Behind The Curtain Archive - Seite 2 von 4

Join us as we unlock the gates of Tempelhof Airport to get inside one of Berlin’s most interesting buildings and symbol of its dark and turbulent past. A classic example of National Socialist architecture, Tempelhof is a daunting example of what Berlin was supposed to become: Adolf Hitler’s “Grand Capital” Germania.

Tempelhof was also famously used by the Allies during the Cold War to resist Soviet efforts to blockade West Berlin, and thus became a symbol of the ‘Berlin Airlift’ and hope in the post-war period. This special guided tour will take us behind the scenes to learn more about the architecture and hidden history of this truly amazing building.

From Marlene Dietrich to David Bowie, the world`s biggest film festival to a groundbreaking orchestra, Berlin really is a world center for cinema and music of all kinds. This three-hour tour takes a sideways look at two of the city`s most successful industries, taking in many of Berlin`s top film and music sites.

You will discover why so many films are made in Berlin and understand that the city`s tortured 20th century history is only part of the reason. You will also find out why Berlin can easily claim to be the world capital for classical music and also learn about arguably the most important rock music recording studio in history.

Tour guide Mark Meadow’s is a reporter for the Deutche Welle, Germany’s national broadcaster, and has a deep understanding of the city’s cultural history.

Join us for a trip to the German History Museum as we take a look at this intriguing exhibition. Here’s what they have to say:

“Starting from key dates in German history, the museum presents a look back(wards) at decisive historical events of the 19th and 20th centuries. It brings actual turning points face to face with what might have happened if it were not for various factors. Along 14 distinctive caesurae in the German history the probabilities of unrealised history – prevented by accidents, averted by misfires or other kinds of shortcomings – are explored: it is that which is known in the philosophy of history as contingency.

This perspective, unusual for a history museum, should make it possible to see well-known facts in a new light and to encourage an understanding of the principal open-endedness of history as a result of constellations and decisions, actions and omissions.”

On this tour, we will take a 90 minute circular walk through the district of Schöneberg, exploring the exciting and risqué history of the late 1920s, as seen by British author Christopher Isherwood

Visit the places he lived, socialised and documented in his Berlin Diaries of 1929 to 1933, and experience the vibrancy of the era and living on the edge of the Weimar Era. Accompanied by short readings from his works, see where ‘Cabaret’ was born, genders were blurred and films caused riots!

Join us for a group guided tour of the newly created permanent exhibition at the world renowned Berlin Jewish Museum. Here’s what the curators of the exhibition have to say:

“The new core exhibition tells of Jewish past and present in Germany – five historical chapters and eight rooms on art and culture address the tense relationship between belonging and exclusion from the Middle Ages to the present, with a focus on the Nazi era and the years after 1945. The tour offers you a first overview of the exhibition, told from a Jewish perspective by means of selected stations and objects.

This journey through time picks up on polyphonic, sometimes contradictory positions. Historical objects, media stations, video installations, and works of art from the collection invite you to follow the eventful history and learn more about what it means to be Jewish today.”

In addition to visiting the permanent exhibition, our group guided tour will include an introduction and study of the museum building’s world famous architecture.

On this unique experience, we tour the canals of Berlin and discover Berlin by boat, seeing Berlin neighbourhoods Kreuzberg and Neukölln from a whole new perspective, as we journey from day to night.

Please note you might get wet!

Join us as we take a guided tour of the fascinating exhibition “Everyday life in the GDR”.

The German Democratic Republic (GDR), or Communist East Germany, ceased to exist at midnight on 3 October 1990. It was neither democratic, nor was it a republic. It was a dictatorship in which there were no free elections, no division of powers, and no freedom of movement. Millions of Germans lived in Communist East Germany for 40 years – so what was it like?

How did the country function in which for 40 years a bread roll cost 5 pfennigs, but there were as good as no bananas? The country that built the highest TV tower in Germany, but did not provide enough housing to go around? That produced beautiful fairy-tale films, but forced critical artists into exile?

