Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
here is not misplaced egotism but an acronym for “moving energies”: the collection
spans painting, sculpture, photography, installation and new media works from the
early sixteenth century to the present day. he permanent Wunderkammer section
rekindles the tradition, popular during the Renaissance period, of bringing together
eccentric curiosities and “wonders” from around the world. he spacious café serves
coffee and snacks (Tues-Sun 11.30am-6.30pm).
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Auguststr. 69 • Tues-Sun noon-7pm, Thurs noon-9pm • €6 • T 030 243 45 90, W kw-berlin.de • S-Oranienburger Strasse
he KW (Kunst Werke) Institute for Contemporary Art was one of the prime movers in
the post- Wende transformation of Auguststrasse. Once a nineteenth-century margarine
factory, KW was turned into a dedicated art space by Klaus Biesenbach in the early
1990s. he elegant facade leads into a lovely, tree-filled courtyard surrounded by six
artist studios, a glass-walled café (designed by American artist Dan Graham) and a
series of modern, white spaces that includes an exhibition hall by Berlin architect Hans
Düttmann. he institute mainly exhibits cutting-edge international works from both
up-and-coming and major names such as Doug Aitken, Dinos and Jake Chapman and
Paul Pfeiffer. KW also runs Berlin's immensely popular Art Biennale (see p.218).
The theatre district
here's not all that much to see in Berlin's theatre district , though you can't fail to
notice the giant Friedrichstadt-Palast on Friedrichstrasse, a clumsy GDR-era Jugendstil
pastiche that rears up just south of U-Bahn Oranienburger Tor. his is the place to
come if you're into big, splashy, scantily clad revues.
Most impressive among the more high-brow theatres dotted about is the elegant
Deutsches Theater , at Schumannstrasse 13, founded in 1883. Max Reinhardt took over
as director in 1905, thereafter dominating the theatre scene for nearly three decades. In
1922 a young and unknown Marlene Dietrich made her stage debut here, and a couple
of years later Bertolt Brecht arrived from Munich to begin his energetic conquest of
Berlin's theatre world.
he district's theatres are reviewed in our section on the Arts (see p.219).
4
Berliner Ensemble
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1 • Box o ce Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm • T 030 28 40 81 55, W berliner-ensemble.de •
U- & S-Friedrichstrasse
he austere exterior of the early 1890s Berliner Ensemble , tucked away on Bertolt-
Brecht-Platz, hides a rewarding and opulent neo-Baroque interior. his is where,
on August 31, 1928, the world premiere of Bertolt Brecht's Dreigroschenoper (“he
hreepenny Opera”) was staged, the first of 250 consecutive performances in a ritualistic
tribute to one of the few world-famous writers East Germany could later claim as its
own. After exile in America during the Nazi era, Brecht returned in 1949 with his wife,
Helene Weigel, to take over direction of the theatre, marking his return by painting a
still-visible red cross through the coat of arms on the royal box. During box o ce times
you can view the foyer, but the rest of the theatre is only open to the public during
shows (see p.219), which still include regular performances of Brecht's works.
Admiralspalast
A walk over the Spree on Weidendammer Brücke towards Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse
brings you to the Jugendstil Admiralspalast , built as a variety theatre in 1910. Its
partly gilded facade, fluted columns and bas-reliefs come as a surprise amid the
predominantly concrete architecture of the area. As one of the few buildings in these
parts to have survived bombing, it became an important political meeting hall in the
OPPOSITE HACKECHER HÖFE >
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search