# My new hometown: Berlin



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

Slightly over a month ago and after three months of unemployment, I moved from the great city of Liège, Belgium (a farewell thread is on the way) to another great city: the German capital, Berlin. Though I had visited it before, and already broadly knew the city, living here gives me the opportunity to explore it in detail, and share my discoveries with you here! 

The order of this thread will be pretty random, I will basically post pictures shortly after I make them.

I will start with some pictures I took in the dsitrict of Wedding last Sunday (14/01). Wedding is a former borough (bezirk) that is now part of Mitte, the most central of Berlin's 12 current boroughs. It is the poorest area in Berlin, but also an area with a lot of things to discover.

Nineteenth century houses on Badstrasse:

1. 
01 P2770087b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2.
02 P2760996c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3.
03 P2770012b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

On the corner opposite the first picture, there is also quite a lot of interesting newer architecture in Berlin:

4.
04 P2770027b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5.
05 P2770098b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6. Around the corner on Pankstrasse, the Wedding law court (amtsgericht). Pankstrasse is named after the river Panke, which flows behind the town hall. I will definitely devote a post to it and the rest of Wedding (not all of which is beautiful) in the future
06 P2770063c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


7. Now over the border in the neighbouring borough of Reinickendorf, I rent a room in the building on the left
07 P2770113b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## madonnagirl (Aug 7, 2011)

nice of presenting different architectural styles of old, even the contemporary is iconic.


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

I wish you a good time in Berlin, Ruben! 

Thank you for showing us the city in such a great way! kay:


----------



## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

A good start. This should be interesting.


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos, Ruben and welcome aboard (to SSC forums) :cheers:


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*My trip to work*

Many thanks for the comments Madonnagirl, Yansa, Jane and Christos, and also thanks for the many likes

I worked a late shift this week, which made it possible to make a few pictures on the way to work (with an early shift it's dark on both the way and way back in this time of year).

1. Starting around the corner from where I live
11 P2770532b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2. Still around the corner, on Provinzstrasse, one the oldest streets in Reinickendorf
12 P2770572b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3. Provinzstrasse on a sunny day
13 P2770141b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4. Now in Wedding again, the corner of Seestrasse and Prinzenallee
14 P2770181b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Prinzenallee:

5.
15 P2770227b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6.
16 P2770234b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7. The Haus der Volksbildung (Folk High School) on Badstrasse
17 P2770247b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

8. Continuing past Gesundbrunnen station on Brunnenstrasse takes us through an area of modern apartment buildings in the zone that used to be just west of the Berlin wall
18 P2770307d by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

9. Some of them have one of Wedding's many 'Automaten Casinos' on the ground flour
19 P2770320b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## Saxonia (Aug 15, 2012)

> 6. Around the corner on Pankstrasse, the former town hall (Rathaus) of Wedding.


Amtsgericht Wedding, no town hall.


----------



## sky-eye (Jan 2, 2003)

I wish you a good time in Berlin! Nice pictures of your new hometown and i'm glad you'll make an farewell thread of Liege.


----------



## Dr.Seltsam (May 28, 2008)

Amazing start! Thanks for sharing your photos! Hope to see many more here! Good luck in Germany!


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Great update, Ruben! kay:


----------



## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Welcome back, Ruben! Looking forward to more of your tours of the lesser-known parts of Berlin.


----------



## Dimkaber75 (Aug 17, 2017)

^^It is always interesting to see the sight of the other person in this city ! Welcome to Berlin !


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*My trip to work, Part 2*

Wow, many thanks for all the comments again, and thanks for the warm welcome to Germany (and I've changed it to law court, Saxonia)

Now a few of the interesting things I pass on the second part of my trip to work, in the central borough of Mitte:

1. The corner of Brunnenstrasse and Veteranenstrasse
P2770351b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2. I also really like this modern building on Krausnickstrasse (which is very near the Berliner Dom)
P2770385b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr 

3. Still on Krausnickstrasse, the historic heart of Berlin has been restored in recent years. I hadn't really visited it before, and it somehow reminds me of some parts of Brussels
P2770403b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4. Now on the other side of Alexanderplatz, crossing the Spree on Michaelbrücke, with Janowitzbrücke, Berliner Dom, town hall (Rotes Rathaus) and TV tower in the background
P2770470c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5. I work near Köpenickerstrasse, a rather interestingly messy street to which I will dedicate more posts in the future
P2770486b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Promising start! This will be very interesting updates, with lots of unexpected architecture! :cheers:


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

^^ Thanks Benonie

A few more pictures from the last few days.

