Once a Bahnhof, always a Bahnhof — sort of…
I think it’s pretty clear that this city’s strength lies in its charm more than its beauty. One of my favorite neighborhood spots illustrates that more than any other.
If this park were a man, he’d be the scruffy beardy hungover one on the left struggling to roll his cigarette with his eyes only half open. He’d have bushy hair, be stylish and be wearing equally scruffy boots. He would also be friendlier than you’d think at first glance. In fact, he’d probably be one of the nicer guys you’d meet that day.
Once a railway station (1867-1951) and home to British anarchist art communes, now a seasonal snowball stadium and a full-time run-down park, Görlitzer Park is a Berlin beauty. It’s far from being the most polished of parks but it’s the first place I’d like to be on a sunny day.
Centered around a crater which was once the old station’s underpass and hydrated by the café/club Edelweiss (probably in reference, like the neighboring Wiener Straße, to the station being Berlin’s first connection to Vienna), Görli oozes Kreuzberg - both with its rundown yet welcoming feel and because of the people it attracts. Old hippies stroll alongside young professionals. Dogs roam while kids blankly stare with amazement at them and all that’s happening around them.
It turns out, they were right to not strip the nearby U-Bahn station of its ex-neighbor’s name, Görlitzer Bahnhof. This park remains the crossroads it once was with East Asians swing at baseballs while Turks kick footballs next to frisbee-throwing hipsters.
I wish postcards could capture half the fun of this place. With Summer only a few days old, I’m pumped for the ex-station’s passengers to populate the park with the relaxed days and techno raves. Bring it on.
