Scheunenviertel — Roaring Twenties Conspiracy

Your investigation begins at the Theater des Westens, opened in 1896 with its Neo-Renaissance architecture by Eugen Lehmann. This first permanent German-language theater in Berlin, with its initial capacity of 1,892 seats and an 18m wide stage, was a hotspot for cabarets during the Roaring Twenties. It was here, in 1928, that Marlene Dietrich starred in 'Broadway', epitomizing the decade's spirit. Bombed in 1943 and restored in 1957, it remains a testament to Berlin's intense cultural past in Brandenburg-Berlin. The first clues point you towards the beating heart of that era's nightlife.

Continue to Savignyplatz, a square created around 1850 in the Charlottenburg district and named after Friedrich Carl von Savigny. Surrounded by Wilhelminian buildings from the 1870s-1890s, this approximately 0.5 ha area became a hub of underground cafes and cabarets in the 1920s, intimately linked to Berlin's nightlife. Restored in the 1980s with its preserved historic cobblestones, it echoes the whispers and laughter of a bygone era. Your investigation leads you to unravel the connections between these party venues and the secrets of the conspiracy.

The route then takes you along Kurfürstendamm, a 3.4 km boulevard created in 1540 as a bridle path and urbanized in the late 19th century. Nicknamed the 'Champs-Élysées of Berlin' during the Roaring Twenties, it housed 190 stores in 1929, a symbol of luxury and modernity. The section between Savignyplatz and Breitscheidplatz, about 1 km long, was lined with theaters and cabarets like the Wintergarten, reflecting the cultural effervescence of the Weimar Republic. Here, the facades bear the traces of the opulence and intrigues that played out under the spotlights.

Your path crosses the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, built between 1891 and 1895 by Franz Heinrich Schwechten, with its 113m high tower. In the 1920s, this church was a symbol of the Wilhelminian Empire, while the adjacent Breitscheidplatz buzzed with cafes and jazz music. Partially destroyed by bombing on November 23, 1943, and left in ruins as a memorial, it attracts approximately 2 million annual visitors. This site, a witness to Berlin's grandeur and tragedies in Brandenburg-Berlin, holds clues about the forces that sought to stifle the spirit of the Roaring Twenties.

The itinerary leads you to Breitscheidplatz, created in 1900 and named after Minister Franz Wilhelm Breitscheid. This 2.6 ha square, surrounded by department stores like KaDeWe, which opened in 1907, was a center of nightlife in the 1920s, long before the Europa-Center. Historically a place of pre-1933 festivities, it is a focal point for the threads of your investigation. The Zoo Palast, opened in 1912 by Ufa 200m from Zoologischer Garten, screened expressionist films and housed adjacent cabarets, before being protected in 1990. Your journey concludes at Wittenbergplatz, a luxury shopping and nightlife hub, and finally at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz, named in 1992 in homage to the Roaring Twenties icon. Wandering through these locations, you will have pieced together the puzzle, revealing the truth behind the conspiracy and the rich history of Berlin.