august2014
28
recent
Milchkaffee
on the roof terraceof thenewBikini Berlinconcept
mall wasaslightlydisconcertingexperience. Below, to the left,milling
around thehuskof theKaiserWilhelmMemorial Church, abunchof
well-dressedAsian touristswithAppleStorebagswerestiffly taking
selfies. Below, to the right, in theZoologischerGarten, a familyof
baboonswasalsoposing for photos, butwith their redbottoms
thrust skyward. Itwasas if 200,000yearsof evolutionhadbeen
concertinaed into theseconds it took thesun toorbit the famous
Bayer logoatopanearbyhigh-rise.
The latest stageofBerlin’sevolution iswhat preoccupies inhabitantsandvisitors
alike in thecountdown to8November– the25thanniversaryof theWall’scollapse.
Since the first brickswerechippedaway, almost all attentionhasbeen lavishedon
the
Mitte
, thecity’shistoriccore,which includesmost key tourist sitesaswell as
adorablydilapidatedbuildings, dinky trams,mazycourtyardsandmyriad
subcultures. But after twodecadesof gentrificationand theassociatedchainstores
and rent-hikes–and,more recently, hipster fatigue– thecity’scentreof gravity
seems tobenowheadingwestward.
Nothing illustrates thisbetter than themetamorphosisof thedistrict around the
ZoologischerGarten,which from the 1950s to the 1980swasWestBerlin’sTimes
Square–aseedymixof brothels, smokybarsand low-rent hotels.Nowscrubbedup,
thisarea, beingheavilypromotedasCityWest, is rapidlybecoming theshowroomof
thenewBerlin. Last year saw theagenda-settingopeningof the32-storey limestone-
cladZoofenster tower, home toaglitzynewWaldorfAstoriahotel, and the focal point
of amixof high-endboutiques, officesandchic restaurants.
Itsneighbours include thenewly reopenedHotel amSteinplatz, onceahang-out
ofHeinrichBöll andGünterGrass, andnow the firstGermanproperty inMarriott’s
AutographCollection, andbrandnewhotels fromAustria’sAmediaandPortugal’s
Sanahospitalitygroups, bothBerlinvirgins. In2016 thevast crater closebywill
becomeUpperWest, acurvyskyscraperwhichwill containEurope’s largestMotel,
Onehotel,moreshopsandoffices.
Opposite theZoofenster is theZooPalast, oneof theworld’smost glamorous
cinemas,which reopened in time for thisyear’sBerlinFilmFestival aftermore
reconstructivesurgery thansomeof thestarsgracing its redcarpet.Nearby, the
Clockwise from left:Neni, the restaurantandbarat the
topof the25hoursHotelwherehumanscanwatch the
monkeysbelow in theZoologischerGarten; andoutside,
where themonkeyscanwatch thehumans; thehotel’s
workhub,Newscorner, iscomfortableand friendly
