Get ready for a lesson in contempo photography and German gastronomy at this former school turned grade-A art and eats space.
Pay attention meine kinder, teacher is going to tell you about one of Berlin’s best kept culture secrets. It may not look like much, sitting brown and boxy in the middle of Mitte, but Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule has been a place of learning for some 80+ years, from Jewish girls school to WWII military hospital to secondary college. In 2006 the Neue Sachlichkeit-style landmark received a nip/tuck and reopened as a multi-purpose creative complex repping galleries and restos that truly are – ahem – in a class of their own.
Art hour starts at the CWC Gallery on the 1/F, transforming four classrooms into a rotating expo space showcasing iconic C.20th photo masterpieces, paintings and sculptures by today’s emerging and established talents. Once you’ve got the basics, advance a level to Michael Fuchs Galerie for classical modernism and standout contempo exhibits. For a quick history lesson, The Kennedys Museum offers a comprehensive collection of photographs, moving personal documents and memorabilia of the famous American family.
If all that cocked-brow critiquing has left you famished, shimmy down to the ground floor gymnasium, now host to Mich-starred Weimar wunder Pauly Saal. Start with a gin-spiked Rosemary Bramble at the schmick wood-striped bar before you slide into a moss green booth in the simple deco-esque diner. Both lunch and dinner menus include a la carte offerings, but clever kids order the daily seasonally-driven set selection where chef Danler excels – think revamped Deutsch dishes like Baltic salmon with beetroot sorbet and salad leaves from the restaurant’s veggie patch, or pillowy soft strawberry sponge with elderflower jelly and yoghurt cream.
Rather keep it quick and kosher? Hop across the hall to casj n’ airy all-dayer Mog & Melzer, which brings a slice of NYC deli delight to Berlin with their renowned pastrami reuben, barbecued brisket and shakshouka eggs. Okay, schmutz, consider yourself schooled.
Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule, Auguststraße 11-13, Mitte, Berlin. +49 30 3300 6070, maedschenschule.org
CWC Gallery, camerawork.de
Michael Fuchs Galerie, +49 30 2200 2550, michaelfuchsgalerie.com
The Kennedys Museum, +49 30 2065 3570, thekennedys.de
Pauly Saal, +49 30 3300 6070, paulysaal.com
Mogg & Melzer, +49 30 3300 6070, moggandmelzer.com
