Hohenschönhausen has a special place in my heart. When we moved to Berlin in 1992, we lived on the same block as the charming high-rise building across from the famous Sportforum sports complex. And this is where it all began: swimming at the Orankesee, my high school graduation at the Gutenberg Oberschule, and most of all my love for architecture and Berlin city life. But back to Hohenschönhausen: the Berlin borough with a lot of undiscovered potential is finally coming into the spotlight. Here, old villas stand next to prefabricated “Plattenbauten”, industrial sites meet protected landscape areas – this “wild mix” and high-contrast juxtaposition creates a world of opportunity. The experts from the Stiftung Stadtkultur, the urban mediator Lukas Staudinger from Poligonal Berlin and the Hamburg-based architects from Projektbüro have also noticed this potential. The idea of a joint cause grew into a three-day event called ZusammenZimmern.Festival featuring performances, workshops, concerts and great food!

“Zimmer für dich” (Room for you) is the festival hub, a mobile structure designed by the architecture firm Projektbüro – designed as a space for experimentation, bringing people together, and everyday life. Projektbüro built the temporary wooden structure, which stood on Wartenberg Kirchplatz all summer and now will be the center of the festival weekend. The “Zimmer für dich” can be used by anyone who wants more space: for meeting, working, playing, reading or resting. Its use will be showcased as part of an exhibition with installations by Guerilla Architects and Alina Mann on and in the surrounding buildings; pole performance by the artist, DJane and dancer FRZNTE – here the architectural backdrop serves as both inspiration and stage. Berlin rapper Ebow, one of the exciting figures of post-migrant and queer rap, will kick off the event. In addition to FRZNTE, who grew up in Lichtenberg, a whole series of artists have their roots in the east of Berlin. These include the trap duo Ostberlin Androgyn, who spent their childhood on Prerower Platz in Hohenschönhausen, and the author Ahne, who will read from his autobiographical novel “Wie ich einmal lebte” (“How I Once Lived”) about his childhood and youth in the GDR. Also represented is the Hanoi Ensemble of the Lichtenberg Shostakovich Music School, which plays classical and popular Vietnamese music. Miranda Rigby and Paula Erstmann from the Stadtküche will take care of the culinary exploration of the city. Little ones are also welcome: the Cabuwazi children’s circus will be providing a cheerful program. So, let’s go to Hohenschönhausen!

Text: Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Tamara Eckhardt, Silke Mayer, Projektbüro

ZusammenZimmern.Festival, Falkenberger Chaussee / Ecke Egon-Erwin-Kisch-Str., 13059 Berlin–Neu-Hohenschönhausen; map 

Opening 31.08.2023 19h. 
31.08.–02.09.2023, Fri & Sat 11–23h. You can find the full program here.

@stiftung.stadtkultur.berlin
@poligonal.berlin
@projektbuero.city
@howoge_berlin