When Stéphane contacted me on our favourite scruffy app and suggested that I come visit him in his east-Berlin ex-squat all-gay community house, I immediately thought, “yes!” Yes yes yes, that is the kind of oddball invitation I *love*!
After the Second World War, thousands of people were … missing … in Berlin, and during the Cold War and the creation of the Berlin Wall, many fled East Berlin. One of the many consequences of the situation was a great many empty houses with no one claiming ownership. So squatters moved in, often poor and revolutionary youngsters. From a tragic soil grew a colourful community that still lives on today.
Tuntenhaus is one of those communities, based in Prenzlauerberg and founded in 1990. From the graffiti-covered entry hall, up through the staircases wallpapered with old posters to the very rooftop with its outdoor shower, it screams personality and ‘young’ revolutionary spirit. After ten days of living there, I can’t say I’ve done more than scratch the surface, but from what I saw, it was warm welcoming friendships and board game love all around. I particularly enjoyed the outdoor cinema night they had. A projector, around 20 people, a makeshift bar and four very odd little movies make for a superbly enjoyable evening.
Stéphane was an excellent host, understanding that I would need to be boring and work for much of my visit, and keen to show me both the collective and Berlin when I did not. (Although for three of the nights, we followed our geek instincts and played board games!)
It always amazes me how meaningful even a short visit can be with the right person. Learning to appreciate life’s stream of fleeting experiences, not just the lasting ones we build over years, is the most valuable lesson learnt as a nomad, and this Berlin visit has been a particularly precious experience. Thank you, Stéphane.
The Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe
I only got a few days of tourism in Berlin, spending most of my time working or hanging out at Tuntenhaus. I fully expect to return to Berlin one day and stay there for a few months, so I’ll postpone any attempt to do a full Berlin post until then.
But, I can’t keep from posting a few notes about the Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. It is striking in its appearance and downright devastating in its history. Above ground, it consists of a 19,000 m2 site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or “stelae”, arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The stelae are 2.38 m long, 0.95 m wide and vary in height from 0.2 to 4.8 m. The stelae are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason. And does it ever. Walking around this maze is creepy, and does make you feel like a trapped and hunted rat.
Below ground is a museum detailing the holocaust. What this museum did different from many other holocaust accounts is that they focused on the details of the murders, not just the overall location and numbers but things like the logistics and the victims personal history and path to their murder. It went from “the Nazis gassed six million Jews” to “the Nazis spent years honing their murder factory, which for the most part consisted of Nazi soldiers firing bullets into the head of defenceless and naked men, women and children, standing by the edge of the grave they dug, with their fellow Jews either lying below or standing in queue behind, watching and waiting their turn”.
If you only have one day in Berlin, I cannot recommend the Jewish memorial enough, assuming you have the stomach for a large serving of grim reality.
Wonderful photography. I am keen to visit the Holocaust memorial, much more than any of the concentration camps to be honest. I don’t think I could handle the collective trauma in the camps. Is that selfish? Keep up the excellent work.
How timely this post is on Berlin , my favourite city and second home (of sorts). I was only there myself on yet another trip a few weeks back around the same time as you Gustav. I never tire of revisiting this edgy, vibrant and shape-shifting place, the vibe is so good, evidence perhaps of a reconciliation with it’s turbulent past and moving on, maybe? Fascinating read and video of the ‘Tuntenhaus’ how wonderful for you to have been invited to stay in such a quirky atmospheric abode. Your nomadic life sure does afford you an eclectic experience. I remember watching a TV documentary in the early 90’s on a gay men’s squat in Berlin occupied entirely by alternative drag queens (very radical then) I believe it was in Kreuzberg.
If you were fascinated by the ‘Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe’ then a must-see is the Jewish Museum. Housed in a remarkable zinc cladded deconstructivist building by Daniel Libeskind. It’s overall shape is of a lightening bolt representing an exploded Star of David and is accessed by tunnels from an adjacent old baroque building. A museum experience like no other.
The ‘Sachsenhausen’ Nazi concentration camp and subsequent Soviet special camp in Oranienburg is well worth the short trip north out of town on the S bahn, but be warned it’s a harrowing experience. The audio guides are indispensable for listening to actual survivor’s accounts and personal experiences of their ordeal and treatment.
There was a large number of gay men detained in Sachsenhausen, particularly Hustlers and sex workers of every stripe, having been rounded up by the Nazis from the ‘decadent’ metropolis. One survivor’s personal account I listened to, was the most harrowing and heart breaking of narratives I think I have ever heard. Highly recommended, but as you say, only if you have the stomach for grim reality.
Thanks for the post Gustav.
Excellent photo of the Brandeburg Tor! Wonderful light.
Wish I could’ve shown you around Berlin as well! I love the gay squat, though their weekend brunches aren’t my favorite.
Did you also make it to the memorial for the LGBT victims of the Holocaust? It’s just across the street from the other, in Tiergarten park. I wrote about it here: travelsofadam.com/2012/03/gay-holocaust-memorial-berlin/
I did yes. I first looked at it and didn’t understand it was the LGBT memorial. Only later when I looked at the map did I get it. So, in my book, it kinda missed the point.
Ahh interesting. When you first walked up to it did you also look at the video screen? The information plaque about the monument is a bit far from the actual monument though.
I did look at the screen (gay couples kissing) but didn’t make the connection from just that. And I never saw the plaque, and I looked for it! Must have been on the other side of the park…
This must be a common thing…..I heard of a metal band called “The Ocean” which is a collective artistic community of sorts based in Berlin. Sounds like an ace way to share ideas and create music, if you can find a suitable squat!
Berlin is absolutely essential to anyone’s understanding of modern European history. I plan to make a trip there soon, and you have pointed me in all the right directions!