For the longest time the Potsdamer Straße in Tiergarten has been a forgotten place only famous for one theater and a couple of national museums. But in recent years the street has developed into a melting pot for contemporary art with countless new galleries, and now also for avant-garde fashion. In our new walking tour we will discover all the new exciting places and a few classics.
P103 Mischkonzern
The obscure name might be initially confusing, but this place is actually a big nice cafe and pretty much the only one on the entire Potsdamer Straße. It developed out of a taxi service around the corner when the owners started hosting cultural events and exhibitions in their old space. Once the opportunity arose to get this huge amazing location they decided to turn their business into a cafe. Thanks to its big size there is now so much more space for the exhibitions, film screenings and other types of events. But you can also just enjoy a nice coffee and a piece of cake here. They serve breakfast every day until 3pm and prepare warm meals for lunch and dinner.
Helga Maria Klosterfelde Editionen
Helga Maria Klosterfelde Editionen is a family business run by Helga Maria Klosterfelde and her son Alfons. The main gallery run by the mother is in Hamburg and the Berlin version is run by the son. The family specializes in selling artist editions which they carefully exhibit in their charming gallery space at Potsdamer Straße that looks a bit like an old pharmacy. Here you won't find any original pieces of art, but prints and reproductions of artworks created in close collaboration with the artists in limited editions.
Blain|Southern
Blain|Southern is one of the biggest and most established privately owned galleries in the Potsdamer Straße area. The founders Harry Blain and Graham Southern started in 2010 with two spaces, one in London and one in Berlin, showcasing the work of the most acclaimed artists of our time. The Berlin gallery is located in the former printing press of the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel which gives them over 1300sqm of space for their exhibitions making it the perfect space for huge sculptures and oversized paintings. There is also a book shop where you can buy artist editions.
Fiona Bennett
She is the master of the hats - you may even call her the mad hatter of Berlin. Well, Fiona Bennett is actually not really mad, but a nice elegant lady who makes remarkable hats. She became famous many years ago for her extravagant head pieces that were worn by the most flamboyant characters and celebrities of the city. After running a fancy little shop for a long time at Hackescher Markt she made the move into the new avant-garde hotspot at Potsdamer Straße with an amazing studio and boutique that will give you some wonders. For those of you who are worried that crazy head pieces might not be your cup of tea, don't worry, Fiona also has a line of quite wearable and elegant hats.
Andreas Murkudis
Andreas Murkudis pretty much rules the city when it comes to the retail of high-end avant-garde fashion in Berlin. He runs a couple of stores in town, but this one is the main store and also the biggest one. Located in a spacious warehouse in the backyard of Potsdamer Straße 81E the store is embedded into a string of contemporary art galleries that have all opened here in recent years bringing in a quite sophisticated clientele. Among the brands he sells you will find renowned names such as Jill Sander, Maison Martin Margiella, Kostas Murkidis (his brother), Yohji Yamamoto, Closed and many more.
Circle Culture Gallery
Circle Culture is one of the leading galleries for contemporary specializes in artists who draw their influences from street art, avant-garde design, pop-art, graffiti and other genres that go beyond traditional forms of art. For over 10 years the gallery has maintained the urban attitude of the street in a small location at Gipsstraße in Mitte, bringing their exceptional exhibitions also into a second location in Hamburg, several international art fairs worldwide and to recurring pop-up exhibitions in unusual spaces. In 2013 they moved into a bigger space at Potsdamer Straße right into the new hotspot for contemporary art in Schöneberg.
Victoria Bar
The Victoria Bar is one of the most respected cocktail bars in town and located right in the middle of the newly developed gallery quarter for contemporary art at Potsdamer Straße. The interior is very traditional, grown-up and elegant which is quite unusual for Berlin and makes this place very unique in the bar world of the city. The guys who run it sure know how to make the real cocktails, so every lover of the perfect drink will not be disappointed here. Experts are working!