Today we went over to the Hackischer Markt in east berlin, right next to Alexanderplatz where the Television Tower (Fernsehturm) is. Right behind the market is a collection of courtyards all hidden in a group of apartments/stores. These are called the Hackesche Höfe (Hackish Courtyards).
On the way there, we walked through the Winterfeldtplatz, which is famous for having an open market every wednesday and saturday (the saturday one being a lot bigger). They have venders selling everything from fish, flowers, hats, to jewelry and bread. This platz is located exactly halfway between my apartment and the Nollendorfplatz U-bahn station, so I pass it every day. Today was the first day I had my camera while the market was going on.
So after taking the U-bahn, we made a slight detour and went by the infamous chocolate shop Fassbender & Rausch, as Brigita hadn't yet been in. After that, we took the U-6 up to Friedrichstrasse, and then walked the last half mile to the Hackischer Markt.
There are close to 10 Höfe located near the Markt, and each Hof looks completely different from the next. All of these were heavily damaged during WWII, and being in east berlin, weren't renovated and rebuilt until the 90s. Almost all of them were remodeled to look nice and new, however a couple near the back side were left as they were (see pics below), with crumbling walls, graffiti, and lots of poster advertisements (which actually blend in well with the graffiti).
Below are a few pics from the Höfe:
Inside the first Hof
One of my favorite pics from the day - in the third Hof
Inside a stairwell leading up to a very cool poster and book shop
One of the Hofs as they originally looked
A 15-foot tall statue that would actually open and close its mouth and eyes, and flap its wings (over about 15 minutes) for 50 cents, also in one of the Hofs that wasn't remodeled
We walked around the Höfe for a couple hours (including getting coffee at a cafe), and then headed back to the apartment later in the afternoon. After we got back I went for my usual run, practiced for a couple hours, and then spent the rest of the evening upstairs at the Thiermeiers'.
