Veering away from the idea of a geometrically-designed French baroque creation, they decided to give the park a more ‘English’ feel, with a landscaped quality to it, and that’s how the name came to be, Today, it’s one of the biggest green spaces in the world within an urban setting - it’s actually bigger than Manhattan’s Central Park.
There is something wonderful about the air here. I mean, like any mountain air it’s a pleasure to breathe it in but this is somethign spectacular. I feel completely invigorated. Each gulp is simply wonderful. The water is crystal clear too and in the background loom the Alps. The colours seem so vivid today - it’s a vignette of sheer beauty…
Kampfner (himself the son of a Jewish refugee in the 30’s) makes a compelling case for why German is in the state it is - ‘responsible capitalism’. Unlike the rigid French labour market, or the deregulated British one, Germany has chosen a different path. With its keen sense of social responsibility and incredibly well-funded public services, the accumulation of wealth isn’t seen necessarily as a bad thing, but is firmly kept in check…
Maybe I’ve got a twisted psyche (or a very black sense of humour) but the first thing that occurred to me, in seeing this fine array of axes) was what good weapons they’d make if you’d really had enough of an annoying partner…and figured you’d be able to get away with them bumping them off by a quick whack on the head, followed by a thorough dismembering…
The market is a great place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables - they are a bit more expensive than shopping in a supermarket, of course, but this is the price you pay for helping local farmers. It’s also an excellent spot to hunt out specialty products - pesto with truffle, French lavender, perfumed and fruit teas, all manner of cheeses and some excellent olive tapenades…
It’s actually quite pleasing to my eye - a very unusual installation indeed. It’s about 9 metres long and a classic spiral design - all swirly and continuous - which some might even feel to be a bit of an optical illusion. I did some research before I set off - it was constructed in 2004 by a Danish artist by the name of Olafur Eliasson. In German, it is called ‘Umschribung’ which apparently means ‘euphemism…’
Located in the ‘Prenzlauerberg Triangle’ between Schönhauser Allee, Knaackstrasse and Kollowitzstrasse, it was consecrated in 1827 and for over half a century was the only burial ground available for Berlin’s Jews. Today, it is nothing more than a haunting reminder of the horrors of the holocaust for, put simply, there are no relatives to tend the graves.
Still, the area has a lot of character, beautiful architecture, and a vibrant nightlife (particularly in the summer, when people spill out into the streets). With its punk rock vibe, small independent stores, endless art galleries and array of cheap eateries (in particular Turkish restaurants) it’s popular hasn’t really waned...
It was routine to bug homes and ‘persuade’ people to inform on their neighbours by, for instance, promising that their child, in return, would be admitted to University. One chilling story involved the Stasi denying a man medication for his chronic illness unless he agreed to inform upon his neighbour...
