Slap bang in the centre of the edgy city of Berlin is where you’ll find me. I’m this city’s newest, slickest hostel and I’ve got news for you, you’re invited to soak up what is anything but middle of the road hospitality. I the second of two Generator hostels in Berlin and I am much, much, much more than a hostel.

Your Berlin adventure starts here, I am right in the heart of the action in one of Berlin’s oldest districts, Mitte. You have the Brandenburger Tor, Friedrichstrasse, Unter den Linden, Fernsehturm, The East Side Gallery and the Museeumsinsel just on my door step – walking distance I should say. But if you don’t want to trek around the city, take the bus no 100, which stops at most sightseeing places and costs next to nothing.

So besides all main Berlin tourist attractions, Mitte also covers some of the best shopping in the city. Alte Schönhauser und Hakesche Märkte are the ideal spots for quirky finds and newcomer labels. Check out the outlandisch label Search&Destroy on Oranienstrasse, browse vintage @Made in Berlin or design your own trainers at the Adidas flagship store.

Whats next your asking? Sightseeing tick, shopping tick, nightlife outstanding.

Berlin Mitte is the hub for clubs, bars, eateries and all other unusual finds. If it’s entertainment you’re looking for – check out my first event which was held before I even opened my doors. #origin was the theme of my bash and its been truly original. I’m pretty good at hosting all sorts of revelry’s and I’m sure this is completely up your street.

And when its time to close your eyes and put your head on a pillow, I’m there for you. I have over 550 beds at my place, all styles, and shapes, from bunks to twins, or ladies only! Bunk up and snooze with your friends and let the excitement and memories of the night be the stuff that your dreams are made of.

The next morning awaits you with a bright smile and a tastylicious breakfast in my holy walls. Did you know, that Thierry Noir, one of the Berlin wall artists, graced me with his presence and designed the art that adorns some of my corridors and walls?! Absolutely spectacular…and while you are busy taking and posting pictures and changing your status on Facebook, I’ll take care of your WI-FI! It’s free, umsonst, kostenlos (that’s the German for free, good word to know!) and available in out bar, lounge and other social areas! 

Now I’m asking you – where are you going to stay when you are in Berlin next time? Correct – Generator Berlin Mitte, I’ve got it covered for you….

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Nearly all scrawling on the walls of Berlin in protest can in part be traced back to Thierry Noir – thought to be the first person to paint on the Berlin wall in 1984 – which he continued to do until it fell in ’89.

While the remainder of the wall may be under threat from developers these days, Generator is bringing street art in from the cold and Thierry Noir is painting a mural for the new hostel in Mitte!

What better way to celebrate a symbol of international peace than in a place where people of all nationalities come together to celebrate this wonderful city?

While everyone knows Thierry Noir’s work (it’s reproduced and plastered across Berlin’s tourist strips) they don’t always know it’s his! We’d like to take a little time to look back over his role in Berlin’s now world famous street art scene.

Thierry Noir and The Berlin Wall

Thierry Noir is best known for his work on the most famous civic canvases of all time: The Berlin Wall. Thierry’s faces – brightly coloured heads in profile with large lips or jutting jaws, all outlined in thick, black paint – have become synonymous with not only the protesting of the wall, but the city itself.

Thierry’s work on the wall in the 80′s often put him in danger of being discovered, and shot – especially around such guarded hotspots as Checkpoint Charlie or where the boarder and the wall did not align perfectly.

Thierry was often confronted during his time working on the wall – many asked why he wanted to make it pretty; but this was not the aim. Instead he aimed to demystify it – to mark it as a sad, dangerous killing machine. It is a statement that his works survived the fall of the wall longer than any others and that it has come to be recognised as a symbol of international peace.

Thierry Noir in Berlin Today

You can still find some of Thierry’s work on a remaining part of the wall, known as the East Side Gallery. This is the longest remaining stretch of the wall at about a mile in length and displays some of the most iconic protest art of the last century. While Berlin has much dedicated to its own, and Germany’s, history it is one of the few places where you can get a firm grip of that strange time.

While it can be difficult to find Thierry’s original works elsewhere in Berlin right now you will see his work reproduced (legally or otherwise!) in the tourist shops of the city. While it’s hardly to the scale and power of the originals it goes to show how deeply embedded his street art is to the psyche of the city.

Thierry Noir at Generator Berlin Mitte

Thierry will be working at Generator Berlin Mitte in April as he brings his brilliant, irreverent street style to our new hostel – helping us to weave the history of the city right into the experience of every one of our visitors.

At Generator we like to give our guests a real experience of Berlin, helping them get under the skin of the city. As such we’re bringing the history of Berlin right into the hostel with Thierry’s work – there’s something fitting about having our guests, from all over the world, meet each other for the first time in front of a Thierry Noir mural.

There are many other sights in walking distance from Generator Berlin Mitte besides the East Side Gallery. Here are our Top Tips.

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