Free guided city walk (in German)
The plan to erect a bronze elephant in honour of Baron vom Stein inspired Christian Morgenstern to write his poem "Vom Stein-Platz zu Charlottenburg". In the first third of the 20th century, the area belonged to the "industrial area of the intelligentsia" around Kurfürstendamm and was a popular place for intellectuals to live.
Image gallery
Entwurf eines Bronzeelefanten zu Ehren des Freiherrn vom Stein
For example, Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel fled into exile from the "knee", today's Ernst-Reuter-Platz, in 1933. The Renaissance Theatre, temporarily directed by Ferdinand Bruckner, caused a sensation with its modern drama, but the Reichsschrifttumskammer also had its headquarters in the same building during the Nazi era.
After the war, Walter Höllerer, as a professor of literature at the Technical University, once again made Steinplatz a meeting place for contemporary authors from Germany and abroad. The booksellers' cellar, legendary pubs such as the "Dicke Wirtin" and the "Zwiebelfisch", bookshops, second-hand bookshops and the Schiller Theatre keep the tradition alive – as does the Vagantenbühne, which cooperates with the "Scenic Writing" course at the University of Arts.
- Free attendance, donation requested
- Registration with contact details required (max.
25 persons per group)
Additional information
Politics, science, fine arts, literature, music and theatre have shaped the Steinplatz and its surroundings for around 150 years. It is the centre of a lively cultural, educational and commemorative landscape, which has been presented and made legible on city walks since 2020. In 2024, there will be once more guided tours on musical life, literature and science as well as architecture and women's lives around Steinplatz.
Participating artists
Michael Bienert
Marianne Mielke
