Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gedenkstätte
Große Hamburger Straße
Before 1939, this was one of the
most important Jewish streets,
with several Jewish schools, the
oldest Jewish cemetery in Berlin
and an old people's home. The
latter achieved tragic fame during
the Nazi period - the SS used it
as a detention centre for Berlin
Jews before transporting them
to the concentration camps. A
simple monument commemo-
rates thousands of Jews who
were sent to their death from
here. To the left of the home
is a Jewish school, on the site
of an earlier school founded in
1778 by the Enlightenment
philosopher Moses Mendelssohn
(1729-86). To the right of the
monument is the Jewish ceme-
tery, where some 12,000 Berlin
Jews were buried between 1672
and 1827. In 1943, the Nazis
almost completely destroyed the
cemetery. Only a few Baroque
tombs, or
masebas
, survived;
these are now embedded into
the small original cemetery
wall. The place presumed to be
Moses Mendelssohn's tomb is
marked by a new monument.
d
Große Hamburger Str.
•
Map J5
A Day in
Scheunenviertel
Morning
Take the S-Bahn to Fried-
richstraße and explore this
road, Berlin's former enter-
tainment district. Walk
north along the street up
to Reinhardstraße, and
turn left here towards
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz. Con-
tinue south to Albrecht-
straße to the
Berliner
Ensemble
(see p126)
.
Once you have admired
the theatre where the
great playwright used to
work, you could make a
detour to visit his home,
Brecht-Weigel-Gedenk-
stätte
in Chausseestraße.
The best way to get there
is on foot - walk along
Chausseestraße. If you
remain in Friedrichstraße
and turn right behind Fried-
richstadtpalast into
Ora-
nienburger Straße
(see
p123)
, you will get to the
heart of the fashionable
Scheunenviertel. At the
corner of the street rises
the arts centre
Tacheles
,
and a few steps to the
east the shiny golden
dome of the
Neue Syna-
goge
will come into view
(see pp45 and 123)
.
Afternoon
Postfuhramt
The richly ornamented Post-
fuhramt (post
office transport
department)
dates back to
the 19th centu-
ry. It is now an
exhibition hall
for alternative
photography
and art shows
and a centre
for perform-
ance art.
d
Oranienburger
Str. 35
•
Map J4
Before exploring the Sche-
unenviertel district, you
should take some refresh-
ments; not far from the
Synagogue is
Café Oren
(see p129)
. Walk along
Tucholskystraße, then turn
right into Auguststraße.
Here you will find some
of the most attractive
courtyards, for example
Kunsthof
at the corner
of Gartenstraße. Return
along Auguststraße to
Gedenkstätte Große
Hamburger Straße
and
the
Hackesche Höfe
(see
p123)
to shop and for an
evening meal.
Frieze on the Post-
fuhramt façade
125
