Photo by Sophia Sanwald
It’s one of my two much-loved spots in Berlin. Mauer Park, which was formerly enclosed by the Berlin Wall, but today is a true people’s park, and really worth a stroll.
During the weekend, the park is occupied by a broad spectrum of people: Turks grilling in large groups, young guys playing boule, couples with prams, street performers and people taking a nap in the untamed grass and flowers on the slopes along the cobblestone road cutting through the park.
One of my favourite activities in Mauer Park is to take a turn on one of the two huge swings overlooking the park area. I go there when I am blue, I go there when I am happy, and in both cases it’s wonderful and renewing to swing high above this historical area.
Turning right where the very mixed Mauer Park flea market takes place every Sunday, walking downhill on Bernauerstraße will take you directly to another of my must-see spots in Berlin, the Berlin Wall Documentations Centre.
Photo by Sophia Sanwald
The Centre provides spectacular historical information and offers tours and exhibitions. Across the street from the Centre itself you’ll find one of the most excellent and fascinating memorials of the time of the Wall: No-man’s-land.
Photo by Sophia Sanwald
A strip of land between former East and West Berlin, occupied only by two automatic weapons, which during the time of the Berlin Wall was meant to shoot at anything and anyone that moved. The automatic weapons are still there, embedded in concrete, left as evil and bare as they were during the Stasi regime. You have to peek through a narrow slit, and the first time you do so, it’s truly choking. The destitution of mankind – just a few years ago. This gives food for thought.
After this sight, you deserve a walk on the nearby Sophien Graveyard, where you can just enjoy the green, airy and grandiose atmosphere in a city, which can be fast when you need it, and slow when you don’t!
Berlin Mauer Dokumentationszentrum, Bernauerstraße 111, 13355 Berlin