1. walks iii * Treptower Park

    Treptower Park, a day of walking in the rain past abandoned fairground rides and the truly monumental soviet war memorial.

    Spreepark I (formerly “Kulturpark Plänterwald”)

    was open from October 1969 to 2001, now abandoned.
    owned by Norbert Witte - closed with debts of €11,000,000
    [in 2004 Witte was arrested for attempting to smuggle £14m of cocaine from Peru to Germany in the masts of a ‘flying carpet’ ride]

    Spreepark II


    Soviet War Memorial I
    (May 8, 1949)
    Architect: Yakov Belopolsky
    to commemorate soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle for Berlin in 1945

    having spent a long time wandering round the park trying to find this monument, I met two guys, Leo and Jona who told me that they were having some kind of special day, which seemed to include drinking Ouzo and chilli flavoured water. “It’s a strange feeling that I’m having now” Leo said.  I’m sure he was!

    soviet war memorial II


    soviet war memorial III


    soviet war memorial IV

  2. walks ii * around Marzahn

    Berlin Marzahn with a complicated history including: the first district to be conquered by Red Army forces on 21 April 1945; the site of a labour camp where Roma were interned two weeks before the Summer Olympics of 1936; and where in March 1973 the Politbüro of the SED announced the objective to build 55,000 new apartments by 1980 as a solution to the housing crisis.

    Today, Marzahn has the highest number of people per household within Berlin [2.1], and the smallest average living space [32.4 sqm].


    Eastgate Berlin (2005).  The largest shopping centre in the eastern districts of Berlin.
    Architects: Jost Herring, Klaus M Hoffman, Ragna Carstens & Enno Schmacker
    Investment Cost: €150m
    Sales area: 32,000 sqm

    Franz-Stenzer Straße

    Raoul-Wallenberg Straße

    Jan Petersen Straße

    Marzahner Promenade

  3. walks I * Bibliothek Friedrichshain-Kreutzberg to Volkspark Friedrichshain

    08/12/2011
    Starting at the Bibliothek Friedrichshain-Kreutzberg….

    Central Library Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (2010)
    Frankfurter Allee 14a
    a former school remodelled by architect: Peter W Schmidt

    Velodrom (1999)
    Architect: Dominique Perrault

    Velodrom - towards Forum Landsburger Allee

    Ernst-Fürstenberg Straße

    Denkmal des polnischen Soldaten und deutschen Antifaschisten (1972)
    Volkspark Friedrichshain
    monument to cooperation between the communist polish people’s army and german communists in the struggle against national socialism
    Sculptors: Zofia Wolkska (pl) Tadeusz Łodzian (pl) Arnd Wittig (ge) Günther Merkel (ge)

    Restaurant Schoenbrunn, located in former modernist GDR pavillion
    Am Schwanenteich
    Volkspark Friedrichshain

    ending here at the Pavillon am Hain
    South-Western corner of the Volkspark.

  4. fractionmagazine: untitled by gusmantel on Flickr.

    fractionmagazine:

    untitled by gusmantel on Flickr.

  5. Albert Bridge Houseby E.H. Banks: 1959

    Albert Bridge House
    by E.H. Banks: 1959

  6. Piccadilly Plaza, #2

    Piccadilly Plaza, #2

  7. Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester originally built by Covell Matthews & Partners: 1959-65pavillion by Tadao Ando: 2002

    Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester

    originally built by Covell Matthews & Partners: 1959-65
    pavillion by Tadao Ando: 2002

  8. Kendals Milne Department Store, Deansgate Manchester JS & JW Beaumont, 1938Grade II Listedcost at time of building £750,000 (this view from King Street West) from series manchester the modern city

    Kendals Milne Department Store, Deansgate Manchester

    JS & JW Beaumont, 1938
    Grade II Listed
    cost at time of building £750,000

    (this view from King Street West)

    from series manchester the modern city

  9. night drive [A1 / M62]
    the road trip: an amazing thing for inspiring some of the great photographers and commentators of the modern world - from robert frank, garry winnogrand, ed ruscha and the lovely recent work of any stein. it’s just there in front of us, rolling before us - even the most dreary trips are made more lively with a camera.

  10. CRUMPLED CITY loving these maps by Emanuele Pizzolorusso. perfect for those whose map skills don’t extend to folding paper! the pattern of crumpled lines on top of the map’s surface seems a great representation of those many networks of connections across our cities.. i’ll be sure to get my hands on some!

    CRUMPLED CITY

    loving these maps by Emanuele Pizzolorusso. perfect for those whose map skills don’t extend to folding paper! the pattern of crumpled lines on top of the map’s surface seems a great representation of those many networks of connections across our cities.. i’ll be sure to get my hands on some!