Charlottenburg

Charlottenburg developed around the court life of 17th century Prussia, when Frederick I first built the Schloss Charlottenburg for his queen consort, Sophia Charlotte of Hanover. The Kurfuerstendamm was built a few centuries earlier, first as a corduroy road for the Margraves of Brandenburg, and then later widened to the plane tree-lined avenue we see today. During the late 18th century, the wealthy Bourgeoisie classes flocked to Charlottenburg, establishing residential homes and all manner of commerce and entertainment. The townspeople built a lavish town hall, with a sandstone facade and an 88 metre tall spire. Broad streets and sidewalks, parks and spacious townhouses are a characteristic of Charlottenburg.

However, modern Charlottenburg is not all pomp and circumstances. Schloss Charlottenburg lies in ruins after the war, severely damaged by air raids and awaiting a “budget surplus” from the city for much-needed renovations. Kurfuerstendamm carries on in the typical West Berlin fashion. Nightclubs and discotheques trade side by side with upscale hotels and luxury brands. The music never stops; the same can be said of the flow of narcotics—heroin, ecstasy, psychedelics—anything as long as you can pay up front. Hookers and rent boys gather at the Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten, “Bahnhof Zoo”—seedy bus terminal southwest of the zoo in Berlin.

Charlottenburg is all bright lights and dark alleys. It isn't that the police don't come here; they do—they just never seem to do anything. The people in Charlottenburg are obsessed with the latest trends, the latest “it” thing. Posters, graffiti, and underground magazines proliferate throughout the district. Charlottenburg is one of the prime spots in town for cruising. Strange people trolling for strange will just fit right in.

## Locations

### **Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten**

* Streetwise 5

Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten is called “Bahnhof Zoo” by the locals, and is so named because of its proximity to the Berlin Zoo. The station is a hub of bus and railway transport. Long distance trains from all over German and Europe stop at this two-platform and four-tracks train station. From here, any capital city in Europe can be reached. The longest train route travelling out of here is the Sibirjak, of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which terminates in Novosibirsk in south-western Siberia.

The station building is a long and rectangular structure of glass panels framed with grey steel beams. A raised train platform allows trains to enter and leave the building one level above the road. Under the ground are the U-bahn tracks of the Berlin subway. The station overlooks a wide tarmac area which is Berlin’s largest city bus and long distance bus terminal.

The Bahnhof Zoo embodies its own special brand of Berlin sleaze. It is a haven for pimps, drug dealers, and johns cruising the entryways and parking lots. The rear of the station facing Jebensstrasse is where rent-boys and hookers meet to solicit clients. Groups of strung-out teens gather here when they have nowhere else to go. The hallways are littered with cigarette butts and flyers written in some sort of code.

#### **Men’s Bathroom**

The bathroom is marked by a stench of urine and disinfectant. A row of urinals face the bathroom stalls, and both the walls and the floor are clad in a sickly yellow tile. The walls of the stalls are covered in graffiti. On the wall between the last two bathroom stalls, a hole had been punched out at groin level, roughly the size of a fist.

#### **Women’s Bathroom**

The bathroom is marked by a stench of urine and disinfectant. The bathroom stalls are six in all, and both the walls and the floor are clad in a sickly yellow tile. The walls of the stalls are covered in graffiti. The mirror above the sink seems to be broken, shattered to about five or six shards. The last stall is locked, with a sign on the door saying “Out of Order”.

### **Bismarckstrasse**

Bismarckstrasse runs east to west, from Ernst-Reuter-Platz to Sophie-Charlotte-Platz, continuing on to the Westend and finally joining up with Heerstrasse in Spandau. It is a wide, broad avenue with eight lanes. Traffic is heavy and parked cars are stopped all the way along the median strip of the road. On either side of the road are Wilhelmine-era buildings with shops, cafes, and theatre houses. The famous Deutsche Oper is on this street, and in front of it is a bronze relief sculpture that commemorates the death of Benno Ohnesorg, a student protestor who was shot dead around here during the German student movement.

