The Tränenpalast at Berlin-Friedrichstraße

17. Januar 2012 in Berlin, History, Museum by Paul

Bild 183-1990-0403-016(Photo: Border crossing at Friedrichtraße station, from the Bundesarchiv on Wikipedia)

Tränenpalast means “Palace of Tears”, and this was the name Berliners gave to the border control checkpoint at Friedrichstraße station during the long years that the city was divided by the Berlin Wall. When the city was divided so too were communities, families and couples, and the building received its nickname due to the many tearful farewells that took place there.

After the Wall fell and there was no longer any need for a border checkpoint as the city was joyously reunited, it became a popular club until 2006. Due to its historic role, this fairly unspectacular building was placed under landmark protection as a reminder of how the division of the country and of Berlin in particular had such a painful impact on the everyday lives of ordinary people.

Last year the building became the location for a new permanent exhibition by the Stiftung Haus der Geschichte that brings together ordinary objects and artifacts from the time when the building was the scene for over 10 million individual border-crossings, as well as the stories of some of the individuals for whom this was truly a palace of tears.

The exhibition Border Experiences: The Everyday Life of the German Division, is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am until 7pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 6pm (closed on Mondays). Admission is free, and the nearest transport links (S-Bahn, U-Bahn and Tram) is Friedrichstraße. From Rosenthaler Platz you can take the Tram M1 from outside the front door of the Circus Hostel.

A message for one of our guests…

17. Januar 2012 in Circus Hostel, Circus News by Paul

kissfromdownunder

A Tour Around Berlin in 1929

11. Januar 2012 in Berlin, Film, History, Stuff We Like by Paul

Just over three minutes will take you back to the Haupstadt in 1929… fascinating glimpse of the city as it was, and thanks to In Berlin and Slow Travel Berlin for the head’s up…

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

9. Januar 2012 in Berlin, Events, Film by Paul


On Wednesday evening the Moviemento Kino on Kottbusser Damm in Kreuzberg will be holding the premiere of William S. Burroughs: A Man Within, which is a feature length documentary about the iconic American beat author, by the Chicago director Yony Leyser. The film features previously unseen footage of William S. Burroughs, as well as interviews with some of his friends and colleagues such as David Cronenberg, Patti Smith, Gus Van Sant, Iggy Pop and more.

William S. Burroughs was one of the America’s most iconic “men of letters” during the second half of the 20th Century. Despite struggling throughout his life with addiction, the accidental killing of his wife, and difficulties with the legal system both in the United States and abroad, Burroughs created some works of literature – especially the novel Naked Lunch, which was one of the last books to be banned by the US government – that are rightly regarded as modern classics.

Some notes from the filmmakers:

“William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This extremely personal documentary breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time.”

Well worth checking out.

Premiere on the 11th January, and then daily from the 12th – in original version with German subtitles. Moviemento Kino Berlin – Kottbusser Dam 22, Berlin.

William S. Burroughs: A Man Within Official Website

Eyewitness History: A Film about the ZZB and The Circus

5. Januar 2012 in Berlin, Circus Talks, Film, History by Paul

You can read more about the ZZB and the cooperation with the Circus on an article at Slow Travel Berlin.

Many thanks go to Dougal and Ruby for such an excellent job with the film:

About the Filmmakers:

Dougal Squires has worked with Insight Radio in Glasgow and BBC Switch in London. He now lives in Berlin and has contributed to Artconnect Berlin and Slow Travel Berlin. Ruby Pester is a Scottish  artist living and working in Berlin. She creates collaborative and interactive performance projects and has recently worked with the Agora Collective and BBC Scotland and currently works with Artconnect Berlin.

Exhibition in Berlin – Helen Mirra

5. Januar 2012 in Art, Berlin by Paul

Mirra 03

Helen Mirra
Field Recordings, 7 x 5000 Schritte, in Berlin (Allee der Kosmonauten) 4 August
Detail / detail
Öl auf Leinwand / Oil on linen, 2010
80 x 170 cm
Courtesy the artist

The exhibition “gehend: Field Recordings 1-3” is taking place currently at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, which is just around the corner from The Circus on Auguststraße. The concept behind the artist Helen Mirra’s work is interesting, because she creates not in a studio, but during walks which she describes as “paced printmaking”.

The pieces currently on show are prints and rubbings made during hikes in Berlin, Bonn and Zurich, and here’s some more about the exhibition from the website:

“In the realm of artistic positions that deal with principles of nature and classification, Helen Mirra’s works hold a particular position. Rather than idealizing nature, they hover between processes of scientific experimentation on the one hand and calligraphic meditation on the other—a combination that produces a great sense of both melancholy and measure.”

For this exhibition she spent a month in each of the three locations, and spent almost every day walking. Every hour she would make a print of the ground before transferring this onto linen, collecting seven such prints a day. Melancholy and measure… perfect for a rainy Berlin day such as this one. The exhibition runs until the 29th January.

Eyewitness Talks: Growing Up in Germany 1925-50

4. Januar 2012 in Berlin, Circus Hotel, Circus News, Circus Talks, Events, Fabisch, History by Paul

circus-talks-buttonOnce again we are really pleased to be welcoming another eyewitness speaker to the Circus, as part of our ongoing series of history talks in cooperation with the ZZB – The Centre for Witness to Contemporary History. The talk is taking place at The Circus Hotel tomorrow evening, and as always it is completely free, takes place in English, and everyone is welcome.

Our speaker this month is Frau Gericke who was born in Potsdam in 1925, and grew up through the Weimar period, the Nazi’s rise to power, and the Second World War. In 1945 her family’s home was confiscated to be used as Winston Churchill’s residence during the Potsdam conflict, and was only returned to the family after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990.

Frau Gericke will share her story with us, and will be available afterwards to answer questions. This is not only the first ZZB talk of 2012 but it is also the first anniversary of our cooperation with the ZeitZeugenBörse. We have had a great year of talks in Fabisch, and we are looking forward to many more fascinating evenings sharing the experiences of the eyewitnesses who are kind enough to join us and give us their time.

VENUE: Fabisch @ The Circus Hotel
DATE: Tuesday 10th January
TIME: 6.45pm

And finally…we have a very special ZZB-themed treat coming up in the next couple of days, so keep your eyes peeled both here and on our facebook page.

Happy New Year!

1. Januar 2012 in Circus News by Paul

fireworks

Here is the view over the centre of Berlin from the district of Pankow, at somepoint around midnight last night. We hope all our friends around the world had a great start to 2012, and that the next year is wonderful one for all of you.

Love from the Circus team…

« Older entries § Newer entries »