Holzmarkt in Berlin, a creative open space created in an unconventional area
Holzmarkt in Berlin is a new creative space in Berlin that has appeared at the address Holzmarkt 25, which until a few years ago was a pure party zone. The area has been open for a long time, but it is still under construction.
The initiators see it as a Dorf , a village located along the Spree in Friedrichshain.
So far, there are around 20 different projects and companies in the area within art, culture, restaurants, food - and a kindergarten.
Here you will find urban farming , live music – local bands are offered facilities to record live performances, beach bars, cafes, a bakery, performances and training of artists, yoga, language courses and dance lessons. In short, a very wide range of offerings.
The people behind Holzmarkt place great emphasis on creating alternatives to the more commercial offerings.
Clubbing guests also become adults at Holzmarkt in Berlin
Holzmarkt in Berlin is already well known for the beach bar Pampa . Since its opening a few years ago, it has been well visited, especially on weekends, where it used to be a chill-out spot with music, drinks and snacks.
Now they focus more on families. There is a sandbox for the children and the menu is ice cream, burgers and pizza – with the option of taking lessons in pizza making.
Next to it, space has been made for the beavers, so you can see how they live on the edge of the Spree.
In the evenings there is music with DJs on the weekends and weekday evenings with events such as swing evenings, book releases, films and debates.
Who is behind the Holzmarkt in Berlin?
The overall project is led by the organization Genossenschaft für Urbane Kreativitet . It is a cooperative with the aim of promoting creativity and sustainability in urban development.
The people behind it are a mix of creative souls, experienced and wealthy business angels and people with an understanding of urban development. The cooperative owns the land, is responsible for building facilities – and is therefore only to a lesser extent involved in the individual projects in the area.
The purpose is simply to create a long-term return for the cooperative, which should ensure long-term and sustainable development.
The dream of an alternative, sustainable and urban spot
Several of those involved express that it is tiring to experience that new places have to close after just 5-10 years when the areas become gentrified and they can no longer pay the rising rents.
The beach bars in Friedrichshain along the Spree have all had to give way to the city's development. Yaam survived, albeit a few hundred meters down the river, but otherwise the banks along the Spree are gradually becoming built up.
Holzmarkt in Berlin is designed according to a model that – at least on paper – is intended to ensure a more sustainable development of the area, and the Genossenschaft für Urbane Kreativitet has enshrined this in its manifesto.
The gourmet restaurant Katerschmaus in the middle of the area
The restaurant Katerschmaus is a chapter in itself and a different way of interpreting the creative free space in Berlin.
The restaurant is beautifully set, right on the edge of the Spree. The food and wine are in a class of their own, and the ingredients, preparation and serving are really meticulous. A gourmet experience in fantastic surroundings.
Has the Holzmarkt in Berlin only just begun to develop?
We have no doubt that we are among the creatives in the very skilled and professional class.
The entire staging of the place, the way it is organized and their communication about the projects is a very modern start-up built on the latest model with returns through sustainability.
Furthermore, the project will give something back to the city, which it does by being something for everyone:
400 youth housing units are being built on Holzmarkt Strasse, and the plan is for a hotel to be built later. Paths will be built along the Spree and around the entire area, with access for everyone. In addition, Berlin artists will be given a new platform to practice and promote their performance through the various projects.
It will take several years before the area is developed with all the planned facilities, and that actually fits in well with the experience of being in the middle of development.
The place could on the surface look random, wild and creative, as we know it from RAW or YAAM . Hopefully Holzmarkt is here to create a model that builds on what Berlin can do in creative and spontaneous directions, but in a model that drives more long-term and sustainable development.
Regardless of the choice of theoretical models and occasional skepticism on social media, it cannot change the overall experience that enthusiasts have once again sparked development in Berlin and made the city a really cool place.
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Directly to Holzmarkt's website
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See also: Spring in Berlin
Other city trips around the world?
More big city trips in Europe and around the world
It could probably also be Amsterdam , which is so incredibly laid-back, cozy and at the forefront of eco-shoes.
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