#### **Deutsche Oper**

* Expression 4

The opera house is a square building with a sober design—a flat granite surface facing the road and square glass windows on its side to open up the interior. On the sidewalk next to the main entrance is the memorial of the student activist, Benno Ohnesorg,

The foyer leads to a large auditorium which has about 2,000 seats. The entire auditorium wall is done in a handsome, highly polished wood. The auditorium has a two-tiered gallery and individual, angled balconies made of the same wood as the walls. There are light fixtures on the ceiling and under the protrusions of the galleries and boxes. The stage is rectangular and has a plain, black proscenium.

#### **U-Bahnhof Bismarckstrasse**

This station was newly-refurbished with reinforced concrete. It is completely underground and has two platforms, one above the other.

### **Breitscheidplatz**

In Breitscheidplatz, life continues, prosperous and commercially-driven, around the bombed-out ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The centrepiece of the square is a jagged gothic spire which the locals call “Hollow Tooth”, which had caved in partially from the Allied bombings during the war. During the rebuilding, the ruins were not torn down and were kept as a memorial. A squat octagonal structure was constructed behind it to serve as the new church, and a slim hexagonal tower before it as the new bell tower.

In the meantime, land in the city centre is at a premium and skyscrapers were being built on all sides. The north side of the square facing the zoo is occupied by a long, glass-faced building. It is called the “Bikini-Haus”, and houses office spaces and fashion retail stores. In the direction of Tauentzienstrasse is a tall skyscraper, Europa-Center, which contains office spaces, apartments, and shops. On the top of the building, and visible across Berlin, is the rotating three-spoked star of the Mercedes-Benz symbol.

#### **Europa-Center**

One of the fixtures in the skyline of Breitscheidplatz is this high-rise building, the Europa-Center. It was built after the war with two components, a two-storey foundation and a twenty-one storey box-shaped tower. The foundation levels were modelled after American shopping malls, with a cinema, a hotel, two inner courtyards, an apartment block, and a basement level. The box-shaped high-rise was done with typical sixties aesthetics. It has apartment units and 13,000 square metres of office space. Getting a space here is certainly not cheap and the clientele is known to be very exclusive.

Sitting on top of the building like a Christmas tree-topper is the star of the Mercedes-Benz symbol. It rotates around two revolutions per minute and glows at night with the help of fluorescent tubes.

#### **Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church**

“Der hohle Zahn”, or “the hollow tooth”, is the jagged, fang-like spire of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, pointing up towards the sky. This grim structure has a caved-in roof and windows that look more like holes in the walls. The new church was simply constructed around it. Nowadays service is held in the odd octagonal structure behind the spire; next to the spire is a slim hexagonal tower that serves as the belfry. These two structures, perhaps deliberately, were made completely at odds with the aesthetic of the old Kaiser Wilhelm Church.

The new octagon has concrete walls with stained glass inlays—forming a mosaic on all eight walls, brilliant blue in colour with small areas of ruby red, emerald green, and yellow. Inside the church and opposite the entrance is a crucifixus figure made of brass. The chairs are individual, wooden ones with black leather seats that can be moved or arranged as needed.

### **Ernst-Reuter-Platz**

This is a busy intersection surrounded by high rise buildings. Five roads branch off from it connecting it with the rest of Charlottenburg and the surrounding localities. The roads are Bismarckstrasse, leading to Westend and Spandau; Marchstrasse, leading north to Moabit; Strasse des 17 Juni, heading east and continuous with the Great Star in Tiergarten; Hardenbergstrasse, leading south to Ku’-damm; and Otto-Suhr-Allee, coming up to the gates of Schloss Charlottenburg.

The traffic circle is a recent development and has an industrial feel to it. Concrete slabs alternating with flower beds surround a large rectangular fountain, all within a circular area planted with neat grass.

