June 13, 2004
Hof Culture
Where do the calm yet hot creative activities come from?
Many of them seem to be coming from communal spaces called Höfe, which are courtyards in the middle of old buildings. Old buildings in Berlin are usually four to six stories high, without any gaps between the buildings. Because of this, they look like a single dense building that covers the whole block when you look at these structures from the sidewalks. Each structure houses one or more höfe.
The hof of the apartment building where we are staying is one of the largest one we have been inside so far. There are many trees growing and it is pleasant to our eyes, with playgrounds for kids, small lawns, and walking paths leading to streets surrounding the hof.
Our neighborhood is located along a major street, Shönehauser Allee, with many creative people roaming the surrounding area called Prenzlauer Berg. At first glance, many of the höfe have dark entrances without signs inviting us in. Still we ventured into many of them.
In one, we found a small theater on the first floor of the building, with the connected hof serving as the welcoming space for it's guests. In another building yoga and dance were taught and the hof outside served as a place where students could relax. The hof surrounded by architectural offices and galleries had several trees that gave soothing shades and a café with oddly shaped, sculpture-like chairs and tables. Some clients of the café were quietly conversing, while the other sat smoking his pipe while writing his journal. In another café, I found a flyer that announced a music band's CD release party at a hof.
Not all höfe are open at all times. Many of them have their gates closed unless some events or parties were planned.
In some cases, the buildings are large enough that they house multiple höfe connected by walkways. One example is Hackescher Höfe at Hackescher Markt, one of the busy shopping districts in Berlin. This space houses many shops, movie theaters, restaurants, bars and cafés, attracting many Berliners. Boutiques sell gorgeous dresses designed and crafted in their shop. This spot has been discovered by the popular guide books and is turning more and more into a tourist destination.
We cannot say whether there are höfe in other cities of Germany, and, if so, how they serve their communities. Here in Berlin, though, höfe are playing the role of providing precious space for the creative locals to meet, interact, exchange ideas, perform, and just sit down with their favorite beer.
June 11, 2004
Hotspots in Berlin
Our first few days in Berlin were spent around our new neighborhood located on the eastern side of town. This area was East Germany before 1990 and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The neighborhood, called "Prenzlaur Berg" is full of funky cafés, ethnic restaurants, independent boutiques, small movie and dance theaters, art galleries and an assortment of other alternative businesses. It¡Çs an interesting hotspot, as something is always happening around here.
The people who live here are mainly young Berliners. I find their personalities brighter and friendlier than I had imagined them to be. Throughout the day, they gather at café tables under the sun or stars, smile softly and converse quietly to one another. This calmness is reflected even in the bartender of the punk café down the street. Of course, not everyone fits this description, but, for the most part, I feel this calm energy on the streets or inside the cafés.
It¡Çs my guess that this calm and friendly attitude surfaced on the faces of the people of Berlin several years after the collapse of the wall. They had suffered for at least one hundred and thirty years with war, poverty and hunger. We saw evidence of this suffering in the art of German artist Kaethe Kollwitz. Kollwitz pulls her figurative imagery from personal experience, expressing the pain and sadness of the working class, the poor and the down-and-out living around her in the early twentieth century.
The fall of the Berlin Wall took place less than 15 years ago. Since then, the young people who have stayed here have established what appears to be a positive, thriving culture of their own. They seem to appreciate their freedom but are taking it slow, step-by-step without rushing things. Perhaps the calmness I feel around them originates from this appreciation of their young and open freedom.
Lyn and I talk about how much we dig this neighborhood. We make the required outings to museums and art galleries outside of the Prenzlaur Berg district, however, we¡Çre most at home in this Berlin hotspot. Here we can feel the positive energy and vibe coming from the living people, as opposed to the dull energy we feel when viewing historic monuments like the Brandenburger Tor or the many others that celebrate olden day war victories. Young Berliners are moving on.