Berlin's shift / From "poor but sexy" to exclusive

A panoramic scene of Berlin, Germany, reveals the vibrant city at night from a high viewpoint, showcasing the illuminated architecture of Mitte and the serene flow of the Spree River

Berlin's shift: from "poor but sexy" to exclusive

How rising costs and real estate trends are reshaping the soul of Germany's capital

Jessy Frascarelli
11 July 2025

Berlin is the city where I live, the place that welcomed me seven and a half years ago when I decided to move here—a choice I had already made inside myself long before. There wasn’t a conscious rationalisation of "why," it was simply that this city had always been a constant presence in my life. Since I was young, Berlin was a fascinating mystery, a promise of freedom, something that escaped tradition and convention. I've always loved this city, with its ability to surprise without ever tiring, its nature that urges you to discover new corners, new meanings, and new perspectives. Every day, Berlin teaches you to look with different eyes, to see beauty where once there was only grey, to feel life pulsing strongly behind the façades of its dilapidated buildings, in its parks, and underground clubs.

Germany and the Germans by Thomas Mann

 

Decadent days … a detail from Otto Dix’s 1926 portrait of the journalist and poet Sylvia von Harden.

Germany and the Germans

by Thomas Mann 

December 1, 1946

AS A YOUNG MAN, I thought and said that, once having been born into the world, it was a good and honorable thing to persevere a long time, to live a full, canonical life, and, as an artist, to be characteristically fruitful in all its stages. But I had very little confidence in my own biological qualification and soundness, and the endurance that I have, nevertheless, demonstrated appears to me less a proof of my own vital patience than proof of the patience of the genius of life towards me—something unmerited, an act of grace. And grace is always astonishing and unexpected. He who experiences it thinks he is dreaming.

Chapter 86 / A History of German Expressionist Movie Posters and Afterward

 

Chapter 86

A History of German Expressionist Movie Posters and Afterward.

The liberal atmosphere of the Weimar republic that emerged after the horrors of the first world war gave birth to a powerful German cinema. Expressionists, defying the reality portrayed by the representational art, tried to capture the essence (Das Wesen) of the reality.They argued passionately in the avant-garde periodicals, such as Der Sturm, about the aesthetics and social mission of art in a world that they saw corrupt and shallow to the extreme.

The difficult reconciliation of the memory of World War II with mass tourism in the Netherlands

Residents of the Dutch estate portrayed in the TV series ‘Band of Brothers,’ produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, will install a fence and charge for photos to stem the flow of tourists

ISABEL FERRER

THE HUGUE, JUNE 28, 2023

In uniform, with his helmet resting on his side and a slight smile on his face. This is how U.S. Major Richard Dick Winters posed in 1944 under the archway at the entrance to an estate in the east of the Netherlands. The complex is called Schoonderlogt and is located in the village of Elst, in the Betuwe region. The Allied troops called the area The Island and the fighting there lasted 198 days during World War II. Winters and his men, members of Easy Company, transcended the realm of military memory thanks to a television series released in 2001: Band of Brothers (HBO), co-produced by filmmaker Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. British actor Damian Lewis plays Winters, and the image of him, posing in the same place as the U.S. officer, has become so famous over time that the owners of the property are going to install a fence and charge for photos to stem the flow of tourists.

Roger Waters threatens legal action over German concert cancellations

 

Roger Waters

Roger Waters threatens legal action over German concert cancellations

Waters was accused of being ‘a widely known antisemite’ in Frankfurt council instruction to cancel concert, with other German cities also proposing cancellations

Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Thursday 16 March 2023

Roger Waters has said he will take legal action against city authorities in Germany over the threatened cancellation of concerts there, after the former Pink Floyd frontman was accused of antisemitism, which he denies.

 

A "political education" camp in China's Xinjing province
Photo by Greg Baker

The long read

'It’s a place where they try to destroy you': why concentration camps are still with us

Mass internment camps did not begin or end with the Nazis – today they are everywhere from China to Europe to the US. How can we stop their spread? 

by Daniel Trilling
Thursday 2 April 2020

At the start of the 21st century, the following things did not exist. In the US, a large network of purpose-built immigration prisons, some of which are run for profit. In western China, “political education” camps designed to hold hundreds of thousands of people, supported by a high-tech surveillance system. In Syria, a prison complex dedicated to the torture and mass execution of civilians. In north-east India, a detention centre capable of holding 3,000 people who may have lived in the country for decades but are unable to prove they are citizens. In Myanmar, rural encampments where thousands of people are being forced to live on the basis of their ethnicity. On small islands and in deserts at the edges of wealthy regions – Greece’s Aegean islands, the Negev Desert in Israel, the Pacific Ocean near Australia, the southern Mediterranean coastline – various types of large holding centres for would-be migrants.

