How to Find Traces of the Roaring 1920s in Berlin

Where to find 1920s culture in Berlin today.

The glorious 20s is a decade often associated with glamour, decadence and excess. Even though 100 years have passed since the flappers ruled Europe, hints of this culture can still be found if you look hard enough. Berlin was considered the epicentre of the high life in the 1920s. Visitors came from across the globe to experience the parties and the lifestyle in one of the most liberal cities on the continent. The 20s are known in Germany as the Gluckliche Zwanziger Jahre – The Happy 20s! Traces of 1920s culture in Berlin can be seen all over the city today.

Weimar culture saw intellectuals, artists, and innovators congregate in Berlin. Germany became a centre of intellectual thought, science and art during the 1920s. Most notably perhaps are theories such as Marxism, the works of Einstein and the Bauhaus art movement respectively.

The Ballhaus – The Heart of 1920s Social Life in Berlin

Dancing was super popular everywhere in the 1920s and Berlin was no exception. Flappers swarmed to the ball rooms to show off their moves and party into the night. The ball rooms that were buzzing during the 1920s are mostly gone now. However, Berlin has managed to revive a few.

Perhaps the most well known is Clärchens Ballhaus. In 1913 the famous Ballroom opened its doors for the very first time – known as Bühlers Ballhaus at this point. Part of the building was destroyed during the war but the dancing continues to this day. The building isn’t much to look at from the outside but once you enter it becomes completely timeless.

Clärchens Ballhaus also serves traditional German food and great cocktails. There are regular cabaret shows and a really interesting mix of people.

Auguststraße 24/25, 10117 Berlin

Babylon Kino Shows 1920s Movies in Berlin

This stunning Art Deco building is a striking example of Weimar culture in Berlin. Situated on Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße this cinema shows silent movies played to a live orchestra.

Fritz Lang’s Metropolis – released in 1927 – is perhaps the most famous of all the movies to come out of Germany in the 1920s. The full-length film (including some newly discovered cuttings) can be enjoyed alongside an orchestra several times per week.

Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, 10178 Berlin

Babelsburg Film Studio

Babelsberg Film Studio is the birthplace of many of Germany’s cinematic masterpieces and is oldest large-scale film studio in the world. Movies have been made here from 1912 and productions are still filmed at Babelsberg today. Several big budget silent movies were shot here in the 1920s, including Metropolis and, the epic, Die Nibelungen. More recently, Babylon Berlin and Dark have come out of Babelsberg.

August-Bebel-Str. 26-53, 14482 Potsdam, Germany

Absinth Depot

When you think of Berlin during the decadent, roaring 20s, what drink first comes to mind? Beer, schnapps, vodka or perhaps something a little different? Absinth – aka the Green Fairy – was a popular drink in Berlin in the early 1920s. That is, before it was banned in 1923. 

After the ban, the drink’s reputation for being dangerous and addictive exploded. This potentially contributed to the mysterious notoriety the drink still has today.

As a reminder of this time of careless adventure, drop into Absinth Depot on Weinmeisterstraße, just near Babylon Kino. This small and quirky shop/bar sells hundreds of variations of the mysterious drink and has maintained its vintage charm.

*Be warned, it’s very strong stuff!*

Weinmeisterstraße 4, 10178 Berlin

Flughafen Tempelhof

Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport was constructed in 1923. There are traces of 1920s design and culture all over the arrivals and departure halls making it a beautiful example of Weimar style in Berlin. The airport ceased operations in 2008 and the airfield is now used as a recreation ground in the centre of Berlin. You can walk along the old runways and also book guided tours of the airport buildings.

This airport is full of fascinating history. It has it’s name “Tempelhof” as it was built on the medieval grounds of the Knights Templar. More recently, it was of military significance during and after WW2. However, during the 1920s, Berlin Tempelhof was used by the rich and famous when visiting Berlin and was considered to be Berlin’s gateway to the world.

Platz d. Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin, Germany

Hotel Pension Funk

Hotel Pension Funk is a guesthouse located just off the bustling Kurfürstendamm  in West Berlin. The special thing about this accommodation is that it once belonged to silent film star Asta Nielson. She starred in over 30 movies in the 1920s alone. Including a film called Kurfürstendamm where the Devil visits Berlin and decides he is safer in hell…

The building the houses Hotel Pension Funk still oozes 1920s glamour as many original features have been well maintained. The walls are decorated with souvenirs from the silent movie era as well as posters of Asta herself. However, the rest of the décor stays faithful to the era when the building was in it’s prime.

There are no mod cons in this townhouse. Just loads of old school charm and an elegant 1920s vibe. This is the perfect place to stay to find a taste of 1920s culture in Berlin today.

KaDeWe

One of the world’s most famous department stores sits proudly at the top of the Kurfürstendamm  – Berlin’s prime shopping street. Kaufhaus Des Westens opened in 1907 and is the second largest department store in Europe – behind Harrods of London.  

During the decedent 1920’s KaDeWe would have been the place to go for fashion and a popular meeting spot in Berlin.

The café on the top floor is expensive but worth a visit and have a browse around the luxury wares.

The nearest underground station is Wittenbergplatz  which is really worth a visit in itself. As one of the oldest U-Bahn stations in Berlin it has a stunning art nouveau entrance hall.

Check out these street scenes outside KaDeWe in the 1920s.

Tauentzienstraße 21-24, 10789, Berlin

1920s Buildings in Berlin

After another devastating war, there was not much left of Berlin in 1945. Many buildings have been lost forever, but many more have been reconstructed and revived. Some of the glorious 1920s structures can still be seen in all their glory in Berlin today.

Mossehaus was originally built in 1903 but rebuilt in 1923 giving it a distinctive Art Deco look. However, it was damaged during the war and the rebuilt was of a simpler design. The building was used as a print works until the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

18–25 Schützenstrasse, Berlin

House of the Steelworkers Union (Haus Des Deutschen Metallarbeiterverbandes) Designed in the 1920s to resemble a ship. There is an impressive spiral staircase inside the foyer. During the war, the building was almost completely destroyed but thankfully reconstructed in 1952.

Alten Jakobstraße 149, Berlin

The Renaissance Theatre, Charlottenburg is the only fully preserved art deco theatre in Europe. It was used as a cinema and then a theatre before the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s. During that period, it was used by the Third Reich’s Literature Chamber.  Today, the theatre houses modern art exhibitions and the interior is lavishly decorated.

Knesebeckstraße 100, 10623 Berlin

The end of the Weimar culture

The roaring 20s came to a thundering end with the Wall Street crash of 1929. If that wasn’t enough, the ultra conservative Nazi Party came into power in 1933 ending a decade of liberal decadence and expression.

Where to Next?

Why not try Albania’s capital city, TIRANA. After all it is the “New Berlin”

Have you visited any of these amazing 1920s locations in Berlin? Are you planning a trip and need more information? Maybe try reading “Goodbye to Berlin” by Christopher Isherwood to start you off! Drop a comment in the box, we’d love to hear from you!