Walking from the Alexanderplatz we make our way to the Hackesche Höfe our next goal for the day. It is a Jugendstil style building complex built out of eight interconnected courtyards however first we have to get there. First we pass through the close by train station, already in a Jugendstil style and enter the nearby market which is quite popular.
There are fruits and produce, quite tasty looking but relatively expensive and for certain we do not have when to eat them if we buy them. But still it is fun to look at them on the way to the complex.
The first courtyard is the most impressive really with the Chameleon theater and a restaurant occupying most of the courtyard and the architecture being quite impressive.
The next courtyards are less impressive, mostly apartment buildings but it is still fun to explore and see the different stores.
There are also some exhibits showing how the complex was almost destroyed during the DDR times but it was saved and then renovated to its current state which is quite beautiful especially when covered with ivy.
We move through all the courtyards exploring them and then we find a separate exit and decide to take a different route to the subway to explore the surrounding zone and the many shops all around.
When we exit it is quite hot so we explore the many shops on the way to the subway. Some have air conditioning and those are preferred to cool down a bit and slowly but steadily we make our way to the subway.
The area is quite impressive, there are still older buildings here that escaped the WW2 bombardments and were renovated and look quite impressive. It seems that this whole quarter was in Jugendstil style and likely it was a sight to see at the time.
There are quite some impressive facades also, they take us back to Riga the last place where we have seen a lot of Jugendstil buildings. Of course the area here is not as extensive but it is still beautiful.
Arriving at the subway station we are faced with a conundrum, the trains in our direction do not stop here due to construction. So we have to take the train in the other direction and then return from there back to our hotel where we will rest for awhile before our tour to see the Reichstag building in the afternoon.