The permanent exhibition on “Everyday Life in the GDR” shows what East Germans’ lives were like in the 1970s and 1980s – at work, in public and in private. It shows how the Communist regime shaped everyday life, how people coped with the lack of things and the borders, and how they created free spaces for themselves.

Join us as we join forces with our city walking tour partners ‘Original Berlin Walks’ as we take a closer look at Berlins famous street art. Here’s how ‘Original Berlin Walks’ describe the tour:

“The Americans may have given the world street art, but it was perfected in Berlin. Starting in the ‘60s painting on the side of the Wall, through Berlin’s hedonistic heyday in the 1990s, artists the world over have come to the Hauptstadt to leave their mark. Our team of street art experts keep on top of what’s new, who’s who, and where to go to see the freshest and finest works that Berlin has to offer, which means that this tour is the best way for you to find the hidden corners that most visitors never get to see”

The grounds of the former Stasi headquarters, now Campus for Democracy, was once the centre of power for the East German secret police. What role did the archive play in the system of surveillance? Who used to work here, and how is the area used today?

This exclusive tour takes us closer to the Stasi than ever before, as we uncover the records archive, and take a closer look at the “Stasi files” and its role in the overall system of Surveillance.

Join Circus entertainment manager Andrew on a short neighborhood walk and introductory orientation of the local area. On the walk you will discover some of the highlights of the “Scheunenviertel” – a historic area of Mitte where the Circus is located.

Perfect for first time visitors to Berlin, and a great way to get a taste of the neighborhood from a local’s perspective. Also, Andrew has a pretty strong knowledge of what’s going on in Berlin, so take the chance to get some tips and inspiration to complete your perfect Berlin itinerary.

To say that this city has seen a lot of history over the last couple of centuries is an understatement. Come along with local author Daniel Burghard on an amazing walking tour as he guides you to some of the most significant and iconic WWII and Cold War locations in Berlin.

Starting at the iconic Brandenburg Gate and finishing up at the famous Checkpoint Charlie, at each stop in this roughly 3 hour tour, Daniel will explain the history of the location, as well as read to you eyewitness accounts from his latest book, “The Things They’ve Seen”, covering accounts of life both in WWII and Cold War Germany. In addition, Circus guests who take the tour will receive a complimentary copy of his book to take home, read and learn even more about the eyewitness accounts of history. At the end of the tour, if energy levels are still high, Daniel will point you in the direction of a couple of other WWII/Cold War locations which can be explored independently.

Join us as we take a guided tour of the fascinating exhibition “Everyday life in the GDR”.

Please note you might get wet!

Invited by The Circus Hotel, London-based Irish writer Darran Anderson and German writer Marcel Krueger will talk about their favourite 20th century hotel writers and their books. Join us to hear from Joseph Roth, Vicki Baum, Jan Morris and other legendary literary guests of the past.

Darran Anderson is the author of Inventory, which has been shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley Prize, and Imaginary Cities, chosen as a best book of 2015 by the Financial Times, The Guardian, the A.V. Club, and others. His writing has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, The TLS, Frieze, and Wired. He has given talks at the likes of the V&A, the London School of Economics, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Melbourne’s Robin Boyd Foundation, and the Venice Biennale. In 2023, he was awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction.

Marcel Krueger Marcel is a German-born non-fiction writer living in Dundalk in Ireland. Through the prism of family history and his own existence as emigrant he explores the tragedies and violence of European 20th century history and what these mean for memory, identity and migration today, in the tradition of writers like W.G. Sebald, Dubravka Ugrešić and Martin Pollack. His often melancholic writing is always deeply rooted in arts, pop culture, and place.

Join Circus team member Carmen on a food & culture walk at Berlin’s Turkish Maybachufer Market in Kreuzkölln. Here you will learn about the history of the Turkish diaspora in Germany, and explore the famous Turkish market along the Lanwehr canal – with a guide on the most tasty Turkish-German foods.

