Well. I knew there was a seedy underside to Berlin somewhere - and here it is. As part of my study of public spaces in Berlin for my thesis, Gorlizter Park was on my list. Its a big park, with a lot of parts. The north end is surrounded by hipster hangouts, a very nice church tower and an Ubahn station. Lots of people coming and going. There is also a hill with a swimming pool buried in the middle of it. One side has a glass jewelbox viewing window, the other side a particularly ugly curved concrete facade that looks to be left over from the GDR days. One would hope that the bulldozer will one day remove that hideous blot of concrete. There are 3 old buildings nearby that seem to be relics of a railroad past. Nice structures - one is a restaurant (Das Edelweiss) and one is marked 'clubhouse'. They are simply covered in graffiti. Sad really. There is an odd concrete construction facing the restaurant that seems to be either the worst designed amphitheater ever, or a failed fountain that now kinda serves that purpose. Not sure. Odd. Graffiti is an epidemic here. For some reason the lower half of the park has this yellow brick wall in many places that simply invites spray paint. There are no police to be seen. Lots of people out with strollers and dogs, even on a drizzly weekday late afternoon. Older folks walking about - and - drug dealers. I was warned in advance - but the blatant nature of the activity was rather surprising. Above Oppelner Strasse is mostly open and/or active recreation. Below, towards the river, is designed to offer a more 'natural' green experience. There is a strange depression in the middle that serves no purpose, and at Oppelner is a fountain that was inoperative. Perhaps due to the season. Dunno. Heres the strange thing: Right at the entrance, on either side of the fountain, are two grottos with benches and heavy vegetation/shielding for these spaces - its as if the designers ASKED the pot dealers how to set it up best for them and they did. Absolutely the dumbest thing I have ever seen in a park. One guy on a bike was simply convinced I was his newest customer. He gave up after two or three entreaties. It seems he was a runner for the dudes hanging in the grotto - I saw him going there and off again a couple of times. Clearly, attitudes about drugs are more relaxed here, but this park suffers greatly I think from the obvious disorder of street level drug sales and graffiti. Even with all that, given the location and size of the park, I'm guessing that in summer its a very busy place. read more

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This is not a park to bring your children to play. Not at all. Berlintronix's review basically got it spot on. Görlitzer park does have an interesting history though, which I suppose contributes to it's current crappiness. It was the former site of Görlitzer Station, which connected West Berlin to East Germany, which after the wall was put up obviously became somewhat pointless, so they tore down the (beautiful) remains of the bombed-out station and half-heartedly turned the space into this park. In the centre of the park is the remains of an underground tunnel that lead into the station. It seems kinda weird that they just left it here. At the west-most end of the park is an indoor swimming bath, and outside next to it is a half-demolished water park. I don't quite understand what happened here, as it can only possibly have been built 30-40 years ago, but it looks like the ruins of some ancient civilisation. Weird. All in all a crappy place to bring children, but an interesting place to visit. I recommend checking out the cafe/bar Das Edelweiss which is at one end of the park. read more

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This is a park in the loosest sense of the word. If they called this Görlitzer Meeting Ground or Görlitzer Big Open Space, I would give it a higher rating. But park? No way. I didn't think Berlin parks could get any worse than Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg. I was wrong. At least Mauerpark has an good excuse for being crap - it's in East Berlin and is located directly on the former deathstrip. But as Görlitzer park is in West Berlin, one would think it would be a little better. Nope. I was honestly shocked by the state of it. Rotting grass, garbage and ugly concrete everywhere. There has been absolutely zero attempt at making it even remotely attractive. It's really one of the worst parks I've seen anywhere in the world. However, if I was rating this place on availability of drugs, it would get 5 stars. There are dealers absolutely everywhere. If you want grass in Berlin, this is the place to go. At a rough estimate, I would say there were at least 20 dealers out in the open when I was there. read more

Görlitzer Park - Parks Near Me - Berlin, BE

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I've many fond memories of Görlitzer park, setting off rockets at new year when I was in my teens and early 20s, unfortunately it seems in the last 5 or 6 years it has only gotten worse and worse. The guys who used to deal used to be very polite, simply not making eye contact, or a simple no thanks and they'd be no hassle at all. But now crossing the park is like running a gauntlet. Even to the point where I see the dealers step out in front of cyclists. Definitely avoid at night these days, there have been a few recent incidents and it's not safe. During the day it's fine if you don't spook easily. The real shame is it's splitting the Kiez into two areas separated by the park, especially at night when most folk don't want to cut through, it means a sometimes lengthy detour. I feel for the businesses on both sides being affected. read more

The infamous Gurly! I love this place because literally no one gives any f*cks about what they look like or bothers one another. One thing that I find a bit annoying is that on weekends, one side of the park smells like it's on fire, which is the part with lots of shade, while the other is super nice and quiet (no massive smoke cloud) with basically no shade. I mean it could be worse. As well, the pot dealers can be hustling but they don't bother me. This park may be a bit rough but I find it very unique and Berlin. read more

Lived nearby and this park as part of my exercise path. Ran through it daily for a month. I became familiar and never felt the fear some folks are referring too. There is a fine Biergarten with decent food located within the park. It was pretty crowded with customers enjoying the ample food. Many people sitting on the lawns making the scene. I walked through the park often at night and was never hassled. Yes there are guys selling drugs but they are there to conduct their business and if you have minimal street smarts you can avoid any issue. read more

Many reviews already of this "park" so I won't go into great detail, but .... Read the reviews that (for some strange reason) are marked "Not Recommended". They're mostly in German but by-and-large they describe it as full of drug dealers (aggressive ones, too) and dog feces. Not a place to spend any quality time, unless of course you're in the market and want to purchase from some exceedingly seedy characters. It's such a shame because with a little effort from the community (that pays taxes for the upkeep of parks) it could be a very nice open space; a space where you could actually take your kids. Nearby businesses for the most part are suffering because of this blight. I stayed right next to this park, and although I'm a 6'2" male, I didn't venture here too often. Definitely not at night. No police in sight most of the time; just lots of dealers pestering you continually to buy their wares. read more

I spent a Monday afternoon in the park on my first ever trip to Berlin. The park is no different than many other urban parks around the world, people hang out, play ball, play frisbee, get stoned, sell drugs etc. I live in Vancouver, particularly East Van and we have this kind of activity in parks here also, in fact it made me feel at home in the middle of Berlin. I loved the park, I loved the vibe, I loved the variety of languages and cultures on display. I don't do drugs and the wafts of pot smoke did not bother me either. I was not approached by any drug dealers at all. Berlin drug dealers are like Berlin prostitutes - making eye contact is tantamount to a conversation - same here in Vancouver ! read more