This private tour of Berlin's best-preserved historic district begins at Hackescher Markt, takes you through Haus Schwarzenberg, where time seems to have stood still, and through the famous Hackesche Höfe.
Follow the small streets that still correspond to the city layout of the 18th century and walk in the footsteps of the old Jewish community to the New Synagogue. Along the way, you'll also hear the story of St. Hedwig Hospital, the Baroque St. Sophia Church, and the Jewish cemetery dating back to 1671. Some backyards are so tranquil that you almost forget about turbulent Berlin. Other backyards have been completely conquered: see how horse stables became restaurants, factories became galleries, and poor tenements became luxury apartments. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, this neighborhood, located in the east of the city, was taken over by squatters, students and young artists. Today you can find the highest rents in the city here.
The tour ends in front of Clärchens Ballhaus, the oldest ballroom in Berlin, which still adorns the entrance sign of regular guest Otto Dix. Once located in the backyard, today you can enjoy your beer in the front garden. There, where doors lead to nowhere, you can still see on the walls that a front building is missing here.
Some sights of the tour at a glance:
- Hackesche Höfe
- Schwarzenberg House
- Sophienstraße
- Große Hamburger Street
- Jewish Cemetery and New Synagogue
- Oranienburger Street
- Gallery district Auguststraße
- Clärchen's Ballroom