After eating and exploring through the market, we will end the trip at the best baklava spot in town – and enjoy a delicious Künefe (the ultimate dessert!) with tea.

The Stasi Prison at Hohenschönhausen was an important part of the Ministry for State Security’s repressive actions against the people of the German Democratic Republic.

We will be joined by local guide, who will take us around the Stasi Prison and share the many eyewitness account’s of how the Stasi operated, what they did and where they did, exposing the dark side of life in East Germany

Tour guide Mark Meadow’s is a reporter for the Deutche Welle, Germany’s national broadcaster, and has a deep understanding of the city’s cultural history.

Paul Scraton is the co-author of the book ‘Mauerweg: Stories from the Berlin Wall Trail’, published to coincide with the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, on this day, the 9th November 1989.

Paul will talk about the book, and the history of the divided city, before taking us on a walk to Bernauer Straße and the Berlin Wall Memorial, site of some of the more dramatic moments in the history of the city. Along the way he will talk about life in East Berlin, and the legacy of division today.

Join us as we are taken through the award-winning exhibition ‘Topography of Terror’.

Here we will get not only an introduction to the exhibition, but also gain a deeper understanding of the five themes presented, including the Nazi takeover of power; the institutions of terror in Nazi Germany; the terror and persecution both inside the Third Reich and the occupied countries; and the end of the war and the post-war era.

Potsdam is a small, but historically rich city – together with Berlin it was the center of Prussian power. It was also of enormous importance to the Soviets. In the summer of 1945, the Potsdam Conference of the victorious Allied powers was held here.

The city became one of the most important Soviet bases in Germany, with countless facilities and thousands of Soviet soldiers who characterized the street life for almost 50 years.

The tour takes you through Soviet Potsdam, to one of its most important secret service bases and the world famous Bridge of Spies.

This tour of the building’s interior and exterior will provide an insight into Franco Stella’s architecture, the examples he followed and how he combines old and new.

The contrasting design language of baroque and contemporary architecture is just as much an issue as the chequered history of the buildings that have occupied this site and the political ideals associated with them.

The German Spy Museum Berlin gives a unique insight into the gloom of espionage right where the Wall once divided the city. Visitors are welcome to use the most recent multimedia-based technology to detect all the bizarre and sneaky methods of agents and secret services.

An exciting time travel from spying in ancient Bible history to the present and future right in the middle of the capital of spies. Decipher a range of secret codes, negotiate the laser maze, see how secure your favourite password is and hack in to your favourite websites!

On this tour, we will take a 90 minute circular walk through the district of Schöneberg, exploring the exciting and risqué history of the late 1920s, as seen by British author Christopher Isherwood

Join our good friends at “Fork & Walk” tours as they take you on an exclusive neighborhood walk around Mitte, showing you some of the many amazing “foodie” hotspots located just a stone’s throw from the Circus. Along the way you will learn about some of the local history and get a taste of the many boutiques that make the district of Mitte so vibrant.

This tour is exclusive for Circus guests. Space is limited so please let us know in advance if you would like to join

*How this works: Pick ‘n Choose the tastes & flavours you want to try. We suggest to bring a minimum of €15

Join Circus communications guru, Victoria, as she takes you on a neighborhood walk of one of the most vibrant Berlin districts Friedrichshain. On this walk the focus will be on vintage clothing stores, a passion of Victoria’s. Along the way you will visit a variety of stores, as well as get a taste of the many weird and wunderful retail outlets that make this area so vibrant.

There will also be a chance to stop and rest and get a bite to eat, all part of the shopping experience!

This tour is exclusive for Circus guests. Space is limited so please let us know in advance if you would like to join

*How this works: Pick ‘n Choose the tastes & flavours you want to try. We suggest to bring a minimum of €15

Tour guide Mark Meadow’s is a reporter for the Deutche Welle, Germany’s national broadcaster, and has a deep understanding of the city’s cultural history.

