There are two things you can find in every street of Berlin, Döner Kebab and Street Art… not always so nice as my photo’s but more grunge graffiti, felt pen scribbles and stickers. Berlin is one of the most creative cities where I’ve been. Every street-block inspires me in sort way. Berlin has got a lot off cool places like beach volleyball pitches, swimming pools, skating halls, bars and other hangout places. Of course every big city has such places but the Berlin style is so unique, the industrial environment combined with the Street Art creations where these places have been brightened up with. The 2 places I want to highlight in this blog are Rosenthaler Strasse 39 and RAW-Glände.
Rosenthaler Strasse 39 (Dead Chicken Alley)
I found a story about the Dead Chicken Alley on a Berlin blog, otherwise you would probably never find it. It is a small Alley at Rosenthaler Strasse. A well-known hotspot in this small street is the Anne Frank Center, if you look for this by Googlemaps you definitely find it. My first impression was overwhelming, my wife asked after a few minutes “don’t you have to take photo’s?” but my brains where overworked by all the impressions. A gigantic wall filled with ‘paste-ups’ stickers, drawings, painted posters, 3D art and many many many more… the greatest art collage that I have seen in my life. See the photo above this blog. This entrance leads you to the Anne Frank Center but there are also several bars, a small Cinema and a narrow awesome staircase to a bookstore and art gallery. This staircase is really fantastic …. If you love it. At the top of the stairs you will find the bookstore, beside books they also sell art such as screen prints and T-shirts. Through this store you can visit the free gallery. A donation is requested. And as you can see on my pictures, there is a lot of beautiful Street Art in all kinds of shapes….. I’m a fan of this street!
RAW-Gelände
And RAW it is… my wife didn’t like it in the first place. Our children on a hot summer day strolling through RAW-gelände on their flip-flops. My daughter asked: “Dad, do you really like this place because it seems like hell to me?” It clear to me, this industrial area is still under development but is really a creative and trendy hotspot with beer gardens, a skating hall and beside that it’s more a large area with places where events and festivals can be held. There’s an abandoned building where people still live, I think students or anti-squat are the residents.
“Dad, do you really like this place because it seems like hell to me?”
But of course we are here again for one of my passions, the Street Art. All buildings are richly filled with artworks form many well-known and lesser-known artists. Two artworks for example are the large mosaic fish (Louis Masai) and the Birdykid known from Lyon. My wife and children were done with it! Dad with his love for street art…. until there was an entrance to a beautiful swimmingpool: Haubentauscher! Then the faces turned into sunshine modus again and my Daughter said: “This is heaven!”
