Who shaped Berlin · Part 11
Spanish Berlin: from the Civil War to the new generation
The story between Spain and Berlin runs from the Civil War of the 1930s through labour recruitment to the young generation that came after 2008. Here are the places where you can find it, and two institutes for Spain and Latin America.
1936 to 1939 the Spanish Civil War, commemorated by a memorial in Berlin
29 March 1960 recruitment agreement between West Germany and Spain
From 2008 many young Spaniards came after the economic crisis
Two institutes for Spain and Latin America, both with large libraries
Three chapters of one story
The first connection is a heavy one: in the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939, volunteers from many countries fought against Franco in the International Brigades, Germans among them, while the German Condor Legion fought on the other side. In the same period, the Spanish Embassy building was built in Berlin's diplomatic quarter by the Tiergarten from 1938 to 1943; after renovation from 1999 to 2002 it serves as the embassy again.
On 29 March 1960 West Germany signed a recruitment agreement with Spain, and many Spaniards came to West Germany as workers. A new chapter began after the economic crisis from 2008: as from Italy, many young people came from Spain to Germany, and Berlin was a destination for many of them. Add to that the Spanish-speaking world of Latin America, which has its own institute in Berlin.
Where to experience it today
01 Instituto Cervantes · Mitte
about 4 minutes on foot from Hackescher Markt S-Bahn station
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
The Spanish cultural institute at Rosenstraße 18 offers language courses and a cultural programme of films in the original language, concerts, talks, exhibitions and readings by Spanish-speaking authors. The library is named after Mario Vargas Llosa and lends books, films and newspapers from Spain and Latin America. The current programme is on the website.
02 Ibero-American Institute · Tiergarten
about 9 minutes on foot from Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park U-Bahn station or Potsdamer Platz
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
At the Kulturforum on Potsdamer Straße 37, the Ibero-American Institute of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation collects books, journals, maps and papers from Latin America, Spain and Portugal. According to the institute, its library is one of the largest in the world for these regions. There are also exhibitions, talks and concerts, and opening times are on the website.
03 Memorial to the German International Brigaders · Friedrichshain
about 14 minutes on foot from Strausberger Platz U-Bahn station
In Volkspark Friedrichshain, a memorial has commemorated the German volunteers of the International Brigades since 1968, with an over-life-size bronze figure by Fritz Cremer, a relief by Siegfried Krepp and an inscription plaque. The memorial dates from the GDR, which honoured the Spanish Civil War fighters as part of its founding history. In 1991 the figure was damaged in an attack, and it was restored and put back in place in 1992.
Good to know
- Meal times: visitors from Spain like to eat late. In Berlin many kitchens close around 10 pm, so it is worth booking at weekends.
- Embassy from outside only: the Spanish Embassy building on Lichtensteinallee is not a museum; a look from the street fits well into a walk through the Tiergarten.
- More from the series: the Italian chapter with the same story of a new generation is in part 8, and the memorial to Polish soldiers in the same park is in part 7.