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FTRC.BLOG / Unexpected Berlin: History, Street Art & Schnitzel

Unexpected Berlin: History, Street Art & Schnitzel

This page serves as your guide to Berlin, a city that is always reinventing itself. I have explored its intriguing history and vibrant neighborhoods and discovered some hidden gems that you won’t find in a typical guidebook.

We’ll explore beyond the iconic Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag Building to discover quirky museums, street art, and remnants of the Berlin Wall. Have you ever heard of the Stasi Museum? It’s a chilling reminder of Berlin’s divided past. We’ll also explore the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei, where you can learn about the surprisingly vibrant heavy metal scene in East Germany.

Of course, every trip to Berlin is complete with indulging in delicious food. I’ll share my favorite spots to find the biggest schnitzel in the city and, maybe, the best burgers Berlin has to offer.

So, come along with me and experience the unique energy of Berlin. Whether you’re a history buff, an art enthusiast, or just looking for an adventure, this page will inspire you to explore this captivating city.

What remains of the Flugplatz Oranienburg can be seen not that far away from the Oranienburg Hauptbahnhof. Built before the Second World War, between 1936 and 1939, this abandoned airfield was used until 1945 by the Luftwaffe and the Heinkel-Werke Oranienburg.

Exploring the Flugplatz Oranienburg with Drones

What remains of the Flugplatz Oranienburg can be seen not that far away from the Oranienburg Hauptbahnhof. Built before the Second World War, between 1936 and 1939, this abandoned airfield was used until 1945 by the Luftwaffe and the Heinkel-Werke Oranienburg.

The Gatower Mühle is one of eight windmills still standing in Berlin. This one can be found in Gatow, a neighbourhood south of Spandau and across the waters from Grunewald. And since we have been looking for windmills around Berlin for a while now, we had to write something about this one.

Gatower Mühle: The New Windmill in Gatow

The Gatower Mühle is one of eight windmills still standing in Berlin. This one can be found in Gatow, a neighborhood south of Spandau and across the waters from Grunewald.

If you watch Netflix as much as we do, you already know about their series Dark. Some people say that the series is similar to Stranger Things since the city where everything happens in this series is a massive part of the mystery in the series. But Winden, the city where most of the series happens, is not real and you can find some small pieces of it in and around Berlin.

Thirteen Locations where the Netflix’s series Dark was filmed around Berlin

If you watch Netflix as much as we do, you already know about their series Dark. Some people say that the series is similar to Stranger Things since the city where everything happens in this series is a massive part of the mystery.

Berlin is a city that still carries scars from a war that ended more than seventy years ago. You can see it on the walls of some old buildings and on all the air shelters that still exist today. Berlin Bunkers are everywhere and we’re going to talk about some of them below.

Berlin Bunkers: Abandoned Air Shelters around the German Capital

Berlin is a city that still carries scars from a war that ended more than seventy years ago. You can see it on the walls of some old buildings and on all the air shelters that still exist today. Berlin Bunkers are everywhere, and we will discuss some below.

Moritz Israel sold his shares of the department store to buy the property where the Schloss Schulzendorf can be found. In 1889, the building you can see today started being constructed in a Renaissance style. The most distinguishing feature of the building, its tower, was build during this time and, for us, looks a bit out of place. Somehow, it seems like an old school medieval castle tower, and it doesn't follow the style of the rest of the Schloss.

The Queen’s Gambit in Berlin: Every location from the Netflix filming locations in Germany

Like everyone else that watches Netflix way too much, we have been following the hype around the Queen’s Gambit. But it wasn’t just about the exciting plot and Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon. It was personal because we knew that most of the scenes in the Queen’s Gambit were filmed in Berlin.

The Berlin Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park is the biggest of the three war memorials the USSR left in Berlin after the end of the Second World War. It was built to the design of the Soviet architect Yakov Belopolsky as a memorial for 5,000 of the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who died in the Battle of Berlin between April and May 1945. It opened four years after World War II on May 8, 1949, and it used to serve as the central war memorial in East Berlin.

Exploring the Soviet Memorials located around Berlin

Here we are going to talk a bit about the most famous Soviet Memorials in Berlin and some smaller ones as well. These three soviet memorials are mostly well known, and they were built to commemorate the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The Soviet Memorial in the Tiergarten was the first to…

In 2012, Luka Magnotta murdered Lin Jun and released a video online where you could see him killing his victim and abusing his corpse. At the time, he was in Canada, and he fled to Europe. First to Paris and then to Berlin, where he was arrested. When we watched Don't F**k with Cats on Netflix in 2020, we remembered this weird story. Later, we decided to visit the späti where Luka Magnotta was arrested in Berlin.

The Späti where Luka Magnotta was arrested in Berlin

In 2012, Luka Magnotta murdered Lin Jun and released a video online where you could see him killing his victim and abusing his corpse. At the time, he was in Canada, and he fled to Europe. First to Paris and then to Berlin, where he was arrested.

While we were watching the Queen's Gambit on Netflix, some locations seem to be familiar to us. Some places that were supposed to be foreign, like Moscow and Mexico City, looked like places we recognized from our daily life here in Berlin. With this thought in mind, we decided to look for Queen's Gambit locations, and the first place we visited was the Methuen Home orphanage, also known as Schloss Schulzendorf.

Queen’s Gambit Locations: Schloss Schulzendorf as the Methuen Home orphanage

While we were watching the Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, some locations seem to be familiar to us. Some places that were supposed to be foreign, like Moscow and Mexico City, looked like places we recognized from our daily life here in Berlin. With this thought in mind, we decided to look for Queen’s Gambit loc…

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