1. A school on Wrangelstrasse (Kreuzberg), near to my work.
P2780137b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

And back in Wedding, Seestrasse on Sunday evening:

2. 
P2780061b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3.
P2780074b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4.
P2780081b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Stay tuned for the first tour of this thread, which I will post soon!


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Interesting updates, Ruben! kay:
The school building at your first pic reminds me of Vienna's Arsenal - same style. Beautiful!


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Sunday in Suburban Pankow, Part 1*

At just a few hundred metres, the station nearest to where I live is Schönholz, on the lines S1, S25 and S26. The Berlin wall used to follow the the tracks on the other side, seperating Reinickendorf from the eastern borough of Pankow. The people in whose appartment I live told me that the whole neighbourhood (including a good friend of mine, who was too young to remember it) went to hack pieces of the wall when it fell in 1989.

I find this area especially interesting because, unlike much of the central part of what used to be east Berlin, there is still something slightly eastern European in the atmosphere there, which I find quite exotic so close to where I live!

1. This part of Pankow, which is called Rosenthal, is mostly made up of avenues (alleeen) lined with detached houses. The trees on this avenue, Kastanienallee, seem to be in danger of being cut down
201 P2770675b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2. This is not actually a cemetary, but the atelier of a stonemason. You probably got the meaning of the gravestone on the left, and the one on the right reads 'here rest my debts', with the logo of the Berliner Sparkasse (bank) above
202 P2770699b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3. This place still looks like the strangest cemetary I have ever seen
203 P2770703b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4. Much of Rosenthal is middle class at the least, but there are also a few abandoned houses here and there
204 P2770838b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5. While some streets are in a very bad condition
205 P2770737b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6. The brightly coloured house and blue roof remind me of some places in eastern Europe
206 P2770774b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7. From a christmas market to a very hidden corner of Pankow
207 P2770715b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Stay tuned for part two..


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Very interesting place, and I hope the trees can remain!


----------



## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

Ha! Love those gravestones, including the stone Trabant!


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Sunday in Suburban Pankow, Part 2*

Thanks for the comments Yansa and Why-Why And yes, I hope the trees can stay too, the street would look a lot less interesting without them...

8. As in many other parts of Berlin, there are a lot of Kleingartenkolonien (allotments) here, and I think some of these are inhabited
208 P2770830b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

9. An unpaved street on the way back home
209 P2770887b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

10. 
210 P2770911b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

11. 
211 P2770949b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

12. Friedrich-Engels-Straße
212 P2780041b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

13. Angerweg
213 P2770999b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr 

14. Now back near Schönholz station, the former Zambian embassy to the G.D.R. (the Kazakh embassy is still in the area as well)
214 P2770961c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

That's all for Pankow for now, but there's still a lot of interesting things for me to photograph in both its urban and suburban areas, so expect to see more in the future!


----------



## sky-eye (Jan 2, 2003)

Nice update, thanks for posting!


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed great, very nice updates; well done :cheers:


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Really fine pics, Ruben! kay:
I like Pankow!
(By the way - the name reminds me of the Udo Lindenberg song "Sonderzug nach Pankow" ).


----------



## Why-Why (Jul 20, 2016)

I love those winter twilight shots, and especially that one of the sky over Breitkopfbecken. It has the moody, transcendental quality of Caspar David Friedrich.


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*The Road to Marzahn*

Many thanks again Sky-Eye, Christos, Sylvia and Why-Why

______________________________________

To fully understand Berlin, one has to understand how expansive of a place it is. This also means that, for many Berliners, many other parts of Berlin are full of the wrong kind of Berliners. For many West Berliners, one such place is the far-eastern borough of Marzahn, which is supposedly full of racist hooligans (ignoring for the moment that they themselves often don't like parts of Berlin with a lot of immigrants). Anyway, reason enough for me to go and have a look!

Pictures taken on 2018-04-07.

Continuing from the first four photos in the last post, we will start at Blankenburg S-Bahn station, which is still in Pankow

1.
01 P2930975b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2.
02 P2930980b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


The former village of Alt-Blankenburg

3.
03 P2940022b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4.
04 P2940063b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5. This part of Berlin (which is still part of Pankow) is pretty empty. Looking across farmland towards Hohenschönhausen (part of the borough of Lichtenberg) 
05 P2940092b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6. What I often notice everywhere is that people are simultaneously against increasing costs of living (of course I totally agree) and the construction of new houses. This sign reads '5000 homes are already too much. They're playing a wicked game with us! Traffic solution?'
06 P2940097b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

The former village of Heinersdorf (which, again, is part of Pankow)

7.
07 P2940317b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

8.
08 P2940358b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

9.
09 P2940253b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

10.
10 P2940289b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Weissensee, a former borough that was merged with Pankow in 2001 (I will dedicate some posts too it soon)

11.
P2940389b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

12. The Weisser See
P2940420b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Stay tuned for the second part of this series, in which we will reach Mordor... oops, I mean Marzahn.