#### **U-Bahnhof Ernst-Reuter-Platz**

Ernst-Reuter-Platz is an old station that used to be called “the Knee”, after a curve there on the historic road between central Berlin and Charlottenburg. The roof of underground platform is supported by dark grey steel beams with rivets. The walls are decorated with light and dark blue rectangular tiles.

### **Kantstrasse**

Kantstrasse is located northwest of Kurfuerstendamm, and passes through Breitscheidplatz to the exhibition grounds at the Funkturm. It is occupied by a mishmash of residential and commercial buildings. Alone with its elegant, Neo-Classical facade is the Theater des Westens, built in 1896. The few dozen smaller theatres around the area are modern constructions, sporting cheap neon signs and dingy entrances. The endless hotels and bars here cater to customers of various means and tastes.

A small, green town square, Savignyplatz, marks the midway point of Kantstrasse. West of here is “Chinatown", settled by Chinese immigrants since the early 20th century. A collection of Asian supermarkets, shops, and restaurants are established around this area.

#### **Abattoir**

The last time anyone bought meat from this deli was 1952. It seems to be permanently closed and its entryway blocked by steel shutters. There is a side door that allows entry to this closed-off shop. Meat hooks still hang from the ceiling in the front room. The surfaces are all stainless steel and easy to clean.

Unsurprisingly, this is one of the most obscure yet fashionable places in Berlin. A staircase in the back room leads to the Abattoir, the hippest nightclub you have never heard about. It is not in any advertisement or print media; most people here will say they know about it from a “friend of a friend”.

#### ***Basement***

* FP 3

Tiled walls and meat-themed paintings are enough to attract gaggles of mortals, who think it is so cool and edgy to sit here and sip blood-themed drinks. Patrons may sit at tables or booths lined along the walls. The lighting is dim and always tinged with a faint, bloody red.

There is quiet, atmospheric music playing in the background, just a touch louder than whispered conversation. People come here to try the house Sangria—and most of them are repeat customers.

#### *Ice Room*

* Informal Elysium
* Vampires Only

The Ice Room is the abattoir’s industrial walk-in freezer, large enough to seat about a dozen people. Drapery and throw rugs are an attempt to disguise the ugly walls and floor. The metal chairs are cold to the touch and complement the industrial look. The room is guarded by a five-inch thick steel door that has been modified to lock from both the inside and out.

On the wall is a noticeboard for announcements and general communication for the night denizens of Berlin. There is very little furniture otherwise. The thermostat is not freezing, but it is always set -just- a few degrees too cold for those that need to maintain a body temperature.

#### **Kant Parking Garage**

* Stealth 3
* Larceny 2

This old parking garage was erected in an attempt to ease the street congestion in Kantstrasse. It is a multi-storey building with a boom-gated entrance and a booth that dispenses tickets. Sand-grey girders and wire-glass windows in iron frames make for a very outdated aesthetic. The skeleton of the building is reinforced concrete and the wall surfaces are simply plastered.

Ramps lead the way up to each storey. The front windows are badly scratched and let in a sort of foggy light into the building. The electric light fixtures flicker and flash, never seeming to work properly.

### **Kurfuerstendamm**

To the Berliners, "Ku’-damm" is the epitome of the liberated west. During the day, it is high tea and fine dining, Chanel, Prada, and 2-carat Cartiers. At night it is catching a glimpse of David Bowie at the Dschungel, pounding down shots and chasing it with energy drinks, getting rich-kid wasted and the next day, doing it all over again.

Kurfuerstendamm is 3.5 kilometres long and extends south-westwards to Wilmersdorf. The broad boulevard has preserved Wilhelmine-era architecture in its ornate shopfronts and townhouses—as well as concrete and glass in the modern additions of the last decade.

#### **Cafe Kranzler**

Cafe Kranzler is one of those West Berlin institutions, situated on the junction between Joachimstaler Strasse and Kurfuerstendamm. It has the trademark appearance of a rotunda on the top floor and striking red and white awning. Its wide sidewalk area has densely-arranged tables and chairs, for patrons to take in the street view of Kurfuerstendamm. The top floor is also another place to enjoy the view with its 360-degrees glass window.

