Transforming a former industrial district, now the uncertain heart of alternative Berlin, into a mixed-use district on the banks of the River Spree, where the stars of the international media industry and other companies attracted by this 'trendy' environment would set up shop: that was the whole point of the project launched at the turn of the millennium, where 25 years ago the world's most famous wall still ran...
The project quickly found takers - Universal, Allianz, the O2 World arena - and Mediaspree now covers 180 hectares, spread over 4 kilometres along the river. But, in Berlin as elsewhere, change is not a simple idea. The district's metamorphosis has found its detractors in the collective Versenken Mediaspree ("sink Mediaspree").
At issue: the risk of rising rents, the privatisation of public space and subsidies paid to businesses.
In 2008, these opponents won a local referendum with 87?% in support of their proposal, which included a ban on all construction within 50m of the banks of the Spree and on buildings over 22m high. Admittedly, the turnout was very low; admittedly, this consultation in no way has the force of law... Nonetheless... This result has slightly dampened the real estate ardour of the Mediaspree developers. A district of the future, then, but a future yet to be defined.
How to get there
Easyjet offers three daily flights between Paris Orly and Berlin Schönefeld airports. From the provinces, the low-cost airline links Lyon to Berlin five times a week and Nice nine times.
Tel.: 0826 103 320
Internet : www.easyjet.fr
Air France offers five flights a weekday between Paris CDG and Tegel, as well as four weekly services to/from Toulouse.
Tel.: 0820 820 820
Internet: www.airfrance.fr
Lufthansa operates three daily services between Roissy and Tegel. From/to the provinces, the German carrier offers four weekly services to Lyon and five to Nice.
Tel.: 0892 231 690
Internet: www.lufthansa.com
Air berlin offers two daily services between Orly and Tegel.
Tel.: 0826 96 737 8
Internet : www.airberlin.com
Getting to the city from the airport
Located in the north-west of Berlin, Tegel is around twenty kilometres from Mediaspree. The city centre can be reached by taxi (€15-20) or bus (lines 109, 128, X9, TXL). Schönefeld, located to the south-east of Berlin, was once the airport of the GDR capital. It is now mainly used by low-cost airlines. Taxis to the centre of Berlin cost between €25 and €30. Other options include numerous bus routes and, above all, the Airport Express and the S-Bahn (line 9).
Hotels
East bank
Nhow
"Music and lifestyle" is the motto of this trend-setting hotel laboratory, built at the end of 2010 on the banks of the Spree by the Spanish chain NH. Designed by the architect Sergei Tchoban, the building, with its many offsets, inevitably catches the eye. The visual impression is just as strong inside, between the mauve, pink and light blue volumes created by designer Karim Rashid. Next door to Universal Aidant's headquarters, this 304-room hotel is a musical showcase, hosting a host of concerts and DJ sets. The hotel also boasts a 1,000 m2 terrace overlooking the Spree, a panorama enjoyed by 60?% of the rooms.
Stralauer Allee 3
Phone: +49 (0) 30 290 299 0
E-Mail: berlin@nhow-hotels.com
Internet: www.nhow-hotels.com
Michelberger Hotel
Creative, relaxed and fairly inexpensive: the Michelberger Hotel is the ideal reflection of the best that the Berlin of 2012 has to offer. Here, behind the reception desk, cuckoo clocks tell the time in Rio, Tokyo or New York. The hotel cultivates a taste for the wink of an eye, whether in its standard rooms or in the very bling-bling 'Golden One' or in the middle of the forest of books in the 'Clever One'.Warschauer Straße 39/40
Phone: +49 (0) 302977859 0
E-mail : reservations@michelbergerhotel.com
Internet : www.michelbergerhotel.com
Innside Berlin
Greenery and red brick contribute to the charm of this Melia Group hotel. A fully-equipped establishment, with 133 rooms decorated in a contemporary style.
Lange Straße 31
Phone: +49 (0) 30 29 30 3 - 0
E-mail : berlin@innside.de
Internet: www.innside.de
Ostel
"Take a trip back to East Berlin in the 60s and 70s: that's the invitation extended by this themed hotel, housed in a prefabricated building from that era, with all the funky wallpaper, black and white TVs and lost Trabans you need to illustrate the point... The hotel is conveniently located near the Ostbanhof.
Wriezener Karree 5
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 25 76 86 60
E-mail : contact@ostel.eu
Internet: www.ostel.eu
East-Side-Hotel
Here too, the aesthetic is very East German... But perhaps that's not intentional...
Mühlenstraße 6
Phone: +49 (0) 30 293 83 3
E-mail : info@eastsidehotel.de
Internet: www.eastsidehotel.de
Industriepalast
"Nice rooms at a good price": that's the simple promise of this well-located hotel, which is all about functionality.
Warschauer Straße 43
Phone: +49 (0) 30 74 07 82 9-0
E-mail : rezeption@ip-hostel.com
Internet : www.ip-hostel.com
West bank
The Dude
Opened in 2011, this beautifully decorated 27-room boutique hotel is home to one of the area's cosiest restaurants: the Brooklyn Beef Club, a successful replica of a New York steakhouse.
Köpenicker Straße 92
Phone: +49 (0) 30 411 988 177
E-mail : booking@thedudeberlin.com
Internet : www.thedudeberlin.com
Art'Otel Berlin Mitte
Bright spaces and a few artistic touches: the atmosphere is contemporary in an establishment that is also an exhibition space for the work of Georg Baselitz.
