Mauerpark

The current location of Mauerpark used to be the Old Nordbahnhof (Northern Railway Station) in the 19th and 20th centuries in Berlin, Germany. But soon after, it started being used as a freight yard, and the Stettiner Bahnhof (that later came to be known as Nordbahnhof) located near it resumed in its place as a passenger station. This Old Nordbahnhof was officially shut down in 1961 post the construction of the Berlin Wall.

The land with the Berlin wall and Death strip was from thereon guarded heavily, and a viewing platform that West Berliners used to use to overlook the wall into East Berlin was situated here. The remaining western segment of the station started being used as a storehouse and for trading purposes. In 1989, the Berlin Wall was demolished, and the local residents began using this former death strip as one of the many green public spaces in the city.

This further flourished into one of the best entertaining spaces of Berlin after the Allianz environment fund donated DM 4.5 million for the establishment of this park. Though the western half of the land, owned by Bundeseisenbahnvermögen real estate association, continued to thrive as a trade area and modified into a flea market that has been taking place next to the park since 1994.

The Flea Market at Mauerpark (referred to as Flohmarkt am Mauerpark in German) is extremely popular among the Berliners as well as the tourists. Taking place every Sunday since 2004, this market hosts grid stalls with private salespersons selling a variety of items ranging from second-hand clothes, old vinyl records, CDs, jewellery, vintage bags, and many other nicknacks. Furthermore, visitors may also find some antiques and hidden fortunes at the furniture tent situated at the Flea market.

The Bearpit Karaoke show is a delightful event that takes place at the circular stage area enclosing an amphitheatre in the Mauerpark, sited on the hillside right across the basketball court of the park, every Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of Berliners and tourists venture to this place just to have their 15 minutes of fame; rendering this place extremely crowded from spring until autumn even before the event starts. The amphitheatre echoes with the sound of music and cheers and boos of the crowd depending on whether they like the music or not.

There are a variety of activities that one can enjoy at Mauerpark besides the Bearpit Karaoke Show and the Flea Market. Some of them are as follows:

1. Enjoy Live Music

One can spot several musicians, playing various instruments and singing their hearts out, scattered throughout the park. Dancing freely to the rhythms of live music in this open space often turns out to be a pretty fantastic experience for locals and tourists alike.

2. Experience the Walpurgis Night

Mauerpark is one of the most well-known spots for the celebration of Walpurgis night, the night when witches are said to fly in the Mount Brocken in the Harz Mountains to welcome spring in accordance to German folklore. This night is marked with people dancing over the flames of fire and is used as an excuse to party with night-time parades in cities like Berlin.

3. Play Basketball with the Locals and Friends

Mauerpark has half a court of a basketball court located in it, and many locals come here to play the sport with their friends all year around.

4. Treat Your Taste Buds to a Variety of Street Food

One can enjoy a number of Berlin’s traditional dishes that are available here in the best collection of food trucks and stalls at the Mauerpark. These dishes range from the incredibly delicious German sausages, Mexican tacos, Peruvian anticucho, ever-favourite ice creams, and many more.

5. Wonder at the Street Art of the Berlin Wall

The remains of the Berlin Wall that stand at 800 meters currently in Mauerpark is now decorated with inches thick of graffiti art made by hundreds of artists who have visited the park in the past. This street art is ever-changing with artists adorning the walls that are already showcasing past artworks; making it a great source of admiration among the visitors.

6. Summertime Outdoor Grill

With various inexpensive provision stores located near the park, one can enjoy their day grilling a meal, relaxing and having fun with their friends and family. Grilling is not something that many parks in the city allow their visitors to do, making Mauerpark the go-to place for the ones who enjoy the activity.

• It is best to visit Mauerpark on Sundays to get the full experience as it is then the park is buzzing with various events and activities like the flea market and the Bearpit karaoke show.
• The park gets really busy around noon on Sundays, and it gets very difficult to enjoy, so it is better to get there earlier.
• Visitors are welcome to bring in their own drinks and snacks if they wish and enjoy all the activities buzzing around in the park while munching and drinking along.

While the locals living nearby often take a stroll or use their personal vehicles to reach the Mauerpark, there are a number of public transportation alternatives that visitors can make use of to reach the park. The Tramway M10 can be used to reach the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark station, that is 291 meters away and will require just a 4-min walk to reach the Mauerpark.
 
The Bus line 247 stop at Berlin, Wolliner Str., that is 370 meters away and requires a 5-min walk to reach the park. The Subway lines U2, U8 and train lines RE3, RE5, and RE6 can also be used to get to stations that are a walking distance away from the Mauerpark.