'It’s a place where they try to destroy you': why concentration camps are still with us – podcast

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The scale and purpose of these places vary considerably, as do the political regimes that have created them, but they share certain things in common. Most were established as temporary or “emergency” measures, but have outgrown their original stated purpose and become seemingly permanent. Most exist thanks to a mix of legal ambiguity – detention centres operating outside the regular prison system, for instance – and physical isolation. And most, if not all, have at times been described by their critics as concentration camps.

We tend to associate the idea of concentration camps with their most extreme instances – the Nazi Holocaust, and the Soviet Gulag system; genocide in Cambodia and Bosnia. But the disturbing truth is that concentration camps have been widespread throughout recent history, used to intern civilians that a state considers hostile, to control the movement of people in transit and to extract forced labour. The author Andrea Pitzer, in One Long Night, her recent history of concentration camps, estimates that at least one such camp has existed somewhere on Earth throughout the past 100 years.

The Merkel Years / How the refugee crisis created two myths of Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel by Matt Kenyon

THE MERKEL YEARS

How the refugee crisis created two myths of Angela Merkel

Daniel Trilling
Tuesday 21 September 2021

W

hen Angela Merkel steps down as chancellor once Germany’s elections later this month produce a new government, the tributes will centre on her role as the figurehead of western liberalism; an island of stability, caution and openness in an era marked by turbulence and far-right reaction. She will be remembered “for serious work, stable leadership and having a gift for political compromise”, wrote Ishaan Tharoor in the Washington Post last week. When she faced off against Donald Trump after his inauguration in 2017, some newspapers dubbed her the new “leader of the free world”.

Ten panoramas of cities in Germany

Ten panoramas of cities in Germany

By Keith Jenkins

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This is a guest post by Jörg Dietrich, an architecture and streetscape photographer whom I met in Leipzig last year. Being an avid fan of architecture myself, I was impressed with his portfolio of streetscapes of cities around the world and I asked if he would like to showcase some of his photography on Velvet Escape. I was thrilled when he agreed! In this post, Jörg presents his ten panoramas of cities in Germany.

1. Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin

 

Berlin

The buildings at the former inner Berlin Checkpoint Charlie house a museum dedicated to the history of the divided city (Mauermuseum). The building on the right was created during the international building exhibition in Berlin (IBA) in 1984 and designed by the American architect Peter Eisenmann (*1932). The facade bears a GDR emblem as well as a copy of the last Kremlin-flag.

2. Kaiserstrasse, Frankfurt

 

Frankfurt

Kaiserstrasse is one of the last remaining architecture ensembles from the Gründerzeit area in Frankfurt. However, even here we see the modern Frankfurt skyline in the background with the Gallileo tower on the right and the silver tower on the left.

3. Buntgarnwerke, Leipzig

 

Leipzig

Leipzig is the largest city in the German state of Saxony and has been an important trade fair, book publishing and industrial city. Following the fall of the Berlin wall, which started with demonstrations in Leipzig, it slowly regains its economic importance. Here we see a former industrial complex, turned into a modern living complex – once the largest architectural complex in Wilhelminian style in Europe.

4. Goliathstrasse, Ratisbon or Regensburg

 

Regensburg

The Goliathstrasse with the Goliathhaus in the middle are a part of the UNESCO world heritage old town of Ratisbon (Regensburg in German). Ratisbon had been an important Roman castle on the Danube river and is one of the oldest cities in Germany.

5. Kaufingerstrasse, Munich

 

Munich

The Kaufingerstrasse is the major shopping street in Munich, the Bavarian capital. In the back we see the Frauenkirche (exactly “Dom zu unserer Lieben Frau”), which is the seat of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising. The iconic building with a height of 98.50 metres is one of the tallest buildings in Munich.

6. Medienhafen, Düsseldorf

 

Düsseldorf

The Media harbour (German Medienhafen) in Düsseldorf was developed as a modern business district with some spectacular architecture since the 1990s. Düsseldorf is the capital of the German state Northrhine-Westphalia and has a population of about 600.000.

7. Brückenstrasse, Chemnitz

 

Chemnitz

This complex at the Brückenstrasse is an iconic remnant of the GDR in Chemnitz, the third largest city in Saxony. Iconic because of the world’s second largest portraiture bust, depicting Karl Marx. The city was called Karl-Marx-Stadt for almost 40 years.

8. Frankenwerft, Cologne

 

Cologne

A section of the Rhine shore in the old town of Cologne. Here the streets have been moved underground and the Rhine Garden was established. This image also shows the start of the Carnival season in Cologne with numerous people celebrating.

9. Markt, Werdau

 

Werdau

An example of a small German town, this panorama shows the market square in Werdau. The dominating building is the town hall, inaugurated in attendance of the Saxon king in April 1911.

