Unusual wedding locations in Berlin

Back in the day the centers of cultural life were mainly considered London or Paris, now it is Berlin, the modern culture of which is deeply rooted in the past. Its foundations were laid in the 1920s during the Weimar Republic. Even then, Berlin was distinguished by its innovative, somewhat daring and provocatively defiant style. Free from censorship, it has become a treasure trove of incredible cultural heritage that has no analogues in the world. Artists flocked to Berlin looking for an opportunity to develop their wildest ideas. So the unbridled spirit of creativity flowed into modernity, taking on new forms. Berlin is now the capital of creativity and a city full of cultural life. It is home to many creative people from all over the world, occupying their own special niche in the arts and creative industries.

Berlin is characterized by a blend of heritage and cutting edge experimental culture. Therefore, if you are planning to have an urban-style wedding, the capital of Germany offers many unique locations for this. Last fall, October 25, the former city pool of Oderberger, which turned into a hotel, hosted a large-scale wedding exhibition organized by Sarah Linow's agency. Stylist and designer Tatiana Ashakova was honored to be the official make-up artist of the event and provided the headwear of her brand BeretkAh...! for a fashion show. The exhibition brought together the best contractors in Berlin who presented their services. Considering that organizing a wedding ceremony in another part of the world is now quite difficult, they offered the future newlyweds unusual solutions for weddings in Berlin.

Photography: Mandy Straub

One of them is the Oderberger boutique hotel itself, located in the elegant Prenzlauer Berg district on the site of a former city swimming pool. Built in 1902, the pool was forced to close about 30 years ago. And after a large-scale reconstruction, which was completed in 2016, it found a new life, becoming part of the hotel. Competent zoning of the hotel space allows a variety of events to be held here. Another interesting place is Clärchens Ballhaus. This is an old country house on the Auguststrasse with a restaurant open during the day and dance events in the evenings. The old ballroom on the top floor is especially beautiful. Its exquisite 1920s style interiors have been completely preserved in their original form. In front of the house there is a cozy garden, where it is especially pleasant to spend time in summer. The Clärchens Ballhaus is very popular for private events and accepts reservations for several years in advance.

Photography: Clärchens Ballhaus

If we talk about kitsch Berlin, weddings in abandoned factories have become popular in recent years. And the most unusual location, perhaps, is Teufelsberg - a hill in the western part of Berlin, the name of which translates into English as "Devil's Mountain" or "Devil's Hill". The secrets of the 20th century history are hidden in its depths. It was once a completely flat area of the Grunwald Forest, but with the Nazis coming to power in 1933, a huge military-technical university was founded here. And since February 1945, American bombers have turned Berlin's city quarters into ruins from here. When dismantling the destroyed buildings, fragments of walls and other debris were brought here, with the help of which an artificial embankment with a height of about 122 meters was created over the building. It is now the highest point in Berlin.

In the mid-50s, ski slopes worked here for some time, there was a ski school and a lift worked. And after the end of the Cold War and the unification of Germany, the base on Mount Teufelsberg became empty and began to gradually collapse. At various times, it was planned to build residential areas and an entertainment complex with hotels and restaurants on this site. But these plans were not destined to come true thanks to the protests of environmentalists. After the liquidation of the American radar station, the city authorities turned Mount Teufelsberg into a landscape park, and the ruins of the American station gradually became an independent object of urban tourism, although the territory of the base is officially closed. On the outer walls and inside abandoned buildings, you can see a variety of colorful art objects, installations and graffiti. Teufelsberg can be called one of the largest street art galleries in Berlin.