Berlin

When David Bowie died, in early 2016, we were surprised to read a tweet from the German Foreign Office mentioning how he helped bring down the Berlin Wall. We read it and started looking for a David Bowie Berlin Concert so we could see him in action. One of the first items we found was the Glass Spider Tour of 1987 that became legendary for a lot of reasons. Some say it was the worst tour Bowie ever did. Below we’re going to explain you this concert in Berlin.

David Bowie Berlin Concert 1987: The Glass Spider Tour in front of the Reichstag

Berlin (category)
3 min read
28/03/201709/01/2024

Knut and Friends: The story of a polar bear in the Berlin Zoo - By Jensk369 (Jens Koßmagk) (selbst fotografiert von Jens Koßmagk) [CC BY-SA 2.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

Knut and Friends: The story of a polar bear in the Berlin Zoo

Berlin (category)
3 min read
12/03/201721/12/2023

If you ever wondered why Strasse des 17. Juni has its name, you have to watch this short movie from British Pathé from the Berlin Riots of 1953. This short movie is not a documentary but a newsreel report about the uprising of workers against the Communist Regime in East Germany. This is the real deal, not an interpretation of what happened.

Berlin Riots: The 1953 Uprising of Workers in East Germany

Berlin (category)
2 min read
03/03/201703/02/2024

During the seventies, Berlin was a city scarred by a war and by a wall the split it in half. This was the city where David Bowie and Iggy Pop decided to live, trying to escape the drug culture of Los Angeles. But where did David Bowie live in Berlin?

Where did David Bowie live in Berlin?

Berlin (category)
3 min read
20/02/201727/02/2024

Without its cover, an album is just a black vinyl disc. But, with its cover, it becomes something magical that captures our eyes and turns music into something more. You don't even need to close your eyes to remember four guys walking in a crosswalk, a baby under water trying to catch a dollar bill, a yellow banana... Everybody knows what are those and this is why Total Records at C/O Berlin is such an interesting exhibition.

Total Records: The Art of Vinyl & Photography at C/O Berlin

Berlin (category), Photography (category)
4 min read
15/02/201703/02/2024

I have been to West Berlin a few hundred times but, for me, that part of the city is still a mystery. Sometimes you look into a different direction and something completely new pops up before your eyes. This is what happened to me one day when I left Kurfürstendamm U-Bahn and looked up at the subway exit at Joachimstaler Strasse. There was a prismatic building looking over the street and I had no idea what is was. After some online research, a name came to me: Verkehrskanzel.

Verkehrskanzel: Berlin’s Only Traffic Control Pulpit Left from the Fifties

Berlin (category)
4 min read
01/02/201722/01/2024

Moving to Berlin was something that changed my life completely. I didn’t know that before coming here and I wasn’t ready for all of this. But, living in Berlin changed my habits, my way of seeing things and I’m pretty sure I’m not the same guy that left Brazil anymore. And I blame Berlin for that.

How living in Berlin can make you a better person

Berlin (category)
7 min read
20/01/201714/12/2023

What if I told you that the best place to see Berlin from above is not the on the huge TV Tower in the middle of Alexanderplatz? It might sound weird at first but it makes a lot of sense after you think about it. Do you want to take pictures of Berlin with its main tourist spot in there right? So, you need to go somewhere where the TV Tower can be seen. Somewhere as tall as the tower but way less crowded. That place exists and it is the Park Inn Hotel Alexanderplatz Viewing Platform and I going to tell you everything about it now.

Berlin from Above: The Amazing View from the Park Inn Hotel Alexanderplatz Viewing Platform

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
6 min read
18/01/201708/04/2021

If you go back to Fotostrasse archives you’ll see that we love to see old videos of Berlin. This short one from Berlin in 1936 is no exception since it shows how beautiful the city used to be and focus on the changes that were happening to the German capital during the time it was governed by the Nazi party.

This is how Berlin used to look like back in 1936

Berlin (category)
3 min read
16/01/201702/03/2025

There are a lot of late night hosts on American TV but our favorite has been Conan O’Brien for quite a long time. With this in mind, you can imagine how excited we were when we realized that there would be a Conan in Berlin tour. Too bad we never manage to be in the right place at the right time but we can be happy to watch now everything that Conan did in Berlin back in September 2016.

Conan in Berlin: From a Dominatrix Session to a Nude Beach

Berlin (category)
5 min read
23/12/201621/12/2023

The abandoned boat in the Spree River has a name, even though I couldn’t find one when Fotostrasse visited the place back in July 2016. The boat is called MS Dr. Ingrid Wengler. It was named after the owner’s true love, a surgeon at the Dreifaltigkeits-Hospital in Lippstadt. She died in 1979 and she left a hole that never closed. This is why Franz Günther van de Lücht, the owner of the abandoned boat, says about his loss. But the fact that the boat that carries her name is stuck between the Molecule Man sculpture and Badeschiff leaves another one.