10. Holländischer Brook, Hamburg

 

Hamburg

Hamburg is Germany’s second largest city with a population of about 1.8 million people and its most important harbour, lying on the Elbe river. This panorama shows a part of the historic Speicherstadt area of the harbour, an extensive area of large storehouses.

 

Jörg Dietrich

About the photographer

Jörg Dietrich studied natural sciences in Bayreuth, London and Leipzig before turning towards cityscape and architecture photography.

By trying to create linear streetscapes he developed the project PanoramaStreetline, an archive producing and collecting linear city panoramas from all over the world.

VELVET ESCAPE

Street art in Germany

By Keith Jenkins

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A mural in Leipzig.

I’m a big fan of street art. Not the ugly, meaningless signature-like graffiti that can be found in many cities around the world, but rather, the striking or thought-provoking pieces which stop people in their tracks. I always make it a point to check out the local street art wherever I travel, and this has led me to incredible pieces in places such as Valparaiso (Chile), George Town (Malaysia), Reunion Island and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). One country, though, that continues to impress me with its amazing street art is Germany. Street art in Germany often incorporates sociopolitical messages in colourful works of art which can be found in many cities. An attraction in themselves, they’re always a joy to look at.

Best cities for street art in Germany

As an introduction to street art in Germany, check out this cool video produced by my friends at Story Travelers featuring street art in nine German cities.

Otto Dix / Five things to know

Otto Dix

Five things to know: Otto Dix

We look at five top things to know about one of the great realist painters of the twentieth century

1. HE WAS A PORTRAITIST

Otto Dix Portrait of the Photographer Hugo Erfurth with Dog 1926 © DACS 2017. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

German artist Otto Dix was a committed painter of portraits. At a time when photography had diminished portraiture’s importance and the genre was seen as a deeply unfashionable pursuit for so-called serious artists, he was making a living – and cementing his reputation – out of exactly that. He commented:

Painting portraits is regarded by modernist artists as a lower artistic occupation; and yet it is one of the most exciting and difficult tasks for a painter.

2. HE FOUGHT IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Otto Dix Assault Troops Advance under Gas (Sturmtruppe geht unter Gas vor) 1924 © DACS 2017. Image: Otto Dix Stiftung

Dix served in the First World War from 1915, fighting on the Western front in the Battle of the Somme. Although an enthusiastic soldier – his service earned him the Iron Cross (Second Class) – Dix’s experiences affected him deeply. He marked the war’s 10th anniversary with a group of etchings entitled Der Krieg (The War), leaving few of the horrors of the front line to the imagination. Commenting later, he said:

For years, [I] constantly had these dreams in which I was forced to crawl through destroyed buildings, through corridors through which I couldn’t pass. The rubble was always there in my dreams.

3. DIX TOOK INSPIRATION FROM THE OLD MASTERS

Otto Dix Self-Portrait with Easel 1926 © DACS 2017. Leopold-Hoesch-Museum & Papiermuseum Düren. Photo: Peter Hinschläger

From the early 1920s, he devoted himself to the study of old master painting techniques, using a layering effect, produced first with egg tempera and, later, finished with oils. This moved his contemporary George Grosz to jokingly call him ‘Otto Hans Baldung Dix’ (after the German old master Hans Baldung Grien). Later, Grosz would write:

Dix did all the drawing in a thin tempera, then went over it with thin mastic glazes in various cold and warm tones. He was the only Old Master I ever watched using this technique.

4. HE PAINTED WHAT HE CALLED ‘LIFE UNDILUTED’

Otto Dix Reclining Woman on a Leopard Skin 1927 © DACS 2017. Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. Gift of Samuel A. Berger; 55.031.

Dix was a key supporter of the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) movement, a name coined after an exhibition held in Mannheim, Germany in 1925. Described by art historian G.F. Hartlaub, as ‘new realism bearing a socialist flavour’, the movement sought to depict the social and political realities of the Weimar Republic. Speaking in 1965, Dix said:

We want to see things completely naked, clear, almost without art. I invented the New Objectivity.

5. DIX AND THE NAZIS

Otto Dix Portrait of the Jeweller Karl Krall 1923 Kunst- und Museumsverein im Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal / Photo: Antje Zeis-Loi, Medienzentrum Wuppertal. © DACS 2017.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Dix was dismissed from his professorship teaching art at the Dresden Academy, where he had worked since 1927. The reason given was that, through his painting, he had committed a ‘violation of the moral sensibilities and subversion of the militant spirit of the German people’.

In the years following, some 260 of his works were confiscated by the Nazi Propaganda Ministry. Several of these works, including The Jeweller Karl Krall 1923 (which features in the Tate Liverpool exhibition Portraying a Nation), appeared in the Entartete Kunst (degenerate art) exhibition of 1937–8. The exhibition was staged by the Nazis to destroy the careers of those artists they considered mentally ill, inappropriate or unpatriotic.

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