There are a great many places in Berlin that claim to be "former ___." In contrast to Tokyo, where old buildings are being cleared away and replaced with new buildings, cultural facilities, hotels, and music venues that occupy buildings over 100 years old are being touted as cool and cultured. I stepped into a unique space where the history of a city with a cheesy destiny and cutting-edge culture come together.



I visited Auguststrasse, a street lined with galleries in the Mitte district in central Berlin. Located in the former East Berlin, this complex, Ehemalige Judische Madchenschule, opened in 2012 in a former Jewish girls' school. It opened as a Jewish girls' school in 1930, but closed in 1942 due to the persecution of Jews by Hitler's Nazi Party. It later functioned as a military hospital, and after the war was used as a vocational secondary school until 1996. The building has been reused. Remaining in many places, the building now houses a restaurant and bar, a cafe, and several galleries, and has been reborn as a popular spot that tourists often stop by to browse.



Of course, parts of the building have been renovated, but strong traces of its original appearance remain. For example, the entrance decorated with mosaic tile art and the faded concrete staircase. The building has a retro appearance, but there is also something solemn about it, which makes you imagine its history.



On the first floor, past the entrance, you'll find Pauly Saal, a restaurant and bar serving modern German cuisine. The dining hall, converted from a gymnasium, has a high ceiling and a solemn, church-like atmosphere.

Head chef Arne Anker, just 31, serves course meals using seasonal local ingredients and inspired by various food cultures from around the world. Each conceptual dish is a harmonious blend of food pieces with different flavors and textures.

In addition to the main dining area, there is also a bar that is open only in the evenings. This bar, too, is furnished with antique-style furniture and has a very atmospheric feel. On the same first floor is the all-day cafe, Mogg & Melzer. This is a casual, American-style establishment where you can stop by for a single cup of coffee.



The upper floors of the building are home to three galleries and one museum. One of these, the Michael Fuchs Galerie, which showcases modern and contemporary art, is a gallery renovated from a large space that was previously used as a meeting place and two former classrooms. A corridor where schoolgirls likely walked back and forth connects the two exhibition spaces.

Museum THE KENNEDYS, which houses a collection of materials related to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, is also worth a visit. In 1963, when the wall separating East and West Berlin still stood, former President Kennedy visited West Berlin and gave a speech in front of a large crowd, leaving behind the historic words "Ich bin ein Berliner (I am a Berliner)," encouraging the citizens in their difficult times. The museum features a permanent exhibition displaying photographs, videos, and personal effects related to this figure with ties to Berlin, as well as special exhibitions related to the Kennedy family.

Other occupants of the building include the CWC Gallery, which showcases contemporary art such as photography, paintings, and sculptures, and the Museum Frieder Burda | Salon Berlin, a showroom for the Museum Frieder Burda, a modern and contemporary art museum in Baden-Baden, a city in southwestern Germany.

This girls' school, which has had a turbulent history and been tossed about by the times, has been brought back to life in the present day with a creative approach that is typical of Berlin. Come and experience the atmosphere that flows through this place, which seems to be tucked between the past and the present.