
and you can explore the results further down the street at the excellent little Zille
Museum . hough providing a fine insight into the artist's life and attitude, it makes no
allowances for non-German speakers. But if you know a little of Zille's background, it's
easy enough to enjoy the three rooms and short video on the artist's life, and appreciate
his economical, humorous and vivid portrayals of squalid working-class life.
Gerichtslaube
Crossing Propststrasse is Poststrasse, the only other main street in the Nikolaiviertel. At its
northern end is the Gerichtslaube , a replica of Berlin's medieval courthouse. he original
was dismantled in 1870, to create space to build the Rotes Rathaus, and was moved to the
grounds of Schloss Babelsberg in Potsdam where it can still be seen (see p.173).
Knoblauch-Haus
Poststr. 23 • Tues & Thurs-Sun 10am-6pm, Wed noon-8pm • Free • W stadtmuseum.de • U-Klosterstrasse
he southern end of Poststrasse features the Knoblauch-Haus , a Neoclassical town
house built in 1759 and a rare survivor of the war. It was home to the patrician
Knoblauch family, who played an important role in the commercial and cultural life
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search