#### **Dschungel**

* Requirements: Fame, or 2RP, or a successful Presence + Manipulation check
* Socialize 3
* FP 2

The “Jungle”, another place to see and be seen, has lines around the block by 6pm—clubbers waiting to get in and bouncers to make sure that only the most discerning do. If you are not blessed with fame or good looks, you might want to make sure you carry at least 10 Deutschmarks and a hefty tip for the bouncers.

Once inside, patrons pass through a round Chinese arch to enter the main area. The bar is across the dance floor, and getting to it usually means weaving through the evening crowd. Potted ferns on the bar is the only nod to the “jungle” theme—the bar itself is a glossy black and there is a plain, industrial feel to the room. White metal railings twist upwards with the spiral staircase and then extends along the mezzanine above the bar. This mezzanine area is VIP only; it is called “the Aquarium”—the favourite haunt of the Thin White Duke, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and their retinue of managers, groupies and hangers-on.

#### **Our Lady of Temperance**

* FP 3

Our Lady of Temperance wants to save your soul—with whips and chains and scantily clad women dancing in cages. It is housed in a converted church on a side street a little past the U-Bahn station. As typical of Kurfuerstendamm, it advertises its X-rated fare in flashing neon tubes fashioned into crude designs.

The windows of the church is typically bathed in red light. Inside, the bar is off to the left, and the pews have been modified to seats facing each other. The aisle floor is illuminated by spotlights in the shape of a cross. The altar space has been converted to a stage, and the space in front of the nave is now a dance floor. Ladies clad in chokers and leather bikinis gyrate in cages suspended above the seats.

#### **Taste**

* Persuasion 3

This establishment operates on the upper floors of 204 Kurfuerstendamm, and is accessible through a side door behind a bespoke tailor. Clients are seen by appointment only, and usually by the invitation of the proprietor. The stairwell leading upstairs is spotlessly clean and deadly quiet. A small corner table on the landing holds up a vase, containing a fresh arrangement of pink dog rose and an exquisitely petaled flower called the purple columbine.

#### ***Chambers***

If admitted, clients will be greeted by a hostess and then taken to one of the rooms, which are all located in the narrow building throughout multiple floors.

A typical room is set up like an executive suite. A scent of lemon blossoms greets the nose from the bouquet at the bedside table, bought in fresh daily. There is a king-sized bed and a set of chairs arranged in front of a spotless fireplace. Notable in the room is its lack of mirrors, even in the en suite bathroom available to guests. On closer inspection, behind the curtains, the windows are sealed up from the inside by sheets of black perspex riveted to the walls.

#### **U-Bahnhof Kurfuerstendamm**

A U-Bahn station on the junction of Kurfuerstendamm and Joachimstaler Strasse, in front of Cafe Kranzler. It is an underground station with two platforms, both with yellowish-green walls and grey floor tiles.
Schloss Charlottenburg

### **Schloss Charlottenburg**

From Ernst-Reuter-Platz, a four-lane road takes you northwest to Schloss Charlottenburg. The palace in Charlottenburg was built for the queen consort of Friedrich I, Sophie Charlotte of Hanover. It had a symmetrical layout, with grounds that span the northwestern corner of Charlottenburg, bordered by Tegeler Weg and Spandauer Damm. The grounds are on the western banks of the River Spree.

Today the palace lies in ruins from Allied bombing during the war. A bare wall with holes where it had been windows rises above the main two-storey building, to support the great dome which had completely collapsed. Piles of rubble and shell marks lay everywhere. The entryway is blocked by debris and venturing inside is risky.

The two nude, shield-bearing marble statues still guard the gates. Behind them is the courtyard with the equestrian statue of Frederich Wilhelm I. The grounds are completely deserted at night. Parts of the building outfitted with scaffolding and tarpaulin point to renovation work that may be going on during the day.