Berlin - Art & Entertainment

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Famous throughout the world as a Mecca for culture and entertainment, many people would claim that Berlin is itself little more than one big entertainment complex. Yet there are some special places and spaces in this entertainment nirvana, the best of which we shall list here.

Cinema

Berlin boasts over 100 cinemas - from ultra modern multi-screen complexes to traditional film theatres such as the UFA Palast and the Marmorhaus, which are as old as black-and-white film. A particularly atmospheric establishment is the Soviet-style International on Karl-Marx-Allee. For more obscure films try the Acud, where you will often be alone with the projectionist. And don't worry if your German isn't up to much, as places like the Odeon and Babylon feature the latest flicks for English speakers.

Comedy

Comedy? Germans? Well, if you can take some heavy satire, East Berlin is the place to be. From the legendary Distel to the Chamäleon's late night shows in the Hackesche Höfe, go to Mitte for a good laugh - although the west also has plenty to offer, with its traditional Wühlmäuse, Stachelschweine and the more comedy-oriented Bar jeder Vernunft.

Theatre

Theatre in Berlin can mean a lot of different things - such as controversial contemporary Anglo-American drama at the Baracke or a light comedy with mass appeal on Ku'damm (Komödie & Theater am Kurfürstendamm). While enfant terrible director Schlingensief insults the audience at the Volksbühne, veteran Claus Peymann reinterprets Brecht at the Berliner Ensemble. International avant garde dance troupes step it up at the Hebbel Theater, acrobats and magicians put a spell on the Wintergarten, while the Grips Youth Theatre interacts with its young audience. Anglophiles should check out the Friends of the Italian Opera (not opera but fringe theatre).

Music

Berlin is also a great place for music lovers, even though David Bowie and Iggy Pop are long gone. Top addresses include Kreuzberg's Junction Bar for jazz, the Flöz for blues, SO36 for alternative/punk/rock and Mandingo for Afro-pop. Big gigs take place at the Arena and Columbiahalle. Classical afficionados have to make the painful choice between three opera houses - or simply head straight to the Philharmonie to listen to the world-famous Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Alternative Culture

All too middle-of-the-road? Check out the innumerable centres of alternative culture which Berlin is famous for. The UFA-Fabrik, for example, is the place to be in summer, while the Kulturbrauerei is good for alternative theatre, art and concerts. A kaleidoscope of modern Chinese art, salsa parties or readings by writers from developing countries are on the agenda at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, while the Pfefferberg concentrates on the younger, hipper, multi-cultural clientele of reggae and rai concerts.

Dining and Drinking

You'll probably need a drink and a bite to eat after all this cultural intake. Friedrichshain's Simon-Dach-Straße is currently the funkiest address. Toast Lenin's bust in the Tagung and enjoy other emblems of the not-so-long-gone German Democratic Republic. Nearby Prenzlauer Berg's Kollwitzplatz is another popular hang-out. Places like Anita Wronski and Pasternak cater for more sophisticated wining and dining. But if you want something really classy, head to Savignyplatz in Charlottenburg for canapés, champagne lunches or tasty Indian cuisine.

Clubs

It is getting late and you want to move your dancing feet? The clubs around Rosenthaler Platz have the remedy! Some are tucked away in backyards and have irregular opening hours (Boudoir), others are hard to find for lack of a name over the door (eg. the Eimer - a bucket hanging outside gives you a hint), but all are open until dawn. The Sophienclub quenches the pop, soul and Latin thirst; for techno, head to Leipziger Straße's Tresor.

Still can't decide? The new Potsdamer Platz offers a US-style shopping mall plus a casino, Imax cinema, musical theatre, multi-screen cinema, fast food joints and late night bars. But if you're looking for something more typical, you'll always find plenty to do in the two streets that even Berliners love to confuse, Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg and Oranienburger Straße in Mitte, each with a mix of restaurants, shops, bars, cafés, movie theatres and music venues that will guarantee a great evening out.

Enjoy!