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

rubenalexander said:


> 11.
> P2940389b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


This beautiful building must hide a spiral staircase. kay:



rubenalexander said:


> Stay tuned for the second part of this series, in which we will reach Mordor... oops, I mean Marzahn.


LOL 
Your description makes me very curious about Marzahn - looking forward to your second part! :cheers:


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Marzahn*



yansa said:


> This beautiful building must hide a spiral staircase. kay:


Yes that's quite possible. I didn't think about it, but the same probably goes for other buildings with these kind of windows, such as the Wedding law court (on page 1).




yansa said:


> LOL
> Your description makes me very curious about Marzahn - looking forward to your second part! :cheers:


Haha, I was referring to what I'd been led to believe Marzahn was like, which is the worst place in the world. It turned out to be a disappointment

_______________________________

Now continuing eastwards, along Landsberger Allee through Lichtenberg, the most central of two boroughs of DDR-era housing estates.

1.
13 P2940442b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2.
14 P2940471b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Four kilometres down the road through ever more extensive neighbourhoods of typical eastern-block apartment buildings, and we have arrived in Marzahn, which to me feels pretty isolated from Berlin and could have been somewhere a lot further east. 

3.
15 P2940550b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4.
16 P2940561b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5.
17 P2940598d by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6. Much of Marzahn also consists of streets of detached houses like this one
18 P2940651b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7. Marzahn windmill
19 P2940670b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

8. The Agricultural Machine Park (Landwirtschaftlicher Maschinepark) next to the windmill
20 P2940677b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

The former village of Marzahn (now Alt-Marzahn), with new Marzahn in the background

9.
21 P2940768c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

10.
22 P2940831b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

11.
23 P2940849b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

12. A WW1 monument (I had never noticed them before, but there are many more of them all over Berlin) 
24 P2940918b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

13. Leaving Marzahn the way I came in
25 P2940940b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

In conclusion: though I did see three rough looking types with tatoes on their shaved heads, the majority of people I saw in Marzahn looked normal like they would anywhere else. And apart from Russians (of which there seem to be very many), I also saw a few non-European foreigners*, including a Muslim family. So could it be that Marzahn simply suffers from a stigma?

* Marzahn and Lichtenberg are also know for their Vietnamese community, and there is a Vietnamese market in Lichtenberg.


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Very interesting update, Ruben! kay:
Marzahn has some cozy places where you feel like in a village.
This could be a small village in Northern Burgenland or Lower Austria as well.



rubenalexander said:


> 12. A WW1 monument (I had never noticed them before, but there are many more of them all over Berlin)
> 24 P2940918b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

Thanks again for the comment Yansa

As you will see in future posts, one of my favourite things about Berlin up to now is that every borough has one or more villages like Alt-Marzahn.

In the meantime, I will only show you this garden house in Tegel (which doesn't fit into any other series), before I start posting pictures on which the leaves are coming out.

P2950111bb by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

I thank _you_ for your interesting pictures, Ruben! 
Yes, I also love cities which have parts that give us the village feeling.
Fortunately Vienna has many of them! kay:


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed great, very nice updates, Ruben :cheers:


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Through the countryside from east to west, Part 1*

Thanks again Christos



yansa said:


> I thank _you_ for your interesting pictures, Ruben!
> Yes, I also love cities which have parts that give us the village feeling.
> Fortunately Vienna has many of them! kay:




_____________________________________

Now some photos of spring coming into full bloom on the northern edge of Berlin's built-up area. The area you are about to see is nonetheless still deep in the territories of the boroughs of Pankow and Reinickendorf (and is therefore still Berlin for most Berliners).

We will start in the former village of Rosenthal (Pankow), which mostly lies along Mönchmühler Strasse, a street that used to run parallel to the Berlin wall about a hundred meters to the west, 2018-04-20

1.
01 P2960538c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2.
02 P2960130b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3.
03 P2960163b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4.
04 P2960235b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

The previous evening, 2018-04-19

5.
05 P2950250b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6.
06 P2950291b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7.
07 P2950314c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

8.
08 P2950353b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

9.
09 P2950360b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

10.
10 P2950396b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

11. In the next post in this series, we will continue into a part of rural Berlin that used to form a buffer between east and west
11 P2950417b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Through the countryside from east to west, Part 2*

