Harry Bresslau Park, Berlin, Germany

In 2012, the “Boulevard Berlin” replaced the outdated “Wertheim” department store with a modern shopping experience next to the Harry Breslau Park. The park’s name was changed in 2008 to honour a Jewish politician from the National Liberal Party who was a staunch opponent of Heinrich von Treitschke, the anti-Semite after whom the Treitschkestraße was named.

Over the years, the park has developed into a spacious grassy area with valuable mature trees. These positive attributes were emphasized in the plan for the redevelopment of the park, as the trees were integrated into the design and the grassy areas improved by seeding. The new pathways follow the course of the existing beaten paths, producing naturally curving spaces in which the play areas invite a wide range of age groups – sand and playground equipment for small children, and a football field, a climbing wall, basketball and ping pong tables for adolescents. These new elements attract attention with fresh colours and curved forms.

The Treitschkestraße, a former thoroughfare, is transformed into a covered retail passage, creating a new boulevard along the park and giving the city quarter a revitalized appearance. A pocket park with various genii of maple trees display their bright colours in the fall and connect the boulevard to the neighboring Hackerstraße.