Pauls Liegewiese, Park am Gleisdreieck, Kreuzberg

Das Park am Gleisdreieck was one of the last large open spaces in Berlin's city centre to be filled (the Tempelhofer Feld being, perhaps, the sole exception). Once an area where a load of train lines converged into a triangle of rails, it was bombed heavily during the Second World War only to be forgotten about for decades. Now a modern, clean and spaceous park, it feels the complete opposite to its previous state of mysteriously overgrown wrought iron glory. 

With the arrival of companies, people and money to Berlin in general and Kreuzberg and Schöneberg in particular, it was only a matter of time before the Gleisdreieck area was spruced up. And boy, did they spruce it up. The park looks beautiful, albeit a tad too 'designed', and offers something for everyone. Playgrounds, swings, a skatepark, pretty benches, shade and grass and gravel. Naturally, it also houses several cafés.

At Pauls Liegewiese, you can rent deck chairs but most people seem to stop over for the Wiener sausages with bread (€2,20). They make a decent coffee, have one of those huge chuppachup holders with hundreds of lollies and serve homemade chilli con carne for €2,50. No alcoholic drinks though, a Fritz Limo or ice cream will have to do. A great place to watch the yummy mums go by and pick up some skateboarding slang in the process.

 

Pauls Liegewiese, Park am Gleisdreieck, next to the skaterpool and the basketball field, website, open Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm.