Shopping in Steglitz

Shopping in Steglitz is a tradition. 100 years ago, there was a large weekly market at the beginning of Schloßstrasse. Today this lifeline of the district is a shopping paradise for Berliners and visitors. It is the second largest shopping street in the German capital after Kurfürstendamm.

The oldest shopping centre in Germany

In 1970, Forum Steglitz opened on the grounds of the old weekly market. At that time, the shopping centre over 32,000 square metres was the first shop-in-shop shopping centre in Germany. Schloßstraße gradually grew to become a shopping area. The last major new addition was the Schloss, a historic shopping centre over 4,000 square meters where three radio stations have their studios.

A manor house turned into a palace

Why does the popular shopping area have such a noble name ("Schloss" means palace)? Because of the common parlance of Berlin. In 1804, Carl Friedrich von Beyme, who later became the Justice Minister of Friedrich Wilhelm III, lived in the manor house here. Soon it was known as Beyme-Schlösschen (Beyme Palace). Nowadays it is known as Wrangel Schlösschen as the Field Marshal of the same name often spent his holiday here. However, it is officially called Gutshaus Steglitz and is one of the last remaining examples of Prussian Early Classical architecture. It is situated at the end of Schloßstraße that at the time was in the middle of the village of Steglitz.

Stars with Didi at the theatre

Right next door is the Schlosspark Theatre. In 2009, the actor and cabaret artist Dieter "Didi" Hallervorden reopened the historic house. He offers upscale entertainment with stars on the stage of this theatre that remained vacant for several years. Different faces from German TV such as Uwe Ochsenknecht, Robert Atzorn and Claude-Oliver Rudolph support the private theatre with performances at a fraction of their television fees. Why? Because it's fun! And the audience appreciate this too.

A Bierpinsel (beer brush) for architecture fans

The Brandenburg parish of Steglitz was mentioned for the first time in 1242. In 1839, Steglitz got its own station on the railway line between Berlin and Potsdam and in 1920, it was incorporated into Berlin. The 46 metre high Turmrestaurant (Tower Restaurant) is a controversial landmark here that opened in 1976. Fans of Pop Art architecture adore the unusual construction and the people of Berlin soon named it the Bierpinsel (beer brush). Internationally renowned street artists painted it this year, turning it into a giant work of art.

And finally - a traditional Currywurst (curried sausage)

If your appetite for art has been sated but you are still hungry, you can drive in a matter of minutes to Krasselt's snack bar. Here you can get a Currywurst that is still cut in two halves true to the original style and served on wooden skewers. There is also a sauce which the chef creates himself. Presumably, this recipe is the only thing that you can not buy in the shopping paradise of Steglitz.