Travel guide
Berlin

The 12 keywords Berlin

1. #Ampelmännchen

The little pedestrian man at the traffic lights has become an emblem of Berlin. First introduced in East Berlin, it was later used throughout the GDR. After the fall of the Wall, the city wanted to replace it with the classic pedestrian traffic lights of the West, but it was fiercely defended. Today it is even found in West Berlin.

2. #BER

Known under the BER code, the new Berlin airport should have opened in 2012. By dint of repeated scandals, its opening is constantly being postponed, making it the object of ridicule preferred by Berliners. Eight years after the initially planned inauguration, its opening has not been prevented by the paralysis caused by the covid-19 pandemic.

3. #Döner

Legend has it that the doner kebab was invented in Berlin by a Turkish immigrant, Mehmed Aygün, in order to seduce German customers who were used to eating on the go. Quite different from its French counterpart, the Berlin kebab is always filled with red cabbage. Very cheap and hearty, its success is not denied among the night owls.

4. #FKK

TheFreie KörperKultur (free body culture) is well established in our neighbors across the Rhine. It is not uncommon in some parks or on the beaches to see Germans in the simplest aircraft. Don't be surprised if you go to the sauna in Berlin, where wearing a bathing suit is very often prohibited. "Stop wearing textiles! "so...

5. #Kiez

Berlin is a monster city with an area seven times the size of Paris. There are 12 gigantic districts (Bezirke), themselves subdivided into neighborhoods (Stadtteile). Berliners identify an additional subcategory: the Kiez, a few blocks, a supermarket, bars and shops; their little neighborhood life.

6. #Bears

According to a popular misconception, Berlin got its name from the bear(Bär). It seems that this symbol is due to the Margrave of Brandenburg, Albert I, known as "The Bear". Since 1280, the bear has been the heraldic animal of the city. You will find it everywhere: on the flag, as a statue, as a stuffed animal in souvenir stores, etc.

7. #Späti

Inseparable from Berlin life, Späti, short for Spätkauf, allows you to find beer, alcohol, chips, chocolate and other food items just down the road from your home at any time of the day and especially at night. Some Späti even have their own terrace where you can enjoy a beer on summer evenings.

8. #Reunification

The symbolic act of Reunification was undoubtedly the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. Then it was a long process of reweaving between the two parts of the city. For example, the entire transport network had to be rethought. As the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, Berlin has regained its place among the world's major cities.

9. #Schnauze

Literally, the "Schnauze" refers to the mouth of an animal. But when the Germans speak of the "Berliner Schnauze", they are referring to the outspokenness of the inhabitants of the capital. It is a disparaging and rather contemptuous way of characterizing Berliners, who are often described as being a little lout and nonchalant

10. #Szene

The Berlin scene, known as Szene, is a notion that covers a way of life, fashions and trends, outings, political currents... The Berlin Szene, which is fundamentally alternative, also covers the various party venues, from the most incongruous clubs to the most posh... The Szene is Berlin on the move.

11. #Wegbier

Beer is a favourite drink in Berlin - as it is throughout Germany. Wegbier" refers to the bottle of beer that is drunk on the way, in transport or on the street, often on the way to nightclubs. So don't be surprised to see Berliners drinking like this in the underground. Other countries, other customs

12. #WG

Shared housing - or WG for Wohngemeinschaft - is very developed in Berlin. While it used to be easy to find a flat share in Berlin, the city's success has led to an influx of newcomers, making the search more complicated and competitive. To get into a WG, you have to be prepared to pass a real casting!