English
If you ask anyone under the age of 50 to list the neighborhoods in Berlin, you’ll hear Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Neukölln … But it is likely that one will be left that would have been the first on the list had you asked the question to a young person about 40 years ago: Schöneberg.
Photo: Roger Wollstadt
Schöneberg is a central spot in Berlin, located in what was once West Berlin, between Charlottenburg and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, south of the river Spree. It has a stately elegance and was an important area in the past, before Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg became the more popular areas for new arrivals to Berlin.
Historically, Schöneberg is one of the most popular districts of Berlin but it is also one of the most overlooked by new generations who visit the German capital. It’s a district that evokes both the history and the golden age of the city without losing a bit of its charm and attraction. The Schöneberg district of Berlin epitomizes the golden era of the 20s and early 30s during the Weimar Republic and was where the majority of intellectuals frequented. They arrived from all over Europe to this liberal city to enjoy its arts and literary scenes as well as its open homosexuality, since Schöneberg was the gay center of Berlin until the Nazis came into power. Bars like Eldorado and cabarets were frequented by intellectuals of the time such as the English writer Christopher Isherwood and his contemporaries who once went to see the actress and singer Marlene Dietrich or other cabaret artists. Berlin flourished after the First World War and at its center was Schöneberg.
Later, in the 70s, Schöneberg counted among its residents David Bowie and Iggy Pop, although they were not the only celebrities who chose to live in this neighborhood, because people like Albert Einstein, the writer Hans Fallada, and Billy Wilder also once lived in this neighborhood. Today, although Schöneberg no longer serves as the center of Berlin and it is no longer teeming with intellectuals and famous people, it has retained some of its magic with a nostalgic feel, which makes visiting the place well worthwhile.
There are a variety of important and beautiful places to visit. Without going any further, the City Hall of the Schöneberg district, where John F. Kennedy made his famous speech “Ich bin ein Berliner” in 1963, is a must-see due to its historical significance. For shopping, the famous KaDeWe department store is located at Wittenbergplatz in Schöneberg. The district is also full of charming bars, cafes and restaurants that retain some old-world charm and evoke the past, making it easy to imagine what this most important European hotspot was like almost one hundred years ago.
Its stately white buildings are surrounded by trees that line the streets and its squares featuring fountains add a unique feeling to this district. It’s really quite easy to see why so many people chose to spend time experiencing Berlin in Schöneberg during that time when preferences and values were so different from those of today and in an age when aesthetic beauty was valued more highly than comfort.
