About Schönholzer Heide and its Hidden Histories (Dennoch Köstlich Amüsiert)

2018

The public park Schönholzer Heide in Pankow, Berlin hosted in the past a castle, a fair ground, a film studio, a mulberry plantation, a health retreat, a nazi labour camp, war bunkers, a theatre, a public bath, a dumping ground, among other things. Today, if you know where to look you can find traces of these past activities in the park. You can still find remains from the castle and other buildings and constructions in the park. The park is used today for recreation and hosts graveyards as well as an adventure playground and a Soviet war memorial. More detailed history here.

‘Bolle reiste jüngst zu Pfingsten’ is one of the most known folk songs using Berlin dialect. The song is about a person called Bolle who visited the Lunapark amusement park and got into all sorts of trouble. Despite this he enjoyed himself  (‘Dennoch Köstlich Amüsiert’).

The stories are told using photographs, archival materials, found materials and montage. The project has been funded by the local government of Pankow, Berlin.