White bear statue (Tamala Malerk)
Editor’s Note: No animals were harmed in the making of this article.
I had the opportunity to spend a week in Berlin and as I was traveling around, I noticed bears all over this great city. Don’t worry; they were not live bears, but rather statues outside of stores and attractions. I made it my personal mission to find as many of these bears as I could.
These colorful bears across Berlin date back to a 2001 art event, the Buddy Bears Berlin Show. Since 1280, the bear has been the mascot of Berlin and the art event was meant to highlight and honor this historic symbol. Today, there are about 500 bears scattered across the city.
On my hunt for the bears, I stopped at some really cool places that I recommend you check out as you go bear hunting in Berlin.
Eat something while hunting
Pirates Berlin: Yes this place is as corny as the name sounds, but it has good pizza and cocktails while bear hunting on the east side of Berlin near the Berlin Wall museum, monuments and tributes. Beware, while it is nice to sit outside in nice weather, the bees think it is nice too, and I had to sacrifice the fruit from my cocktail to two bees to get some peace.
Pizza at Pirates Berlin (Tamala Malerk)
BRLO BRWHOUSE: For beer tastings and pairings along with a fantastic restaurant menu on-site (along with a Biergarten), check out BRLO. Click here to learn all about my brewery tour experience.
Hugo & Notte - Restaurant in the Französischen Dom: On a cool evening, this is a great spot to grab a bite to eat with a light sweater and just the world of central Berlin around you. I enjoyed the onion soup, various desserts and the Hugo a la Hugo cocktail.
French onion soup (Tamala Malerk)
Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt: For traditional German fare, this is the go-to! Yes, it is a bit of a tourist trap, but the kaesespaetzle and apple strudel are just what every German food lover wants.
Learn something while hunting
Gay Museum (Schwules Museum): This tiny museum explores the Queer movement throughout Berlin and Germany. The personal testimonies on the wall were especially moving.
Warning tape in Gay Museum ()
German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum): This museum is spread across two buildings and is all about the history of Berlin. At the time of writing, the permanent exhibition is closed; but you can see the temporary exhibits.
German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum): For planes, trains, printing presses, antique televisions and, in a sense of “one of these things is not like the other,” a Fabergé egg collection, check out this museum.
Fabergé egg ()
The Wall Museum: This is a multi-media museum featuring interviews, video clips and more about the construction of, the existence of, and, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Because of the personal narratives and experiences shared in the museum, it is difficult at times to walk through.
My fellow Stripes writer, Kat, covered more museums in Berlin here. Museum Island is a large complex of five museums; however, there are more than 125 museums across the city for you to enjoy.
Shop for something while hunting
KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens: Shop until you drop at Europe’s largest department store. There is a large food court on the top floor so that when you think you just can’t shop anymore, you can grab a bite and get back to it. Can you guess which bear below sits outside of KaDeWe?
Dussmann Cultural Department Store: This is by far my favorite store in Berlin. It is a multi-story bookstore, which is awesome by itself. However, it also contains gifts, records, apparel, games and “the largest classical musical department in the world.”
Berlin Art Market at Museum Island: Every Saturday and Sunday, you can peruse and shop for handmade art and crafts on your walk to Museum Island. Look for the red and white striped canvas covers along the water.
Berlin Art Market (Tamala Malerk)
AMPELMANN Berlin: This is a very close second to my favorite store in Berlin. I love learning about the brimmed-hat man featured in the Berlin traffic lights. AMMPELMANN features all your Ampelmann trinket needs from shirts to pasta, keychains, scarves, lamps, umbrellas, pasta and more. Learn more about the history of Ampelmann here.
I was able to catch 17 bears on camera. How many can you find? If you need help bear hunting, you can find a convenient map here.
Collage of nine bear statues (Tamala Malerk)
Collage of eight bear statues (Tamala Malerk)
