Los Angeles, June 25, 2007 "“ Always offering up something new and exciting to its visitors, Berlin Tourism Marketing today announced a new list of highlights for Fall 2007, complementing the expansive list of current offerings in and around the German Capital. Featuring GDR retro chic and top value, Berlin's newest hotel aims to attract travelers looking for unconventional accommodations located close to the trendy scene of former East Germany. The new Emil Nolde museum permanently brings the great German Expressionist's stunning art to the Capital, while "Cabaret-The Musical" once again graces the Berlin stage.
Expressionist Painter Emil Nolde (1867-1956) Returns to Berlin
To honor the close connection between the influential Expressionist painter and the German Capital, the Nolde Foundation Seebüll will open its Berlin extension of the Nolde Museum on September 20, 2007. Located in a former bank building on Jägerstraße 54/55, directly off the historic Gendarmenmarkt, the new museum will feature ten exhibit rooms on two floors with high ornate stucco ceilings, a museum shop and a café, all encompassing the historic inner courtyard. Two to four rotating exhibitions will each highlight different aspects of the artist's work annually. The opening exhibition, titled "Emil Nolde in Berlin, 1910/11," spotlights life in Berlin and features the city’s theaters, variete shows and dance halls. After 1905, Nolde and his wife Ada often escaped the dark and depressing Northern winters by the German-Danish border to spend time in their Berlin residence and enjoy the city's social gatherings and nightlife. In 1937, the Nazis declared Nolde a "degenerate artist,” and in 1940 prohibited him to continue painting. At that time, Nolde retreated to his Seebüll residence and in secret created his "unpainted pictures,” a collection of 1300 small water color paintings. (Open daily, 10 am "“ 7 pm, admission Euro 6, http://www.nolde-stiftung.de).
New Design Hotel Features Vintage GDR Furnishings and a Communist Era Feel
Visitors can now experience the true East Berlin "GDR-feeling" by checking into the Ostel Hotel (“Ost” – "East"), Berlin's latest design hotel which opened on May 1, 2007. Furnished exclusively with original vintage GDR furnishings and wall coverings, the design budget hotel is located in an equally authentic setting: a communist era building formerly used as housing for GDR government workers. A 1970s office building and a heating plant from the 1950s, which now houses the Berghain, one of Berlin's most popular techno clubs, are located close by the hotel. Contrasting sharply with its colorless surroundings, the completely renovated Ostel Hotel's interior is friendly and welcoming. The reception area features retro dark red carpeting, heavy sofas, and original 1970s brown-orange-green wallpaper. The hotel's themed single, double, four-or six-bed rooms remain true to the GDR style, featuring colorful wood or plastic dressers, original radios, heavy glass lamps, and the occasional portrait of party leader Erich Honecker. The design hotel is located minutes from the eastern center, close the "Eastside Gallery" (largest remaining piece of The Wall), and to the clubs, restaurants and shopping of the trendy Friedrichshain district. Rates start at Euro 9 per person for a six-bed room, and Euro 38 for a single room. Breakfast is Euro 3.50. Ostel Hotel, Wriezener Karree 5, Berlin-Friedrichshain, Tel ++49-(0)30-25 76 86 60. www.ostel-berlin.de.
Guests who want to learn more about the lifestyle and history of East Germany are encouraged to visit the recently opened GDR Museum, that focuses on life behind the Iron Curtain (www.ddr-museum.de).
"Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome…": Cabaret: The Musical is back in Berlin
Beginning on October 26, 2007, Cabaret, the musical about love, passion, and despair will begin its second run in the historic Mirror Tent of the cabaret theater "Bar jeder Vernunft.” Set in Berlin against the background of looming Fascism, the story about the happy-go-lucky nightclub singer Sally Bowles will be staged by American star-choreographer Vincent Paterson. During its first run in Berlin that debuted in Fall 2004, Cabaret attracted over 100,000 visitors. Known for songs such as "Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome…,” "Maybe This Time,” and "Bye-Bye, Mein Lieber Herr,” Cabaret depicts Berlin during the Roaring Twenties, with its peaks and abysses, dreams and dramas, featuring captivating songs and a talented cast. The production in "Bar jeder Vernunft" brings the story back to its original location — the small stage of a cabaret theater in Berlin. The city was addicted to amusement during the 1920s when British writer Christopher Isherwood encountered the figures on which he based his characters for the episodic autobiographical novel Goodbye to Berlin. The novel later became the model for the Cabaret (Press contact: Sabine Wenger – Tel. +49-(0)30-885 692 21, presse@bar-jeder-vernunft.de) (www.cabaret-berlin.de, www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de, in German only).
Information on travel to Berlin is available at www.visitberlin.de or at www.visitberlin.tv.
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