AprilJoin us for a trip to the Allied Museum which is located on the former US military Berlin HQ and is actually housed in the former US Army cinema there. The US presence in Berlin lasted until 1994. The exhibition documents the 50 years of the Allies’ occupation in Berlin throughout the Cold War years, through the collapse of communism and German reunification.

We will see the original guard cabin from the crossing point “Checkpoint Charlie” and a GDR guard tower from the Wall’s perimeter. Also there is one of the worlds famous “Candy Bombers” (The Americans with the Candy Bombers won the hearts of all West Berliners during the 1948/49 siege of Berlin.

After eating and exploring through the market, we will end the trip at the best baklava spot in town – and enjoy a delicious Künefe (the ultimate dessert!) with tea.

Attention Food Lovers! Join us as we make an inclusive visit behind the scenes of the Walter Confectionary, one of Berlin’s most traditional and loved chocolate, nougat, marzipan and pastry producers.

The history of the Walter brand spans more than a hundred years and has made the manufactory for nougat and marzipan specialities a permanent fixture in Berlin’s West for generations. On 1 February 1915, the accomplished chocolatier Hugo E. Walter laid the foundation stone for the production of fine nibbles with a chocolate factory on the corner of Theodorstraße and Kaiserin-Augusta-Straße in Tempelhof.

For over a hundred years, the Walter Confectionary have been producing nougat and marzipan specialities by hand in their Berlin factory using only the finest of ingredients. They source these from suppliers such as a renowned marzipan producer in Lübeck, who still produces his raw paste with a particularly high almond content using granite rollers and copper kettles. Their fine nougat is made from the best hazelnuts and high-quality cocoa according to their traditional recipe. The homemade ginger specialities are also refined exclusively by hand by their long-standing employees.

Join us for a trip to the Allied Museum which is located on the former US military Berlin HQ and is actually housed in the former US Army cinema there. The US presence in Berlin lasted until 1994. The exhibition documents the 50 years of the Allies’ occupation in Berlin throughout the Cold War years, through the collapse of communism and German reunification.

Discover the lives of Berlin’s most extraordinary daughters

Stroll through the historic centre of Berlin and hear about the lives of the city’s most fascinating women. From queens and revolutionaries to feminists and world leaders, Berlin’s women have left their mark on Germany and the world.

Discover the life of May Ayim, a German-Ghanian feminist who was among the first academics to study Afro-German women’s history in Germany. Learn how German women were left to remove the rubble from post-WWII Berlin’s streets by hand in 1945, and find out how Marlene Dietrich left Germany and began actively opposing the Nazis.

Join us as we take a guided tour of the fascinating exhibition “Everyday life in the GDR”.

Join us for a group guided tour of the newly created permanent exhibition at the world renowned Berlin Jewish Museum. Here’s what the curators of the exhibition have to say:

In addition to visiting the permanent exhibition, our group guided tour will include an introduction and study of the museum building’s world famous architecture.

On this tour, we will take a 90 minute circular walk through the district of Schöneberg, exploring the exciting and risqué history of the late 1920s, as seen by British author Christopher Isherwood

Theater fans! Discover the secrets behind the curtain of the Deutsche Oper, one of Germany’s premier opera houses.

This exclusive tour will take us through the auditorium, the props store and the costume room, as well as onto (and behind) the stages themselves. Along the way we will learn about the history of the opera house, its productions and legendary performances.

The Stasi Prison at Hohenschönhausen was an important part of the Ministry for State Security’s repressive actions against the people of the German Democratic Republic.

Join us for a walk through a neighbourhood that was once Berlin’s industrial heartland, known as ‘Red Wedding’ for its support of the Communists in the 1920s, and now a district with a thriving DIY-cultural scene recently voted 4th Coolest Neighbourhood in the World by Time Out. On the walk you will hear stories from of street-battles in the Weimar Republic and life in the divided city, get some tips from the present including tips for friendly bars and microbreweries… and learn a bit about Berlin’s 19^th and 20^th century history along the way.

