Hansaviertel (the Hansa Quarter)

I went looking at another apartment today, this time in the Hansaviertel, which is in the heart of Berlin between the two commercial centers around Bahnhof Zoo in the west and Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse in the east. The buildings in this area were winners in an architectural competition in the mid-1950s. Some are by famous architects, others by the more obscure, but all are interesting and vers servicable. Most are high rises.

This picture above shows the river Spree from the bank just opposite the quarter. The building in the picture below is not really leaning. Just the photographer.


The apartment I looked at was on the 11th floor and looked north and west. It was not as large as the other apartments I looked at last week, but the space was used so extremely well that it felt big. There were two bedrooms of about equal size, but capable of having a good double bed with room to walk around. The bath was small by US standards, but does a bathroom really need to be bigger than a bedroom? There is also the possibility of a second guest bath - there was one once and the plumbing is still there for the necessary facilities, but the owner felt that one bath sufficed and wanted a little work room instead.

The location was definitely one of its best features. Grocery, drugstore, movie theater, and restaurants are all less than 5 minutes away by foot, and the elevated trains are almost literally out the back door.

One bad thing: another prospective buyer came to look as I was leaving.