Enjoy the January weekend in Berlin: take wonderful winter walks, and if you don't want to freeze outside too much, Berlin offers a wide range of activities: there is just as much going on on the city's big stages as there is at the Truffle Festival. You are also cordially invited to explore the Deutsche Kinemathek free of charge, which is reopening at its new location this weekend. You can also attend events commemorating an important day of remembrance, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Tip 1: Celebrate the reopening of the Deutsche Kinemathek
The Deutsche Kinemathek, better known as the former Museum of Film and Television on Potsdamer Platz, is reopening its doors this weekend and inviting you to a free opening programme. Until a new location for the film house is found, the Kinemathek is presenting its exciting new exhibition Screentime at the E-Werk Berlin as a temporary venue: experience an interactive multimedia show that presents highlights from 130 years of film and television history.
When: Fri - Sun, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where: Deutsche Kinemathek at the E-Werk, Mauerstraße 79, Mitte
Tip 2: Experience culture against forgetting
Every year on 27 January, people around the world commemorate the millions who perished in the Holocaust during the dark days of National Socialism.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated in Berlin with the initiative Culture Against Forgetting: numerous institutions offer a special programme that deals with history and the present, and in particular with the question of how memory can be translated into reflection, resistance and cultural practice today. Visit the concert in the Sophienkirche on Saturday and see SHOA by Claude Lanzmann at the Babylon Mitte cinema on Sunday.
When: Concert & reading at Sophienkirche: Sat, from 7:30 p.m., SHOA: Sun, from 2 p.m.
Where: Sat: Sophienkirche, Große Hamburger Straße 29, Mitte; Sun: Babylon-Mitte, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, Mitte
And here you can find the entire programme:
Tip 3: Immerse yourself in a panorama of fantastic art
"Possibilities of an Island" is the name of a magnificent exhibition on surrealism and fantastic art, which focuses on the passion for collecting of the Scharf couple and their daughter Julietta. In the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection they founded opposite Charlottenburg Palace, you will find both masterpieces of surrealism and fantastic art by other great masters such as Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Egon Schiele, Max Beckmann and Hannah Höch. See around 150 works in the special exhibition on two floors: paintings and watercolours, drawings, prints and sculptures.
When: Fri - Sun, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where: Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, Schloßstraße 70, Charlottenburg
Tip 4: Indulge in truffle delights
Are you truffle fans? Then head to Berlin's very first truffle festival: the Truffle & Truffle Festival! Why the double name? Because at this cheerful gourmet event, you can enjoy not only a wide variety of genuine luxury truffles, but also sweet chocolate truffles. You can expect the most amazing surprises – from truffle gelato and Italian truffle pizza to gourmet burgers, with vegetarian and vegan options also available . And as a welcome gift, everyone will receive a little truffle surprise.
When: Sat+Sun, 12 noon-9 p.m.
Where: Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, Treptow
Tip 5: Erkundet die Geschichte des Mobiltelefons
Könnt ihr euch vorstellen, dass die Geschichte des Handys schon vor 100 Jahren begann? Im Januar 1926 telefonierten Menschen zum ersten Mal in einem fahrenden Zug auf der Strecke Hamburg–Berlin. Die Leitung war kompliziert verlegt und die Funkverbindung reichte nur ein paar Meter - dennoch ein Meilenstein der Technik! In der Pop-Up-Ausstellung "100 Jahre unterwegs telefonieren" im Museum für Kommunikation könnt ihr jetzt eine Vielzahl besonderer historischer Mobiltelefone bewundern und eine neue digitale Präsentation klärt euch in sieben Kapiteln über die Geschichte des Handys auf - von den Telefonen in Zügen und Autos bis hin zum heutigen Smartphone.
Wann: Pop-Up-Ausstellung: Fr 9-17 Uhr, So 10-18 Uhr, digitale Präsentation auf der Webseite des Museums
Wo: Museum für Kommunikation, Leipziger Straße 16, Mitte
100 Jahre unterwegs telefonieren
Tip 6: Entdeckt das Regierungsviertel neu
Gewinnt an diesem neuen Wochenende neue Einblicke im Herzen der Stadt: Lasst euch von einem erfahrenen Tour-Guide das Regierungsviertel mit dem Reichstagsgebäude ganz neu erklären. Auf der 2,5 stündigen Führung erfahrt ihr Spannendes sowohl zur Geschichte und zur Architektur als auch Details aus dem politischen Alltag. Ihr bekommt Zugang zum Plenarsaal des Parlaments und könnt von Kuppel und Dachterrasse des Reichtags aus die besten Panoramabilder machen.
