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Babylon Berlin is a new TV drama set in the artistically rich, if louche, pre-World War II Weimar-era Berlin. With lavish song and dance numbers and a fantastic soundtrack, it quickly became a hit in Europe last fall. Now, the show comes to the U.S. this Tuesday by way of Netflix.
The series focuses on a time of seismic shift in Germany, after World War I, with the beginning of the Weimar Republic. Groundbreaking artistic output coincided with the country’s economic free fall caused by rampant inflation from war debts and the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles set by the victorious Allies. In Berlin, artists, writers, and the stylishly eccentric mingled in clubs and cabarets. (Think Marlene Dietrich in Der Blaue Engel and of course Liza Minnelli’s Sally Bowles in Cabaret, all insouciant decadence, and bright green eyeshadow.) But, as the saying goes, these artists were dancing and drinking on the edge of the abyss. The Weimar era lasted until Hitler came to power and, well, we know what happened after that.
Babylon Berlin has already launched a new appreciation for the culturally rich period in Germany. While many of the its famed places were destroyed, along with much of Berlin, in World World II, there is still much of this history left to see and experience in Berlin. Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome to Weimar-era Berlin.
Where to party like it’s 1928: Boheme Sauvage produces a series of smoky, hallucinatory Weimar era–style productions that take place at various venues across the city. A highlight is their production of a 1920s operetta, Le Pustra’s Kabarett der Namenlosen, at Ballhaus Berlin, a reimagining of cabaret culture through a series of “scandalous” sketch shows that explore the sexual and artistic freedom of the time. The evening ends with a late-night dance party. The March 3 performance has a special dress code: eveningwear or vintage.
The 105-year-old restaurant/dance hall Clärchens Ballhaus exudes the louche glamour of Weimar-era Berlin, from the peeling paint on the walls and cracked gilded mirrors to the ornate molded ceilings. You could easily picture the Cabaret crowd hanging out here, late at night, but it’s as popular now as it was back in the day. Its faded grandeur draws everyone from cool twentysomethings to cha-cha-ing 80-year-olds.
Finally, stop by one of Berlin’s hottest burlesque bars, Prinzipal Kreuzberg. Sip a “Date With Dita” cocktail (Bulleit bourbon and homemade date syrup) at the tobacco-stained bar while watching performers like Rita Lynch.
Where to find Weimar-era culture: The historic Babylon Kino cinema in the hip Kreuzberg neighborhood dates back to 1929, when movie culture was flourishing in the city. Its style is emblematic of New Objectivity, the modernist architecture that defined the Weimar Republic. Its theatrical brass lamps and large black letters advertising current screenings on the building’s curved exterior conjure up 1920s Berlin, as do its silent oldies and art house program.
The modernist design school Bauhaus helped define Weimar-era culture, and the Bauhaus archiv museum is devoted to preserving its legacy, from typeface to furniture to architecture designed by Bauhaus luminaries such as Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. The gift shop is also a great source for unique modernist gifts.
The beloved Berlinische Galerie covers art in the city from 1880 to 1980, and its Weimar and New Objective–era galleries are outstanding. (The whole endeavor was a grassroots initiative, conceived and built by the people of Berlin in 1975.) Check out works by Otto Dix, who painted the bankers, beggars, and Weimar sleaze with a harsh, realistic eye.
The Brohan Museum is dedicated to applied arts from Jugendstil and Art Deco to Functionalism. It houses a great collection of Weimar-era artists and objects, and from March 22 to June 17, it will host the exhibition “Berlin Realism: From Kathe Kollwitz to Otto Dix,” featuring seminal artists of New Objectivity movement.
Where to buy brogues, slinky silk, and fox stoles: Schumackeri Meier & Schöpf is a timeworn-looking shop run by shoemaker Marlen Meier and shoe designer Christine Schöpf. Favored by the Mitte crowd for its old-school charm and handmade sandals, they also design and sell a line of 1920s and ’30s–inspired strappy pumps, brogue pumps, and lace-up boots that are perfect for any Weimar-era party you’re attending. Glencheck is a like a little fashion museum with a selection of early- to mid-20th-century vintage. Its owners are usually dressed to 1940s perfection. But time your visit right: They’re only open on Friday and Saturday.
Where to stay: With its grand staircase (no elevator), neoclassical architecture, and rooms designed by artists (including a cabaret room), the Arte Luise Art Hotel in Mitte evokes Weimar-era Berlin.
Where to table-telephone flirt: Tischtelefonen, or table-telephone flirting, was all the rage in Weimar-era nightclubs in Berlin. There would be a numbered telephone on each table so guests could dial the herr at Number 7 and flirt with him all evening. The dark Mitte nightclub Ballhaus Berlin, a rare relic of the era, still has the telephones on every table for those wanting to ignore their dating apps for the night.