Many of Berlin’s bars turn the night into day. The city’s watering holes are at pains to uphold their reputation for partying and hark back to the times when Berlin was one big adventure playground. The city has always prided itself on a certain capricious spontaneity.
Yet, the times have changed, are no longer in flux. Many scenarios now appear banal and formulaic. At one time, bar owners may have been nothing more than squatters who had installed a few chairs in an old bunker or freight station. Pretentious, over-orchestrated pomp and splendour was, if anything, reserved for hotel bars. Now, the scene has grown up and a new, mature generation is here to stay.
Abetted by an abundance of high-profile designers, all eager to fashion the Berlin of the 2010s, they install chandeliers and upholstery. The improvised, the rough-and-ready, is at best an added extra. A nightly jaunt through Berlin will introduce us to some of the promising newcomers to the city’s bar scene. (Tanja Pabelick)
Yet, the times have changed, are no longer in flux. Many scenarios now appear banal and formulaic. At one time, bar owners may have been nothing more than squatters who had installed a few chairs in an old bunker or freight station. Pretentious, over-orchestrated pomp and splendour was, if anything, reserved for hotel bars. Now, the scene has grown up and a new, mature generation is here to stay.
Abetted by an abundance of high-profile designers, all eager to fashion the Berlin of the 2010s, they install chandeliers and upholstery. The improvised, the rough-and-ready, is at best an added extra. A nightly jaunt through Berlin will introduce us to some of the promising newcomers to the city’s bar scene. (Tanja Pabelick)