A Haven Amid the Hustle: Markets in Berlin
By Richelle Boyd
BERLIN — Amid the chaos of urban noise and movement in Germany’s largest city, tucked against the Landwehrkanal in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, the Turkish Market bustles with a different kind of life.
Fruit sellers call out prices as people walk by, offering sweet and aromatic samples. Handmade jewelry with stones from around the world glimmer in the sunlight that shines through the trees. A light breeze rustles the leaves, offering a haven along the water.
This market, one of the city’s oldest, reflects the cosmopolitan, multicultural spirit of the capital. It brings together native Germans, Turks, and tourists to try the cheap food and find deals for jewelry and fabric. It’s a farmer’s market, a food festival, and a flea market all in one.
The surrounding area, known as Little Istanbul, is home to many in the Turkish community. Berlin has the largest community of Turkish people outside of Turkey and has been called the second Turkish capital by Culture Trip.
Turkish immigrants flocked to Berlin between the 1950s and the 1970s as ‘guest-workers’ who helped rebuild Germany into an economic powerhouse in the years after World War II. After 1973, many of the originally temporary citizens became permanent ones, imprinting their culture into Berlin’s history.
The Turkish Market on Tuesday and Friday became a weekly standard, and paved the way for other cultural markets that have since sprung up in Berlin.
The Italian Market, unlike the Turkish one, only occurs on one weekend a year, typically in the summer months. Less about fresh organic food and assorted fabrics than quality handmade items and craftsmanship by Italian community members, the Italian Market, held last month, was festival-like in style.
A collection of Italian sellers with clothing, jewelry, and woodwork sat in East Berlin’s Napoleon Komplex center. Freshly made Italian food and drinks lined the stallways while classic Italian songs played and both professionals and audience members preformed traditional dances.
Markets of all types are an essential part of Berlin culture, and a tonic for local residents as well as tourists. Farmer’s markets set up in many neighborhoods once or twice a week, the most popular among them the Saturday markets in Prenzlauer Berg’s Kollwitzkiez and the Winterfeldtplatz market in Schöneberg. There are also two major used merchandise markets, the original Berlin Flea Market near S-Bahn Tiergarten, and the RAW Flea Market on Sundays at Rudolfkiez in Friedrichshain.
Berlin also hosts traditional covered markets such as the long-standing indoor market Markethalle IX with established shops, consumer products and daily opening times like a grocery store. Marketplaces like this one in Kreuzberg offer small, independent restaurants, specialty food and drinks, fruit stands, and even an attached drugstore. They hail from the late 19th century when 14 such public indoor markets were run by the city in each administrative district or bezirk.
Markethalle IX, built in 1891, reflects period architecture and displays black and white pictures of store workers from days gone by.
Other established indoor markets include the Marheineke Market in Bergmannkiez or the Arminius Market Hall in Moabit.
For a visitor to Berlin or a local resident, there is no better way to experience a classic, collective urban environment that feels welcoming for all communities. The market culture supports artisans and small businesses who move from market to market throughout the week, and allows for a great getaway from the hectic side of Berlin.
Satisfied with a few Turkish snacks, a handmade pair of earrings, and a small bag of fruit, I left the Turkish market with rave reviews for this one, and for the culture it’s part of in Berlin.
Richelle Boyd is going into her fourth year in English and Journalism at UC Santa Barbara, and is reporting from Berlin this summer.
