Mitte district at the centre of a changed Berlin

Dec 3, 2009, 10:58 GMT

Berlin - When Berliners recall the heady period after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it sometimes sounds a bit like grandpa's stories from the war.

Apartments in the former East had coal stoves, no telephones and were cheap as dirt. Basement windows led to illegal bars where beers could be had to the beat of techno music in the dimly-lit ruins. The government quarter was not yet built and the Museum Island had fallen into disrepair. The Palace of the Republic, the seat of the East German parliament, was still standing.

Nowhere has Berlin changed more than in the Mitte district. The luxury apartments, or 'townhouses,' and big-brand flagship stores are a phenomenon of recent years. So too are the hotels and backpackers hostels: In the 20 years since reunification, the rattle of the iconic East German car, the Trabant, has been replaced by that of the roller suitcase.

The Gendarmenmarkt is posh and gallery-packed August Street provides a window on the contemporary art scene. Hotel Adlon, which opened near the Brandenburg Gate in 1997, is favoured by royals, world leaders and celebrities.

In the Hackescher Markt area, tourists jostle in front of a Japanese design showroom. In a jeans shop, a young German actor picks out a complimentary item. On Rosenthaler Platz, once vacant land is being developed: 'Look forward to original designs in 145 rooms,' a billboard advertising the new hotel announces. A few steps along, a banner on the crumbling facade of a building on Linien Street, sums up the spirit of its squatters: 'We are not for sale.'

Tourism is booming, rents are going up. Those who still have old lease agreements are happy. Some designers have relocated from Neue Schoenhauser Street to smaller side streets. Carl Tillessen moved his fashion label, Firma, to Mulack Street, where few people shop anymore. 'Much of the variety has been lost,' the 42-year-old designer observes about the neighbourhood. 'We have a bit more time before the roughness of Berlin is threatened with extinction.'

At 34, 'Cookie,' whom nobody calls by his real name of Heinz Gindullis, is a veteran of the city's nightlife. His club, Berghain, is one of Berlin's most famous and is currently celebrating its 15th birthday. 'Berlin-Mitte has become international,' says Cookie. Illegal clubs, with addresses known only to insiders, are still going strong, he says. 'It rocks.' When it comes to going commercial, like in Soho, New York or in London, Berlin, he believes, is still far off. 'This has been a bit of a village.'

Not all of what Berlin offers is modern and slick. The graceful Claerchens Ballroom which first opened in 1913 is popular with locals and tourists alike. The venue on Tor Street where Vladimir Kaminer founded his Russian Disco in the 1990s is also still considered cool.

St Oberholz cafe offers 'digital bohemians' a cozy hotspot where they can get creative with their laptops. Owner Ansgar Oberholz says he has seen an international mix of people in the last three years. 'I like this.' The 37-year-old has branched out and now also offers holiday apartments, in keeping with the trend in the area. The Circus hostel over the way was mentioned in the New York Times in July.

There are those who have remained loyal to the district over the years. Jochen Sandig was one of the founders of the Tacheles art house in the 1990s and later set up the Sophiensaele, a theatre. He is currently partner in Radialsystems, an art and culture centre on the banks of the river Spree. Sandig and his wife, choreographer Sasha Walz, still live not far from Oranienburger Street, where the iconic and graffiti-covered Tacheles is located.

'What I like about Mitte is the high concentration of cultural institutions,' he says, glancing towards the imposing Museum Island. Sometimes the centre of the 'Berliner Republik' is like home. 'Its just like a village.'