Tacheles is a concept in the city of Berlin. It’s a cultural centre in the German capital, where artists could exhibit their works after the fall of the Berlin wall. The term Tacheles means ‘to reveal’, ‘to talk with clarity’ in Hebrew, a name that perfectly defines the artistic movement who occupied the building in 1990. The building, originally a commercial centre, was constructed in 1907 and witnessed al the important historical events of Germany. But over the years it had a lot of different functions. First it became a “Haus der Technik”, where electrical appliances where presented and later sold. Later the Nazi’s used it like administrative centre and prison for French war prisoners. During World War II the building was heavily damaged, but despite that it was still used as an office during the GDR. But Tacheles only really gained fame after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when artist from all over the world started to fight against a possible demolition, and eventually occupied the building until it was declared a historical monument. Today Tacheles is divided into different artistic spaces. “Der blaue Salon” (the blue salon) on the 5th floor was used as laboratory and studio until 2002. Nowadays, it’s used as exhibition space since there is a lot of natural light. “Der goldende Saal” (the golden room) was used as a cinema in the GDR, but now it’s split up into two rooms where concerts and performances are held. The stage and tribune are build on an ingenious mobile platform. “Die Neue Galerie” (the new gallery) are actually two warehouses of more then 400m2,...
Afters hours and hours walking through the streets of Berlin, it’s nearly time for lunch. Your delicious breakfast is nothing but a memory and your stomach starts to protest. Suddenly, you smell something delicious… Follow your nose and discover the German specialties! If we have to describe the German cuisine in 3 words, it would be without doubt: delicious, varied and multicultural. There are for example a lot of Turkish, Indian, Polish and Czech influences. Berlin is the city in Germany with most awarded restaurants, so enjoying the ‘Haute Cuisine’ is definitely recommended, but you can also eat great food in the small, popular restaurants for a good price. If you like fast food, pay a visit to the local snack bars or Imbiss. There you will find the typical meatballs, all kinds of German sausages or Turkish Döner Kebabs. Another specialty is the Curryworst, a sausage cut into pieces and eaten with a lot of ketchup and curry. If you want to try the traditional food, you should know that most of these dishes are very heavy. Expect big portions, ingredients vary but usually include potatoes, coal, vegetables, poultry or pork meat. Some of the typical dishes are: Sauerkraut (sour white cabbage) with mashed potatoes and peas, smoked pork (Kasseler), pork knees (Eisbein) with coal, liver with apples, beef with horseradish (Rinderbrust) and mashed potatoes (Stampfkartoffeln) and grilled goose. There also exists a daily menu called “unter der Woche”, where they serve you blood sausage, Leberwurst (based on liver), hamburgers with Kartoffelsalat (boiled potatoes with different ingredients), Königsberger Klopse (meatballs with mustard) and Apfelmus (mashed apples). The most...