12. Mönchmühler Strasse continues northwards to Blankenfelde, which is a proper village despite being within Berlin's city limits
12 P2950478b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

13. Allotments on the right hand side of Mönchmühler Strasse
13 P2950495b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

14. We instead will turn left, or westwards
14 P2950542b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

15. Looking towards Blankenfelde, with the 'Mühlberg', or garbage mountain, in the background (once again, we will go there soon)
15 P2950588b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

16.
17 P2950601b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

17. We have now reached the 'Berliner Mauerweg', or Berlin Wall Road, which follows the whole course of the former wall around West Berlin - which seperated it from both East Berlin and East Germany - for about 360 kilometres. This section now marks the border between the boroughs of Pankow (former east) and Reinickendorf (former west)
18 P2950671 by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Through the countryside from east to west, Part 3*

18. The Mauerweg (which, with an extra space between ' mauer' and ' weg', could also translate as ' Wall Gone') goes through a lot of nature reserves. This lake is in the Naturpark Barnim, which is otherwise mostly in Brandenburg, the state that surrounds Berlin and was formerly part of East Germany
19 P2950722b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

19.
20 P2950770b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

20.
21 P2950820b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

21.
22 P2950871b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

22.
23 P2950880b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Leaving the Mauerweg, we are now in Frohnau, one of the most upmarket parts of Berlin, which is on the territory of Reinickendorf

23.
24 P2950919b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

24. Another one of Berlin's many lakes
25 P2950954b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

25. The road back into town
26 P2960003b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

26. I'll leave you with this shot of the Märkisches Viertel, one of the biggest housing estates in former West Berlin
29 P2960039f by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Reinickendorf in April, Part 1*

It has to be said that much of Berlin can be a bit bleak for my tastes in winter. But this totally changes in spring, when the vast empty spaces fill up with greenery, covering many of the functional post-war buildings, and framing the remaining older ones. So time for an April update on Reinickendorf (where it was -12 degrees Celsius when you last saw it)!

Photos taken on 2018-04-21 to 23.

1. Around the corner from where I lived
01 P2970293b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Residenzstrasse (the main street, see the end of page 2)

2.
02 P2980856b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3.
03 P2980909bb by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4.
04 P2980893b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5.
05 P2980848c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6.
06 P2980919b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7. Schäfersee again
07 P2980976c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Ollenhauerstraße, which is quite an ugly street with a few nice buildings

8.
08 P2990032c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

9. (the red wall on the right belongs to the 'Staatliche Münze', or National Mint, which is where Euros are made)
09 P2990043b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

10.
10 P2990057b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

11. This rather rustic balcony looks out over the mint
11 P2990063b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Next time, I will show you some of Reinickendorf's interesting early modern architecture.


----------



## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

The ethos and culture that produced those serried ranks of bland apartment blocks must have been really quite bleak. I've never visited Berlin, nor have to say, have ever had the desire to do so. I think that I have an overall image and impression of bleakness, as you allude to in your comments.

What are the highlights of Berlin, would you say?


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

^^Thanks for visiting Jane I currently work at the tourist office, so it seems I'm not doing my job very well outside working hours

When I said bleak, I meant that I was used to towns with small, cozy streets, like the ones in the Benelux countries (where I lived my whole life until I moved here). There's not much of that in Berlin. But in spring, summer and autumn, this is compensated by large amounts of green public space. In winter though, the enormous open spaces often make Berlin rather windy and wet.

The apartment blocks you're referring to (which are pretty far from the center), were of course built by a totalitarian government (that of the GDR), and are similar to those found in other formerly communist countries. But like in western countries, they nonetheless meant an improved life quality to their residents. This interesting video explains it quite well (it's in German, but you can add subtitles by clicking CC): 

https://youtu.be/qSapG41eXS4

(It has to be said that, coming from the Netherlands, I am also used to a certain amount of regimentation and uniformity)

As for the highlights of Berlin (apart from the excellent public space):
- Berlin's history makes it pretty interesting and varied (I mean some of the former west could be in the Netherlands, while some of the former east could be in Russia)
- Berlin is a very international and multicultural place, and every borough is different. This means that it is a good place to meet people, and that there is a lot to do. Not to mention that there are a lot of very good (and cheap) restaurants.
- Berlin somehow has the advantages of a big city without many of the disadvantages: it is not overcrowded or dirty, and is still relatively cheap (though this is changing)
- As I hope I'm showing you here, Berlin still has its fair share of nice looking neighbourhoods (Parts of Mitte, Pankow, Weissensee, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Bergmann Kiez, Charlottenburg, Schöneberg, Köpenick etc) 
- Though I usually go everywhere by bike, Berlin has the best public transport of any city I know (cycling here is much better than in Belgium, but less good than in the Netherlands)
- Apart from parks and public space, Berlin also has a lot of actual nature (forests, lakes etc)