A Visit to an Abandoned Boat in the Spree River

Berlin (category), Urbex (category)
7 min read
11/11/201621/12/2023

Donald Trump will take office as the 45th President of the United States in January, 2017. This means that you have a few months to move to Germany after Trump's victory. We’re here to share our experience coming from Brazil and help you out set up a game plan for your move. Most people would consider moving to Canada before even thinking about moving to Germany. But Germany can be an amazing place to live if you think about it. Germany is the land of beer, amazing football, fast cars and a lot of wurst. But Germany also has universal health care, paid parental leave, almost free universities and a lot of culture. Also, Germany is Europe’s main economic power and, after #Brexit, it seems it will become even better.

How to Move to Germany

Germany (category), Tips and Tricks (category)
10 min read
09/11/201614/01/2024

When I first thought about going all the way to Neheimer Strasse, my goal was to see a giant blue starling mural and the controversial "bloody refugee” mural. These murals are part of the One Wall Mural Project organized by the guys at Urban Nation, whose name might be familiar to you if you read our article about the street art museum they are planning in Berlin.

Neheimer Strasse Murals in Reinickendorf

Berlin (category)
6 min read
13/10/201602/02/2024

Our visit to Schulenburg Park and its beautiful fountain in Neukölln

Berlin (category)
5 min read
04/10/201601/09/2020

Have you ever wondered about the people you see on the subway? Who are these people and where are they going? I’m not sure if this was what Alex Soloviev had in mind when he put together his short movie about Berlin called Everyday Berlin. I’m not sure if this was his idea but it was the first thing that came to my head once I started watching it.

Everyday Berlin by Alex Soloviev

Berlin (category)
2 min read
29/09/201615/04/2024

The Berlin Wall is the reason why Berlin had some ghost stations. Most of them were on the S-Bahn line S2, the U-Bahn line U6 and the U8. Those lines travelled through what was then East Berlin on their way back into West Berlin. Trains could go through it but the stations were sealed off and heavily guarded. This happened because, when the Berlin Wall went up, some people realized that they could escape using the train lines. After the East German police realized that, they closed down the stations. This way the stations couldn’t be used as a possible mean to escape to West Berlin.

Berlin Ghost Stations: Potsdamer Platz 1989

Berlin (category), Urbex (category)
4 min read
07/09/201611/01/2024

Above you can see my bike. There are many like it but this one is mine. Or something like that since I bought this on for Marcela back in August 2013 after the one she had was stollen. She always wanted a bike like this and I got her one. Too bad she really didn’t like the way you have to cycle on it and, kind of, gave up cycling for a while. Every time I meet somebody that just moved to Berlin, I ask them about buying a bike. And it is even better when you can cycle through it with some of what I consider my essential bike accessories. Yes, I have a list of those.

My Essential Bike Accessories

Cycling (category), Tips and Tricks (category), Travel Acessories (category)
5 min read
04/09/201611/06/2025

The Berlin Wall was a scar that can still be seen today in the german capital. It split the city into east and west, capitalism and communism, from 1961 to 1989. When it fell, it united the country again and made Germany what it is today.

Berlin Wall: One Year After it was built

Berlin (category)
3 min read
25/08/201630/01/2024

In early August, If you arrived in Berlin via Hauptbahnhof you would be greeted by a pack of wolves. Bronze and iron statues, some of them with more than 2 meters in height, would be looming over passengers with guns and Nazi salutes. A sign would tell you that the Wolves are Back. But why are these Wolves back in Berlin?

The Wolves are Back in Berlin with Rainer Opolka

Berlin (category)
4 min read
16/08/201612/06/2026

After the First World War, Berlin had this moment of glory during the twenties. Those years were so important to the city that some people call it The Golden Twenties and they are right when it comes to the name. Because of all of this, this video from the Summer of 1929 in Berlin is a special one.

A trip back in time to the Summer of 1929 in Berlin

Berlin (category)
3 min read
13/08/201614/12/2023

No swimming is allowed at the Freibad Lichtenberg since it was closed down in the late 1980’s. Some say it was the end of the Berlin Wall but who knows for sure? Today you can visit it and think about better times for this abandoned pool in the middle of Lichtenberg.

The Abandoned Freibad Lichtenberg Pool is gone

Berlin (category), Urbex (category)
4 min read
31/07/201613/05/2024