"Tell me: What’s this place all about? Beneath its rough exterior, Berlin hides elegant urban courtyards behind the Altbau buildings that survived World War II. In the heart of the central Mitte neighborhood, Hackesche Höfe is a cluster of eight café- and boutique-filled public courtyards dating from 1907. Following a complete renovation to restore the interconnected höfs (courtyards) to their former glory, the labyrinth reopened in 1996. Several doors down on Rosenthaler Straße, Haus Schwarzenberg is Hackesche Höfe’s gritty, graffiti-covered brother, and it offers a fascinating glimpse of what much of Berlin looked like before gentrification swept in. What’s it like being there? Hackesche Höfe is the glitzy yin to Haus Schwarzenberg’s gritty yang. While the former is chock-full of ateliers, cabarets, and tranquil fountains, the latter is an explosion of graffiti-tagged murals, paste-ups, and makeshift street art that changes by the week. Is there a guide involved? Hackesche Höfe is located in the heart of Berlin’s historic Jewish community, and as you wander the connected courtyards, descriptions of the neighborhood’s proud pre-war past are scattered about, as is a QR code-powered walking tour. Since Haus Schwarzenberg is home to one of the highest (and best) concentrations of street art in the city, you’ll often see guides leading groups of camera-toting tourists. Who comes here? There’s something for everyone in both locations, and part of the fun is putting away your map and exploring both sites, following the end of one courtyard until it leads to another. Depending on how much window shopping you do, it shouldn’t take you longer than about 20 minutes to thread Hackesche Höfe. Meanwhile, Haus Schwarzenberg’s two courtyards can easily be seen in about 15 minutes, depending on how much you stop to admire the graffiti-tagged walls, doors, and buildings. So then what, or who, do you think it’s best for? Berlin’s Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg neighborhoods are brimming with the kind of beautiful atelier stores you’ll find in Hackesche Höfe. But the fun here is admiring the architecture as opposed to merely just shopping, especially if you’re a street art fan." - Eliot Stein
