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BETTERPLACE
Charity: Betterplace
The Berlin-based betterplace.org provides a new and
unique way linking various kinds of projects to potential
donors across the world. Their online platform allows
fundraisers of aid projects, events and other charitable
causes to promote their proposal; users can then decide
to donate any amount of money to a specific project need
(such as €20 for a wheelbarrow) or more generally (such
as 'building a school in Kenia'). Betterplace.org passes
on 100% of all donations to the projects. Going beyond
simple financing, donors can sometimes also offer their
time, experience or goods in kind to projects. What makes
betterplace.org unique is it's transparency ensured through
donor feedback: users familiar with the projects can rate
them online, add comments and videos, and easily promote
the project via social media.
Examples of current projects include the Morus 14 school
aid for children project in the poor Rollberg area of Berlin's
Neukölln district; volunteers help children with additional
schooling, remedial courses and trips out of the district; at
the moment 60 volunteers help 94 children every week. The
Berliner Stadtmission charity requests donations to help
homeless people with food, medicine, clothing and shelter
in the cold winters; a bus picks up those who want to spend
the night in a house that sleeps up to 100 people, others
are given blankets and hot food and drinks. An example of
a project abroad is Nkosi's Haven, which offers long-term
residential care for HIV/AIDS infected mothers, children and
orphans in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Betterplace, tel. +49 30 76 76 44 88 44, change@
betterplace.org, www.betterplace.org.
Think global, act local!
Support a charity project in Berlin.
Proudly supported by SAP, Vodafone, Wall, Weberbank
Berlin In Your Pocket berlin.inyourpocket.com
Classic à la Carte Dine & Dream
Berlin is blessed with a large number of quality theatres and
halls, top-quality artists and relatively cheap tickets - and
an annual cultural budget of over €900 million to fund it all.
Opera & Classical Music
Komische Oper F-3, Behrenstraße 55, Mitte, MU
Französische Straße, tel. +49 30 20 26 00, www.
komische-oper-berlin.de. Starting off as the Theater Unter
den Linden in 1892, the building‘s monumental neo-baroque
main hall survived wartime bombing, and reopened in 1947.
It shows classic music, ballet and opera pieces. Translations
in English are shown on a screen on the seat in front of you.
Q Tickets €9-150.
Konzerthaus Berlin F-3, Gendarmenmarkt 2, Mitte,
MU Stadtmitte, tel. +49 30 203 09 21 01, www.
konzerthaus.de. Together with the Deutscher and
Französischer Dom churches, the Konzerthaus forms Berlin‘s
most spectacular architectural ensemble. Built by Friedrich
Schinkel in 1821, it was destroyed in the war and only
reopened as a concert hall in 1984. The Berliner Sinfonie-
Orchester plays at the venue. Q Tickets €10-99.
Philharmonie E-4, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1,
Tiergarten, MS/U Potsdamer Platz, tel. +49 30 25 48
89 99, www.berlin-philharmonic.de. The crumpled-looking
yellow modernist building behind the chrome glitz of the
Potsdamer Platz developments was once just as revolutionary
as its new neighbour. The excellent Phil orchestra is directed
by Liverpudlian Sir Simon Rattle. Q Tickets €7-220.
Staatsoper im Schillertheater C-3, Bismarckstraße
110, Charlottenburg, MU Ernst-Reuter-Platz, tel. +49 30
20 35 45 55, www.staatsoper-berlin.org. The venue for
berlin.inyourpocket.com
by Berliner Residenz Konzerte
CULTURE & EVENTS
Masterpieces from the days of
Frederick the Great
Advent concerts | Evening Concerts
Christmas Day concerts
New Year‘s Eve | New Year
dates: december | Concert: 8.30pm
Fridays & Saturdays in January
Dinner: 6pm | Concert: 8.30pm
Tickets
www.concerts-berlin.com
Tel.: 030-258 10 35-0
Daniel Barenboim‘s award-winning Staatskapelle orchestra.
Temporarily housed in the Schillertheater until renovations
of their grand theatre on Unter den Linden are completed in
2014. Q Tickets €14-220.
Shows
There‘s always something on in Berlin; these venues often
have revue-style shows suitable for a foreign audience. The
prices listed here indicate the cost of regular tickets, which
may fluctuate depending on the show or day of the week.
Admiralspalast F-3, Friedrichstraße 101, Mitte,
MS/U Friedrichstraße, tel. +49 30 47 99 74 99, www.
admiralspalast.de. This former army bathhouse was
famous for its cabaret, operetta house, spa and brothel in
Berlin‘s roaring 20s. Hitler cleaned up their acts in the 1930s,
installing a private box so that he could watch his favourite
operetta ‚The Merry Widow‘, and Brecht tried out his new
theatre here from the 1950s. With several theatres, it now
puts on plays, concerts and musicals. Q Shows Tue-Sun
20:00. Tickets €21-79.
Berliner Residenz Konzerte
B-3, Spandauer Damm 22-24,
Charlottenburg, MS Westend,
tel. +49 30 526 81 96 96, www.
concerts-berlin.com. The Berliner
Residenz Orchestra plays famous
Baroque-era works by candlelight,
with musicians in period costumes - a unique opportunity to get a
good idea of what it was like to attend a party in the 18th century.
Guests can combine the concert with a tour of Charlottenburg
castle or a trip on the river Spree, and dinner amidst hundreds
of candles. Q Dinner 18:00, concert 20:30. Tickets €29-79.
December 2012 - January 2013
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