Lastly, Berlin (visually and culturally) did a pretty good job of healing the scars of Nazism, WW2 and 40 years of separation, none of which it particularly wanted. Hitler, in fact, hated Berlin, and wanted to flatten it and replace it with his 'World Capital Germania'. Though it has nothing to do with why I live here, I say this as the grandson of the sole survivors of Jewish families from Berlin (on my mother's side). My grandfather said Berlin never wanted Hitler and was not anti-Semitic. My mother, who had never been here until recently, really liked Berlin when I showed her around, though my father (who is British) somehow associates it with the same things as you do. Anyway, I hope you give Berlin a try one day, as you'll probably be pleasantly surprised!

Anyway, I'll be back soon with part 2 of Reinickendorf in April.


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

I like what you show us from Berlin, Ruben! kay:
That is not the Berlin I saw in some TV reports where it didn't attract me much.


----------



## Saxonia (Aug 15, 2012)

> Berlin has the best public transport of any city I know


Nr. 1 of sentences you will never ever hear from a Berliner. :lol:


----------



## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Thanks for the fulsome response, Ruben. I may well visit one day.


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Great updates, Ruben! :applause:
I like all that Green in Luebars, and we find interesting, varied architecture
in Wittenau.
So beautiful can "Gewerbe" buildings be! kay:


rubenalexander said:


> 7.
> P3000523b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Dead-end tramlines*

^^

As you already saw twice in post #52 (page 3), there are a lot of dead-end tramlines throughout Berlin. I've collected some of them for you here:

*Between Blankenburg and Weissensee, 2018-04-07*

1.
P2940106b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2.
P2940118b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

3.
P2940379b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

*Wittenau, 2018-05-06*

4.
P3000104b (2) by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5.
P3000296b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

6.
P3000313b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7.
P3000483b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

*Tegel, 2018-05-26*

8.
P3020099b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

9.
P3020143b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## GeneratorNL (Jun 16, 2007)

rubenalexander said:


> there are a lot of dead-end tramlines throughout Berlin.


I don't think those are tram lines, but rather disused industrial freight train lines. They used to go to industrial areas back in the days when most freight transport was still done by train. Nowadays of course trucks have taken over this work, which has lead to the closure of many railway branches.

Having said that, I want to mention that I love your thread. I have read every page of it.


----------



## rubenalexander (Jun 26, 2011)

*Lehrter Strasse and some other stuff*

^^ Yes, that makes sense. It would be a nice project to follow the former course of some of them. And thanks, I'm pleased you're enjoying it.

Now some pictures taken in and around Wedding in May.

1. The disused railway bridge on Gartenstrasse that I also showed you in post #50 (page 3), 2018-05-14
01 P3010566c by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

2. The ErlÃ¶serkirche, in a side street off the central (southern) end of Gartenstrasse, 2018-05-14
02 P3010606b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

A few pre-war buildings with post-war buildings on either side (all in Wedding):

3. Off Gartenstrasse, 2018-04-14
03 P3010585b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

4. Reinickendorfer Strasse, 2018-05-08
04 P3010335b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

5. Corner of MÃ¼llerstraÃŸe and Fennstrasse, 2018-05-07
05 P3000658b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

The construction site of the BND Zentrale - or German secret service - near Berlin Hauptbahnhof (which you also saw in post #50)

6.
06 P3010289b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

7.
07 P3010316b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

8. The construction site seen from Lehrter Strasse (which is in the neighbourhood of Moabit)
08 P3010220 by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Lehrter Strasse is a pleasant, leafy street with many older houses:

9.
09 P3010040d by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

10.
10 P3010075b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

11.
11 P3010192b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

Some (IMO) tasteful new buildings are also currently under construction in the street (well, they may have been completed by now - I haven't been there for a while). These ones reminds me of the _Style Mosan_, the traditional style of architecture in the region of my former hometown of Liège, Belgium. (In fact, they should build stuff like this there instead of many of the hideous blocks they're building now.)

12. 
12 P3000899b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr

13.
13 P3000943b by Ruben Alexander, on Flickr


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Love the old railway bridge, your pic with the red train, and the old _and new_
buildings in Lehrter Strasse! :applause:


----------



## yansa (Jun 16, 2011)

Idyllic Kiessee! kay:
I wish you a nice stay in your former home countries, Ruben! 
Looking forward to new "the unknown Berlin"-pics afterwards.


----------

