A designer hotel with a friendly character
In North Berlin, the Borsig Werke neighbourhood was for decades home to the factories where Germany's locomotives were manufactured, making it for many years one of the most powerful industrial hubs in Europe. Thousands of factory workers were employed here, coming and going beneath the impressive medieval-inspired gateway as they clocked in and out. The prevailing industrial architectural style owes its grandeur in part to the sheer size of the iron and steel locomotives it manufactured and in part to a clear desire to pay homage to the remarkable success of Germany's engineers and workers. It was here, in the late 19th century, that the 24-storey Borsig Turm was built, Berlin's first "skyscraper". Today of course, its height is far from exceptional, but its Gothic-inspired brick and glass lines have lost nothing of their former elegance or poise.
The neighbourhood has today been entirely renovated but impressive traces of its former heyday can still be seen in the austere beauty of some of the buildings. It is now an extremely attractive district of North Berlin, not far from the airport, but at the same time appreciably quiet and welcoming. The Best Western Premier Hotel Am Borsigturm forms a semi circle, as if to girdle the Borsig Turm it faces. The generous curved lines of its brick facade are truly remarkable. The hotel's personality is even more visible in the interior, beginning with the huge lobby whose glass-roofed cathedral ceiling rises five storeys upwards. The lifts that serve this magnificent volume are made out of glass to better appreciate the architectural daring and all the corridors leading to the guestrooms converge on this volume flooded in light.
The guestrooms command sweeping views of the neighbourhood's buildings, parks and gardens thanks to large windows. Despite a clear sense of grandeur in keeping with the very special historic dimension of its surroundings, the hotel was designed to imbue its guests with a welcoming sense of protection rather than of domination.
The restaurant in particular illustrates this warm ambience that makes you want to linger and relax. Appointed with honey-coloured light wood furniture, it was designed in such a way as to make you feel close to the kitchens and its enticing aromas. The wine cellar for its part takes up an entire wall of the dining area. Enjoy the view of the chef working behind a magnificent counter, masterfully wielding his steel and copper pieces of furniture and artwork, almost as if they were props on a theatre stage.
The restaurant's large bay windows overlook the street outside, offering a view of the many passers-by (and very few cars), proof of the rich social fabric of this neighbourhood that elegantly combines listed historic buildings with a particularly warm human dimension.
| Best Western Premier Hotel am Borsigturm |
| Am Borsigturm 1, Berlin, DE, Berlin, Germany - 13507 |
| Phone: +49 (0) 30 43036000 Fax: +49 (0) 30 43036001 |
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