Courting Berlin

At some point, every Berlin visitor innocently glances past a resident leaving her building and realizes that there’s a whole world behind those stately Altbau doors. In a residential building, that world might include a row of neatly lined bicycles, the laughter of children playing with their friends in neighboring units, or a lush oasis bathed in dappled sunlight. In a commercial one, the clatter of dishes and murmur of conversation might hint at a courtyard’s use as a restaurant or trendy cafe. Third wave, of course.

This is the magic of Berlin’s Höfe. Hug the street and you will only skim the surface of what Berlin has to offer. Penetrate each block, and you will discover shops, restaurants, museums, art galleries, apartments, offices, warehouses, theaters, grocery stores, and much more.

Courtyards were Berlin’s answer to the housing shortage during the industrial revolution. The fancier homes at the street were back-filled with worker housing to provide the necessary density. But Germans being Germans, there were rules about how much light and space the courtyard residents were entitled to have and how much room had to be left for a fire truck to turn around. The results is a city whose blocks look like Swiss cheese from above.

Not all Höfe have becomes centers of creativity or commerce. Most are just the communal space of a residential building, like ours in the lead image. Residents gather here for a drink or even a meal, to celebrate special occasions, get out of the apartment on warm days or, this being Europe, smoke a cigarette. They also store their bikes there, dispose of their rubbish (excuse me, recyclables), and let their kids play together. If you could peel away the building on one side of an (admittedly larger) Hof, it might look something like this.

The thing I like best about courtyards, is the way they make the rest of the city seem to melt away. Even if you’ve just turned off a main tourist drag, the adjacent courtyard will be nearly silent. Or rather, it will be filled with the quiet clatter of dishware, the sound of conversation, or the chirping of birds. And if you’re lucky, there’ll be a second courtyard to explore behind the first one. And a third one after that.

Here are some of my favorite courtyards from our first year in Berlin. Let me know which ones you like and we’ll swing by when you come to visit. :)