Local writer Paul Scraton is a resident of Wedding, and much of his novel BUILT ON SAND is set on and around the route of the walk.

This tour is exclusive for Circus guests. Space is limited so please let us know in advance if you would like to join

*How this works: Pick ‘n Choose the tastes & flavours you want to try. We suggest to bring a minimum of €10.

Tour guide Mark Meadow’s is a reporter for the Deutche Welle, Germany’s national broadcaster, and has a deep understanding of the city’s cultural history.

The Stasi museum is located in House 1 on the former grounds of the headquarters of the GDR’s Ministry for State Security. The building was erected in 1960-61 and included the offices of Erich Mielke, who served as Minister for State Security from 1957 until the end of the GDR following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The permanent exhibition on display traces the history of the Stasi and its relationship with the SED – the ruling Socialist Unity Party. Here you will learn about who the Stasi was, their reason for existing, how they functioned and who were their targets. With this guided tour you will be introduced to the very complicated and nuanced subject matter which is often missed when exploring this period of German history.

There will also be a chance to stop and rest and get a bite to eat, all part of the shopping experience!

Join us as we are taken through the award-winning exhibition ‘Topography of Terror’.

Join us as we help celebrate the 2022 Berlin Writers prize – together with the good folk at The Reader Berlin.

The Berlin writing prize is a yearly English language creative writing competition run by the Reader Berlin, a Berlin based organisation/platform for all writers, offering community, development and support.

The Circus Hotel is a proud sponsor of the Berlin Writing Prize.

Come along to Hallesches Haus to celebrate the winners, toast the judges and sponsors, enjoy readings, drinks, and all the good old literary chat!

This tour is exclusive for Circus guests. Space is limited so please let us know in advance if you would like to join

*How this works: Pick ‘n Choose the tastes & flavours you want to try. We suggest to bring a minimum of €10.

After eating and exploring through the market, we will end the trip at the best baklava spot in town – and enjoy a delicious Künefe (the ultimate dessert!) with tea.

There will also be a chance to stop and rest and get a bite to eat, all part of the shopping experience!

Join us as we are taken through the award-winning exhibition ‘Topography of Terror’.

It’s Wednesday and you’ve got nothing to do? We got you covered! Join our awesome crew and experience the magical Christmas Markets of Berlin! Each Wednesday we’ll take you to a different one so you can try all the delicious Christmas food and mulled wine under the colorful lights and holiday decorations. With over 100 markets to choose from, we make sure there’s something for everyone!

Sounds good? Sign up below, or come see us at reception!

Winter wouldn’t be winter without an epic trip to the ice rink. A perfect place to kick off the season, this outdoor ice skating rink is one of the best in Berlin and has it all – from mulled wine to skates for rent. From absolute beginners to skating veterans, the ice welcomes you all!

And don’t worry, the rail will be there when you need something to hold on to your dear life!

On this tour, we will take a 90 minute circular walk through the district of Schöneberg, exploring the exciting and risqué history of the late 1920s, as seen by British author Christopher Isherwood

After eating and exploring through the market, we will end the trip at the best baklava spot in town – and enjoy a delicious Künefe (the ultimate dessert!) with tea.

Theater fans! Discover the secrets behind the curtain of the Deutsche Oper, one of Germany’s premier opera houses.

Join author Paul Scraton for a tour of our neighbourhood and the books and writers inspired by our corner of Berlin. You’ll also hear about Paul’s collaboration with the Circus to create a series of short stories inspired by Rosenthaler Platz and the literary and cultural history of the square.

Join our Kreuzberg veteran, Noor, on an authentic tour of one of Berlin’s hippest areas. Noor, has been living in the area for 9 years and is completely in love with her neighborhood. She will take you along her favorite walking route, spanning the Turkish market with all its delicacies, the canal and its unusual architecture and the famous Kottbusser Tor quartier with its rich history and diverse outlets. Be prepared to be a local for an afternoon

There will also be a chance to stop and rest and get a bite to eat, all part of the shopping experience!

