HIDDEN PLACES - ORCO Germany

COVER FOTO by
Jean Francois Carly
EDITORIAL
The German capital is reinventing itself.
Living in Berlin promises variety and inspiration. Old and new meet in stark
contrast to each other and nowhere else are highly polished luxury and the raw
reality of the street so close together as they are here. Berlin is marked by change
and the inhabitants are just as dynamic and unique as the city. The Mitte (Centre)
district embodies a concentrated expression of this energy.
Mitte is more unconventional than New York, more laid-back than Paris and sun-
nier than London. And for me at least, this part of the city symbolises concentrat-
ed creativity, style and British composure. Mitte is a multi-faceted conglomerate
of ideas and visions that have been put into practice, in great architecture, art,
culture and the best entertainment. Aladdin‘s caves of shopping such as Galerie
Lafayette, international designer brand flagship stores and more than 150 galler-
ies await their customers here and more and more creative people from all over
the world and from all walks of life are discovering Mitte to be a real hot spot for
trends in fashion, design and lifestyle.
In this book, we would like to give you a snapshot of this unique part of Berlin to
show you what makes Mitte so attractive as a place to live. We have conducted
interviews with people who are realising their dreams here. We have looked behind
the facades of old ruins, researched a whole range of unusual things for you and
chosen pictures that embody the style and awareness of life in Mitte for us. But
don‘t worry, we haven‘t given everything away. There are still lots of hidden places
to discover and new ones are coming up – because Berlin has a future. Perhaps
even yours.
Have lots of fun reading and discovering!
Stephan Burkoff