Wann: Fr-So, mehrmals täglich
Wo: Treffpunkt Ecke Paul-Löbe-Allee/ Konrad-Adenauer-Straße, Mitte, neben dem U-Bahnhofausgang Bundestag (Linie U5) Ausgang D vor dem Fahrstuhl
Tip 7: Besucht eine aufregende Finissage in der Akademie der Künste
Das Projekt ist ungewöhnlich und spannend: Für "Every Artist Must Take Sides – Resonanzen" von Eslanda und Paul Robeson kooperierte die Akademie der Künste Berlin mit dem Centre for Humanities Research Kapstadt und dem Haus für Poesie Berlin. Gezeigt werden zwölf künstlerische Positionen: Klang- und Rauminstallationen, Videoarbeiten, Skulpturen, Collagen und Fotografien. Sie stellen Fragen an Solidarität, kollektive Freiheit und die Übernahme von Verantwortung. Das Paar Eslanda und Paul Robeson verband im 20. Jahrhundert den lebenslangen antirassistischen Kampf in den USA mit den antikolonialen Bewegungen in Afrika, Asien und der Karibik und den antifaschistischen Freiheitskämpfen in Europa. Die Finissage führt euch die auch heute aktuelle Problematik mit Listening-Sessions und Führungen noch einmal vor Augen.
Wann: So 12-18 Uhr
Wo: Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, Tiergarten
Tip 8: Be captivated by Irish traditions
No one could give you a more entertaining insight into Irish culture, the sea, fishing and dancing this weekend than the Danceperados of Ireland: their new show "Hooked" combines the fascination of fishing and Irish step dancing with music and singing. They passionately paint pictures of the special life by and with the sea, combining history and tradition with a multi-vision of historical and current images and videos. Experience "Hook" as an ode to the island's seas and rivers and to its wild nature, and let yourself be carried away by dance and music.
When: Sun 7:30 p.m.
Where: Admiralspalast, Friedrichstraße 101, Mitte
Tip 9: Experience a sensual night with flamenco and tango
You can round off Friday with a sensual night : pure passion will fill the Philharmonic's chamber music hall when fourteen artists from Spain, Argentina and Germany will sweep you off your feet with flamenco and Argentine tango – a dance art form in which elegance flows together with drama and sophisticated rhythms with expressive power. Immerse yourself in the captivating presentations of these ancient yet highly contemporary dance styles, which invite you on a journey through Spanish and South American culture.
When: Friday, 8 p.m.
Where: Chamber Music Hall Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Mitte
Tip 10: Discover the true story of Romeo & Juliet... from the nurse.
Be there when Juliet's nurse really lets loose: the great love tragedy Romeo & Juliet can really make you laugh when Steffi Irmen takes to the stage at the Theater des Westens as the nurse and tells us what Shakespeare left out. The change of perspective is a great idea, it's funny, emotional and, of course, musical. In addition to wonderful pop songs such as Rabenschwarze Nacht (Pitch Black Night), the nurse also makes you think: what happens to you when you have dedicated your life to someone else – but eventually, even a nurse is no longer needed? Enjoy a lively musical full of entertainment.
When: Fri 7:30 p.m.
Where: Stage Theater des Westens, Kantstraße 12, Charlottenburg
Tip 11: See a special performance at the Humboldt Forum
In the sculpture hall of the Humboldt Forum , you can watch an artistic presentation this weekend as part of the "Hide or Tell" series, which interestingly takes a critical look at monuments and our relationship to them: The performance "to build to bury to remember" by artist Sarah Ama Duah explores the relationship between body and sculpture, between the appreciation of a monument and the culture of remembrance, by having the performers develop hybrid forms out of latex , becoming mysterious sculptures themselves that enter into dialogue with the historical sculptures of the Berlin Palace. A long-overdue invitation to reflect on our concept of monuments and our culture of remembrance.
When: Sat+Sun, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 4-6 p.m.
Where: Sculpture Hall, Humboldt Forum Schlüterhof, Schloßplatz, Mitte