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Die Distel


The voice of the East
 Friedrichstraße 101
Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 204 4704
http://www.distel-berlin.de/
Die Distel
Tresor


Techno at its best
 Stralauer Platz 34/35
Berlin, Berlin 10243
http://www.tresorberlin.de/
Tresor
Bar jeder Vernunft


Cabaret in the big top
 Schaperstraße 24
Berlin, Berlin 10719
+49 (0)30 883 1582
http://www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de/
Bar jeder Vernunft
Junction Bar


Jazz bar classic
 Gneisenaustraße 18
Berlin, Berlin 10961
+49 (0)30 694 6602
http://www.junction-bar.de
Junction Bar
Potsdamer Square


The heart of new Berlin
 Potsdamer Straße
Berlin, Berlin 10785
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
http://www.potsdamer-platz.net/
Potsdamer Square
Mitte
Berlin
Mitte
Prenzlauer Berg
Berlin
Prenzlauer Berg
Friedrichshain
Berlin
Friedrichshain
Kreuzberg
Berlin
Kreuzberg
Charlottenburg
Berlin
Charlottenburg
House of World Cultures


The pregnant oyster
 John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10
Berlin, Berlin 10557
+49 (0)30 39 7870
http://www.hkw.de
House of World Cultures
Pfefferberg


Cultural hub
 Fehrbelliner Strasse 92
Berlin, Berlin 10119
+49 (0)30 4438 3485
http://www.pfefferberg.de/
Pfefferberg
Theater und Komödie am Kurfürstendamm


Comedy for all-comers
 Kurfürstendamm 206-209
Berlin, Berlin 10719
+49 (0)30 8859 1188
http://www.theater-am-kurfuerstendamm.de/
Theater und Komödie am Kurfürstendamm
Hebbel Theater


Fortress of dance
 Stresemannstraße 29
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 2590 0427
http://www.hebbel-theater.de
Hebbel Theater
Berliner Ensemble


Bertolt Brecht's legacy
 Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1
Theater am Schiffbauerdamm
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 30 2840 8155
http://www.berliner-ensemble.de
Berliner Ensemble
Simon Dach Street


Booming nightlife
 Simon-Dach-Straße
Berlin, Berlin 10245
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
Simon Dach Street
Oranienburg Street


Nightlife paradise
 Oranienburger Straße
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
Oranienburg Street
UFA Royal Palast


Largest screen in town
 Tauentzienstraße 9
Berlin, Berlin 10789
+49 (0)30 230 9160
http://www.kinokompendium.de/royalpalast.htm
UFA Royal Palast
Anita Wronski


Original Prenzlauer Berg café
 Knaackstraße 26-28
Berlin, Berlin 10405
+49 (0)30 442 8483
Anita Wronski
Savignyplatz


Romantic square full of gastronomic delights
 Grolmanstraße / Knesebeckstraße
Berlin, Berlin 10623
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
Savignyplatz
Spielbank Berlin


The great illusion
 Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1
Berlin, Berlin 10785
+49 (0)30 25 5990
http://www.spielbank-berlin.de/
Spielbank Berlin
Kulturbrauerei


Cultural centre in an old brewery
 Schönhauser Allee 36
Haus R
Berlin, Berlin 10435
+49 (0)30 443 5260
http://www.kulturbrauerei.de
Kulturbrauerei
Wintergarten Variete


Living legend
 Potsdamer Straße 96
Berlin, Berlin 10785
+49 (0)30 2500 8888
http://www.wintergarten-variete.de/
Wintergarten Variete
Chamäleon Variété


Comical chaos in the variety theatre
 Rosenthaler Straße 40-41
Berlin, Berlin 10178
+49 (0)30 4000 5930
http://www.chamaeleonberlin.de/
Chamäleon Variété
Arkaden am Potsdamer Platz


The heart of new Berlin
 Alte Potsdamer Straße 7
Berlin, Berlin 10785
+49 (0)30 255 9270
http://www.potsdamer-platz-arkaden.de/
Arkaden am Potsdamer Platz
Kollwitz Square


Cappuccino and revolution
 husemannstraße 27
Berlin, Berlin 10435
+49 (0)30 4403 9051
http://www.kollwitzkiez.de/
Kollwitz Square
Berliner Kabarett-Theater Die Wühlmäuse


Legendary cabaret theatre
 Pommernallee 2-4
Berlin, Berlin 14052
+49 (0)30 3067 3011
http://www.wuehlmaeuse.de
Berliner Kabarett-Theater Die Wühlmäuse
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