OH Berlin

Berlin has a pretty lively jazz scene. Pretty much every day of the week you will have jazz playing somewhere in the city. Type of jazz played can range from the more traditional and earlier forms to the more experimental and improvised.

Tuesday nights at Edelweiss for instance have built up a reputation for some great jam sessions. Expect an international crowd at this venue in the middle of Görlitzer Park.

Super popular on Wednesday nights is the free jam sessions at b-flat on Rosenthaler Strasse. The session kicks of around 9pm but it´s worth getting there at least an hour early to bag a seat for the evening as its standing room only later.

If you are looking for some fine dining with your jazz then head for the Asphalt club situated right next to the elegant Gendarmenmarkt.

Looking towards later in the year and Berlin will host Jazz Fest an international annual event on the jazz calendar. The four day festival will showcase a diverse collection of styles and genres.

Read the full Jazz in Berlin feature at the Oh-Berlin blog.

Report abuse »

If you arrive in a new city there is a good chance that you are looking to experience and understand some of the local culture. So what should you do or look out for in the pursuit of the typical Berlin?

If you encounter a native Berliner you might just get to see a bit of Berlin Schnauze referring to the fact that the local people often stand out for their relentless frankness, and may often be perceived as out of place or rude by those not from the city. Berliners do not waste their time sucking up to people; they simply get straight to the point. So don´t take it personally.

Got a bit of a sweet tooth? Well, you just have to try the Pfannkuchen, a baked pastry glazed on hot oil and stuffed with jam. Apparently the Pfannkuchen was invented in 1756 by a Berlin bakery. Even if this was not the case it is quite impossible to visit a Berlin patisserie without finding one of these little round cakes.

How about washing your pastry down with a fizzy drink that has natural ingredients of fruit and herbs? Fassbrause was invented in Berlin in 1908 by Ludwig Scholvien. It is even more typical to taste the original Schultheisser Fassbrause from the Hasenschenke kiosk in the area of Hasenheide.

Read the full Typical Berlin article at the Oh-Berlin blog.

Report abuse »

Schinkel is what Bernini is to Rome. You just can´t walk around the city without seeing examples of his work.

A prolific renowned architect Schinkel created 40 major works of which 17 remain today. Unfortunately a number of his buildings fell victim to ‘symbolic demolition’ at the hands of occupying forces in the city throughout the last two centuries. Nonetheless, the ones that did survive are a huge pull for visitors every year.

Central Berlin is home to a number of Schinkel’s greatest achievements, the most central of these clustered together. Bear in mind these works are interesting both outside and in so you really could spend a whole day looking around them properly.

Schinkel was heavily influenced and inspired by his mentor and hero Friedrich Gilly.  Schinkel would in fact live in the Gilly household in Berlin and was taught by Friedrich and Friedrich’s architect father

David Gilly. He would later adhere to the neoclassical style of architecture.

Two of Schinkel´s most famous works are the Altes Musuem and the Konzerthaus Berlin a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt.

Schinkel died on October 1841 and is buried at the Dorotheenstadt cemetery in Berlin.

Read the full article about Karl Friedrich Schinkel at the Oh-Berlin blog.

Report abuse »

Berlin´s history is part of what makes it such a fascinating city to visit.   Of course there are essential places of interest such as the Topography of Terror, documentation of the Nazi regime, and the Holocaust memorial, striking memorial & exhibition dedicated  to Jews who suffered under the Nazis, among others but one of the best tours that we can highly recommend is a visit to the ex Stasi prison Hohenschönhausen.
Many will know about the Berlin Wall and its toppling on a certain level but you really get an insight into how disturbing, unsettling and tragic life was for East Berliners when you take the riveting Hohenschönhausen tour.

Our excellent tour guide for the visit was Gritt. She explained how her father wanting to find out about records that were kept about him by the Stasi had been the catalyst for her getting involved in the tours. In her father´s case he found out that a friend of 20 years was on record talking about him. Having files held about you was one thing but if the authorities summoned or detained you at Hohenschönhausen this was a very different story.
You can read the full Secrets, lies & torture article at the Oh-Berlin blog.

Report abuse »