Rock musicians, dancers, writers, advertising fuzzies and architects live here – the much-praised young creatives who can’t afford the Kempi and for whom the Ibis is too bourgeois.
Rock musicians, dancers, writers, advertising fuzzies and architects live here – the much-praised young creatives who can’t afford the Kempi and for whom the Ibis is too bourgeois.
You hardly ever meet Mr. Kaiser from Hamburg-Mannheimer here. You would only expect to find hotels like this in Amsterdam, the Bronx – or Berlin. Before reunification, the world came to an end here for us Wessis, the number 1 line ended in front of the Oberbaumbrücke, which was open to outgoing pensioners, and across the street, the only answer to our longing was an inhospitable, empty industrial site. Today, all available public transportation stops directly in front of the Hotel Michelberger. An urban showcase district has still not been created here. But at least it is a distinctive Berlin neighborhood.
The hotel has moved into a former industrial yard. The fact that the bar next to the entrance is called “Baustelle” (construction site) can be read as a program and should therefore not make you wonder when it will all be finished, given that the corridor walls and ceilings above door height have only been spackled in a makeshift manner. Architect Werner Aisslinger has created the right atmosphere for the surroundings, the building and the target group. 119 rooms, and the place is up and running. Rock musicians, dancers, writers, advertising fuzzies and architects stay here – us young creatives who can’t afford the Kempi and for whom the Ibis is too stuffy.
They come from everywhere, just like the staff, English helps. A guy with a woolly hat is sitting at the round reception desk, it could be a DJ, in the background you can see a juxtaposition of a book cage, coarse upholstery, a bar clad in black glazed industrial tiles, bulky waste chairs and factory lights. The breakfast room to the side also welcomes guests with refurbished flea market furniture. You can accept this under the heading of “sustainability”; if it was just meant to satirize cheap alternative living, it would be in bad taste.
The rooms along the dark, narrow corridors are a surprise. The most modest version, “Cosy”, is only for summer guests without a lot of luggage. However, two people can also climb into the cozy bed between the glass shower partition and the large triple-glazed window. Thanks to a single shelf, no matter what it’s for, and a fruit crate stapled to the wall, it takes a certain amount of motorhome practice to get around. But with an iPad, you can work lying down and use your contact lenses while kneeling during morning yoga. Even opening the windows requires a talent for climbing.
So let’s move on to the larger rooms. Incidentally, the overnight stay is charged per room, regardless of who (surprisingly) sleeps here. The largest room has nine beds. The romantic building site design with rough wood, dark multiplex panels, visible, colorful lamp cables and a bit of stall improvisation remains authentic. There is also a pinch of trivial kitsch such as sofa cushions, crocheted coat hangers and household items for a stag party. Rosemarie Trockel drags such things into the museum.
The interior design, the platforms and galleries, the beds or bathtubs right by the window with an exciting view (no noise!) could be listed endlessly. In addition to the large rooms (for rock bands and women’s groups, they say), you can also get a luxury apartment. Some artist may have pasted his wallpaper here, there could be a projector, a music system, a lacquer-red shower or a loo lined with check fabric, one wall could be completely covered with rustling books… Just don’t count on a trouser press, minibar and shaving mirror, Mr. Kaiser!
Address
Hotel Michelberger
Warschauer Street 39-40
10243 Berlin
Berlin, Germany
www.michelbergerhotel.com