On this tour, we will take a 90 minute circular walk through the district of Schöneberg, exploring the exciting and risqué history of the late 1920s, as seen by British author Christopher Isherwood

Horst Wessel was a young leader of the Nazi Party in the working-class neighborhood of Friedrichshain. On January 14, 1930, he was shot in his apartment, and he died a month later. Joseph Goebbels turned him into the Nazis‘ principle martyr. After 1933, the Horst Wessel Song became the Third Reich’s national anthem. There were Horst Wessel Streets, Horst Wessel Squares, a Horst Wessel Hospital — Friedrichshain even became Horst Wessel City.

Hitler said that Wessel would be remembered for hundreds of years. Today, most people have never heard of him. Two myths have since competed about Wessel’s murder: the Nazis said he was assassinated by a red hit squad; the communists said he was a pimp and was killed in a dispute with another pimp. Both these myths are completely false, and the real story offers important insights about working-class life in Friedrichshain in the late 1920s.

Our tour will start at the site of the murder. In the style of a historical murder mystery, we will trace the path the murderers took on that cold January night so many years ago. We will end up at the site of a Communist bar in the Scheunenviertel.

Join us as we are taken through the award-winning exhibition ‘Topography of Terror’.

Visiting many of the city’s historical landmarks, at each stop in this roughly 3 hour tour, Daniel will explain the history of the location, as well as read to you eyewitness accounts from his latest book, “The Things They’ve Seen”, covering accounts of life both in WWII and Cold War Germany. In addition, Circus guests who take the tour will receive a complimentary copy of his book to take home, read and learn even more about the eyewitness accounts of history. At the end of the tour, if energy levels are still high, Daniel will point you in the direction of a couple of other WWII/Cold War locations which can be explored independently.

Paul Scraton is the co-author of the book ‘Mauerweg: Stories from the Berlin Wall Trail’, published to coincide with the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down in November 1989.

Berlin is recognized as one of the most popular European capitals of Vegan food. Together with the foodie “Hungry in Berlin” come join one of the best food tours in the City – a tailor-made food experience exclusive to Circus guests.

Ilaria, the food blogger who has been running her Instagram page @hungry_in_berlin since 2019, has selected her favorite vegan venues between the coolest districts of Mitte and Prenzlaurberg. She will guide you through the culinary vegan tour and you will discover the hidden areas where locals love chilling.

This tour is carefully thought out for an unique and qualitative experience where guests will learn more about the culture of this multicultural city through the eyes of a foodie. Guests will have the opportunity to dive into the Berliner vegan world and taste different dishes, for example delicious cakes, juicy burgers and much more.

Places you will visit:

Tres x Kayk (Vegan Cafe)

Lia’s Kitchen (Vegan Burger Joint)

Feel Seoul Good (Korean Vegan)

Plant Base (Vegan Cafe)

The meeting point will be at The Circus reception and the tour will be entirely by foot.

Join us as we join forces with our city walking tour partners ‘Original Berlin Walks’ as we take a closer look at the former concentration camp Sachsenhausen.

Here’s how ‘Original Berlin Walks’ describe the tour:

Explore the history of one of the most important forced labour camps in Nazi Germany. Original Berlin Walks’ guides are trained and licensed by the memorial site to unravel the complex history of the Holocaust. Using witness accounts and the latest historical research uncover what life was like for the prisoners of Sachsenhausen as they underwent forced labour in conditions of appalling brutality.

Meet your guide at the Circus reception and travel by train to the town of Oranienburg. Trace the very same path that prisoners were forcibly marched to the site by their Nazi guards, and explore the memorial with an expert guide.

Take time to visit exhibitions at the site and discover the lives of prisoners brought to the meticulously designed camp that functioned as the head of the entire camp network.