Hansaviertel, here we come. Berlin feels a little different here — in the best possible way. And now that Café Tiergarten has reopened under new management, a visit is all the more worthwhile. Nestled between trees and lush greenery stands the Sweden House by Sten Samuelson and Fritz Jaenecke. The striking blue, red and white slab, together with the residential building (designed by Oscar Niemeyer), forms the architectural gateway to the neighborhood, built in 1957 as part of the International Building Exhibition “The City of Tomorrow”. And it’s right here, on the ground floor of the Sweden House, that Café Tiergarten has called home since 1957. The rooms hold Berlin’s history. Originally used by the industrial bakery Wittler ( Europe’s largest bread producer in the 1920s, later closely entangled with the Nazi regime), the space was a coffeehouse for decades before emptying out. In 2024, a “For Rent” sign appeared in the window. The restart is brought to us by a team with a clear vision and strong signature: artist Simon Freund (most recently at Bouche), art director Leonie Herweg (co-founder of the project space Grotto), restaurateur Nicolas Mertens, and Sophie Kretzschmar (a graduate of the Slow Food University in Piedmont). For them, this place had to be brought back to life as an open, modern, and international “neighborhood living room”.
The restoration was a balancing act between preservation and vision. Step by step, the original spaciousness was revealed, and with the support of a conservator, the 1957 color scheme was reconstructed in the light-filled rooms. The furnishings align with a modern-international spirit: vintage Alvar Aalto tables and Eiermann chairs, porcelain lamps from Ifö, and silk lamps by New York designer Nick Poe. The walls feature works by Daniel Moldoveanu, Marcel Broodthaers, Thomas Schütte, and Catharine MacTavish, among others. Out on the generous sun terrace, overlooking the Tiergarten greenery, enjoy a moment of calm right in the middle of the city. Alongside excellent filter coffee, cakes, and tortes, find freshly baked focaccia (every Wednesday), bread, olives, wine, and sage croissants. The program extends beyond food and drink with readings, wine tastings, yoga sessions, and filter coffee classes, like the one happening this Saturday (30.09). To this day, the Hansaviertel remains a unique ensemble and a place filled with international ideas for contemporary living surrounded by nature. And already, Café Tiergarten has once again become what it was always intended to be: a place of gathering, calm, art, and culture. Simple and good. A piece of Berlin history retold.
Text: Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Robyn Steffen
Café Tiergarten, Altonaer Str.3, 10557 Berlin–Tiergarten; map
@cafetiergarten