Wallstraße 70-73
Phone: +49 (0) 30 240 62 0
E-mail : abminfo@pphe.com
Internet : Artotels
Hotel Klassik
A restaurant, a bar, rooms, a bit of greenery and three stars: no surprise, the hotel is entirely defined by its name.
Revaler Straße 6
Phone: +49 (0) 30 31 98 86-0
E-mail : info@hotelklassik-berlin.de
Internet : www.hotelklassik-berlin.de
In the surrounding area
When it comes to business, Mediaspree is still emerging. Berlin's big new business district remains Potsdamer Platz, just a few underground stops away.
Scandic Hotel
With its bright rooms, ergonomic furnishings and irreproachable technological equipment, the Scandic is the hotel symbol of this district where aesthetics are always combined with pragmatism.
Gabriele-Tergit-Promenade 19
Phone: +49 (0) 30 700 779 0
E-mail : reception.berlin@scandichotels.com
Internet : www.scandichotels.com
Grand Hyatt Berlin
Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 2
Phone: +49 30 25 53 12 34
E-mail : berlin.grand@hyatt.com
Internet : www.berlin.grand.hyatt.com
Ritz-Carlton Berlin
Potsdamer Platz 3
Phone: +49 30 33 77 77
Internet : www.ritzcarlton.com
Restaurants
East bank
Schneeweiß
A carefully prepared table on a bucolic street corner. Schneeweiß - "Snow White" - offers a tranquil escape into the world of Alpine cuisine.
Simplonstraße 16
Phone: +49 (30) 29 04 97 04
Internet : www.schneeweiss-berlin.de
West bank
Sage Restaurant
Berlin is a master at converting industrial spaces. This trendy restaurant, set behind red brick walls on the banks of the Spree, is further proof of this.In fine weather, you can take advantage of the large terrace and sandy beach.
Köpenicker Str. 18-20
Tel.: +49 (0)30 75549407-1
Internet : www.sage-restaurant.de
RioGrande
A simple menu for a beautiful location on the Spree.
May-Ayim-Ufer 9
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 610 749 81
Internet: www.riogrande-berlin.de
Spindler&Klatt
If you're a fan of spaciousness, welcome to the club. A club which, as it happens, takes place every weekend in this contemporary restaurant spread over more than 1000 m2, between an indus-chic décor in the dining room and a charming extension overlooking the Spree.
Köpenicker Straße 16-17
Phone: +49 (0) 30 319 88 18 60
Internet: www.spindlerklatt.de
Get out
Beach bars are one of the great originalities of Berlin's social life. In this respect, the shores of Mediaspree are particularly fertile ground as soon as the sun comes out.
Strandbars come in chic versions (the beach at SAGE Restaurant), Rasta versions (Yaam) and large format versions (Oststrand). Without a beach, but still by the water, the Watergate is famous throughout Europe for its creative light shows and cutting-edge techno. The district's other 'legendary' nightclubs, Kitkatclub and Tresor, are at the other end, on the west bank, near the Heinrich-Heine Straße underground station. If you're looking for an ordinary night out, don't bother...
Yaam, Stralauer Platz 35
Ostrand, Mühlenstraße 61
Watergate, Falckensteinstraße 49
Kitkatclub, Köpenicker Straße 76
Tresor, Köpenicker Straße 70
Shopping
There are a few amusing gadgets at the DOS (Department Of Service) on the ground floor of Universal's headquarters (Stralauer Allee 1), but Mediaspree is not really a natural destination for shopping. That's best done a little further north, around Hackescher Markt.
Traffic
U-Bahn, S-Bahn, bus, tram: Berlin's public transport system is particularly efficient. A ticket allows you to travel for two hours on the entire network, but a pass is also available, for a day or a week. The Berlin Welcome Card combines the advantages of the pass with discounts at museums, restaurants, theatres, etc. But with its long, flat tracks, Berlin is also an ideal city for cyclists. Most hotels have a fleet of bicycles for hire, and there are many independent shops and chains offering a similar service. One example is Little John Bikes, (Warschauer Straße 31).
Information
German National Tourist Office
Tel.: 01 40 20 01 88
E-mail : office-france@germany.travel
Internet :www.germany.travel/fr
Visit Berlin
Tel.: +40 (0)30 25 00 23 33
Internet : www.visitberlin.de
Services
Business centres
Zieher Berlin Treptow
Am Treptower Park 75
Phone: +49 (0) 30 200755-0
Internet : www.zieher.de
Regus Potsdamer Platz
5. Floor, Haus 2, Potsdamer Platz 10, Phone +49 (0)30 300 11 4500
Internet : www.regus.de
Hotel residence
Hotel Großer Kurfürst
Neue Roßstraße 11-12
Phone: +49 (0)30-2 46 00-0
Internet : www.deraghotels.de
Car hire with driver
Berlin Limo Service
Leibnizstrasse 57
Tel: + 49 (0) 30 2362-5948
Internet: berlinlimoservice.com
Business contacts
Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
In Paris: 18, rue Balard. 75015 Paris. Tel: 01 40 58 35 35
In Berlin: Breite Straße 29.
Phone: +49 (0) 30 20308-4600
Internet : www.francoallemand.com
They are present at Mediaspree
MTV Germany and Universal, housed in former warehouses; Allianz, in the Treptowers, and BVG, Berlin's equivalent of RATP, in the Trias Towers. ver.dia trade union organisation with almost 2 million members; the Deutsche Post with its customer service department;BASF with its European service centre.
Dossier - Berlin Mediaspree: alternative business
- Berlin Mediaspree: alternative business
Berlin Mediaspree: if you have a bit of time
