A question for those who know about Berlin in the 60's.
Jun 10th, 2010, 05:35 PM
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A question for those who know about Berlin in the 60's.
I remember a nightclub which had a water show---fountains spurting--and also telephones at the tables with which one could call an occupant at another table. Does anyone remember this club?
Just curious.
Just curious.
Jun 11th, 2010, 12:05 PM
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Berlin gets a little less attention here than the other big cities of Europe do. Some time back, I posted a question about Berlin and it went absolutely no where. Peg, since there is little thread to hijack, I will just tell a little about when I was in Berlin.
It was long, long ago, before the wall came down. We flew in on an American military flight and stayed at the Armed Forces hotel at the airport.
During those days, when we traveled it was one of our things to find a Chinese restaurant in every city we visited. I remember the one in Berlin was in a high rise building and named something like Peach Garden.
And Berlin seemed very dramatic in those days.
It was long, long ago, before the wall came down. We flew in on an American military flight and stayed at the Armed Forces hotel at the airport.
During those days, when we traveled it was one of our things to find a Chinese restaurant in every city we visited. I remember the one in Berlin was in a high rise building and named something like Peach Garden.
And Berlin seemed very dramatic in those days.
Jun 11th, 2010, 01:00 PM
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You might want to post your question over on Toytown. This is a website for English speakers that live in Germany. There are a lot of oldtimers who have lived in Berlin since ages, and they might be able to help you out with your questions from that era.
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/...p?showforum=84
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/...p?showforum=84
Jun 11th, 2010, 08:00 PM
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In 1964 we three Aussie maidens drove our Mini Minor into Berlin, arriving in the dark with hostels full, and so having to pitch our emergency tent-camp - when we woke in daylight it was right under an East German watch tower - weird experience.
We didn't go to any nightclubs there, but later, we did go to one in Cologne, which had the telephone system you mention. We were dumbstruck! There was a fabulous conga-line dance there, which went out the back, through the kitchen, down the street and back into the original place through another nightclub. Ah! Memories of youth!
In Berlin, we (dareingly for us) changed money 4 to 1, illegally, as everyone apparently did, instead of the legal 1 to 1, so we had lots of money to spend in the Ostzone, but had to account for the little that we had changed legally, so couldn't buy goods. We had a really great meal, and haircuts etc with the balance.
Being pharmacists, we visited the Schering factory, and were treated to a lovely meal, and got to meet the manager. It was when the Pill had just been introduced, and he wanted to know what we thought about it in Australia. It was unbelievable to us, that we could cross over into the East, but this top executive was unable to visit his mother, who lived there.
Going back next month!
We didn't go to any nightclubs there, but later, we did go to one in Cologne, which had the telephone system you mention. We were dumbstruck! There was a fabulous conga-line dance there, which went out the back, through the kitchen, down the street and back into the original place through another nightclub. Ah! Memories of youth!
In Berlin, we (dareingly for us) changed money 4 to 1, illegally, as everyone apparently did, instead of the legal 1 to 1, so we had lots of money to spend in the Ostzone, but had to account for the little that we had changed legally, so couldn't buy goods. We had a really great meal, and haircuts etc with the balance.
Being pharmacists, we visited the Schering factory, and were treated to a lovely meal, and got to meet the manager. It was when the Pill had just been introduced, and he wanted to know what we thought about it in Australia. It was unbelievable to us, that we could cross over into the East, but this top executive was unable to visit his mother, who lived there.
Going back next month!
Jun 11th, 2010, 09:16 PM
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I found a folder in an old scrapbook of mine that sounds like the place you are asking about that I visited in 1959 called Ballhaus Resi. It reopened in May of 1951 It had dancing fountains inside also a Table-Phone system to call other tables if you wanted to talk to someone. In the evening it had pneumatic-Table Mail-Service where you could write a note to someone at another table and it would go to a central location and then be forwarded to the table you sent it to. it was like what the Department Stores used to use.
Nov 13th, 2010, 01:59 PM
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xjerseyguy: I'm looking for a very old post about Spain, and I just discovered your post. That sounds exactly like the place we visited. I didn't have the nerve to talk to any other table or send a message either.
Nov 16th, 2010, 09:46 AM
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My first visit to Berlin was just a few months before the Berlin wall went up (I was 12 years old). We took the overnight train across East Germany into West Berlin. Tensions were high, and the Russians/East Germans halted our train several times--we would look out the windows and see soldiers lined up on both sides of the train--standing at attention with weapons at the ready.
We had one of the last official US Army tours into East Berlin--the bus had bars on the windows and we had 4 armed MPs on the bus with us (not that they could have done much if anything happened). My most vivid memories of the East Berlin tour were some sort of huge war memorial with goose-stepping guards, and the false fronts on buildings that had not been demolished or repaired after the war.
Anyway, one evening my parents and another couple went to Ballhaus Resi, and they talked about it for years afterwards.
We also attended the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1960--I think the tickets were about $5 and we stayed in a Gasthaus for $10 a night.
We had one of the last official US Army tours into East Berlin--the bus had bars on the windows and we had 4 armed MPs on the bus with us (not that they could have done much if anything happened). My most vivid memories of the East Berlin tour were some sort of huge war memorial with goose-stepping guards, and the false fronts on buildings that had not been demolished or repaired after the war.
Anyway, one evening my parents and another couple went to Ballhaus Resi, and they talked about it for years afterwards.
We also attended the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1960--I think the tickets were about $5 and we stayed in a Gasthaus for $10 a night.
Apr 22nd, 2011, 11:10 AM
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The Ballhaus Resi where you saw the water show was in fact the second Ballhaus Resi. The original opened in 1928. Even then it contained a water show, telephones on each table and what I believe to be the first mirror balls(Disco balls). My grandfather, Otto Przystawik created much of the technology for the facility. You c an see a photo here: http://www.waltzingwaters.com/experience.shtml
You may also remember Liberace touring with the Dancing Waters shows. These shows were manufactured by by grandfather and father
I continue the water show legacy with Waltzing Waters Inc and have installed state of the art water shows known as Liquid Fireworks throughout the world.
You may also remember Liberace touring with the Dancing Waters shows. These shows were manufactured by by grandfather and father
I continue the water show legacy with Waltzing Waters Inc and have installed state of the art water shows known as Liquid Fireworks throughout the world.
Jun 22nd, 2012, 12:06 PM
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In 1962 I traveled to Germany by Freighter and one of the first places I visited was Berlin. My friend and I stayed in a Pension on Kurfurstendamm Strasse. We met some American soldiers and agreed to meet them at the Resi Ballhaus that evening. We got there first and were given the flag (USA) of our country when we came in the door. We found a table and put the little flag in a holder on the table. All the tables were arranged around a big dance floor that had a stage at one end. We were joined by a couple of men from Sweden who also posted their flags and finally the two soldiers showed up. It was a tiny table and the room was crowded. If you saw someone you wanted to talk to you could use the phone on the table. There was also a pneumatic tube (Rohrpost)and you could insert a message and whisk it off to another table. We danced until the floor show began. The floor show appear on the stage area and water shot out of the stage floor in patterns and colors accompanied by music (organ, I think). I was 21 at the time and had a wonderful time. There was no alcohol that I can remember? Well, I didn't drink anyway.
