Where else but Berlin can you find a road called, when translated into English, Street Street?
Chaussee is French, meaning a large road, and Strasse is German for street. This odd name came about from the fact that in the 18th century, French immigrants settled on this sparsely populated area north of the old town, and since there were no other main roads in the area, they built one and called it simply «The Street» or the «the Road.» As more Germans moved in to the area, not speaking (or not caring much about) French, they just attached their word for street onto the French name. Hence, we today have «Street Street.» Apart from anything else, this serves as a visible reminder that Berlin’s history has always been interwoven with immigration, integration, and certain wry humour. And its never dull!
Today’s Chausseestrasse runs from the north end of Friedrickstrasse where it intersects Torstrasse and heads north for just over a mile. It’s an area that offers a great insight into Berlin, is busy with locals rather than tourist crowds, and showcases the city’s history is subtle but important ways.
Chausseestrasse has been, over the centuries, a road to a better future for immigrants, a road to a powerful industrial future, a road to revolution, and during the Cold War division of the city, a road to nowhere, as the Wall cut the street in two. All of these episodes are the story of Berlin, writ in concrete and stone. Let’s take a quick tour from south to north, to showcase some of the highlights.
French Cemetery (Französischer Friedhof)
A cemetery is, I admit, an unusual thing to call a highlight. But this one is quite interesting. It’s the French Cemetery (Französischer Friedhof) on the western side of Chausseestrasse. Established in 1780, this is one of the oldest French cemeteries surviving outside of France and serves as a reminder of Berlin’s significant Huguenot community. French Protestants fled religious persecution in the late 17th century and brought their skills in crafts, architecture, and culture to Prussia, significantly contributing to Berlin’s development. The cemetery’s peaceful grounds provide a quiet contrast to the bustling street, with historical tombstones telling stories of prominent French-German families who shaped Berlin’s cultural landscape. The sense of peace and stillness have always been a source of grounding and reflection. For those who enjoy old burial grounds, this is a small but necessary stop.
Bertolt Brecht’s Home
Just a short distance further north, we arrive at Chausseestrasse 125, home to one of Germany’s most influential cultural figures. Bertolt Brecht, the revolutionary playwright and poet, lived in this building from 1953 until his death in 1956. After years of exile during the Nazi period, Brecht chose to settle in East Berlin, becoming a complicated symbol of intellectual life in the German Democratic Republic, wrestling as he did with approval and censure for the new communist state.
Today, the Brecht-Weigel Museum preserves his apartment almost exactly as it was, including his study with its distinctive sparse desk facing a blank wall—designed to focus his creative mind. The museum offers an intimate glimpse into the daily life of the man who transformed modern theater with works like «The Threepenny Opera» and «Mother Courage and Her Children.»
It’s rarely crowded and if you like visiting old flats, this one is a gem. I’ve always felt that if you want to get the feel of a city, visit these «apartment museums,» as they really give you a flavor for the past that you might miss by just walking around outside.
Borsig Headquarters Site
Almost directly across the street from Brecht’s residence, we find the site of the former Borsig company headquarters. While the main Borsig industrial works moved further north near what is now Borsigstrasse from here in the mid-19th century, this building continued to serve as the administrative center for one of Germany’s industrial giants. August Borsig established his company in 1837, specializing in locomotives and other heavy machinery. By the late 19th century, the company had produced thousands of locomotives, many exported globally, cementing Germany’s reputation for engineering excellence.
The architectural elements of this site hint at its corporate past, representing Berlin’s transformation during the industrial revolution and the power of the Borsig brand. The Borsig company’s impact on Berlin’s development and Germany’s industrial advancement was immense, making it a key player in European manufacturing for generations. Take a peek inside the foyer to get a further glimpse of that gilded age of breakneck development.
Spartacist League Monument
A short distance further north, we find a DDR-era monument visible through an iron fence near Chausseestrasse 121. This marker commemorates the founding site of the Spartacist League (Spartakusbund) in 1916. While the original building has been replaced by newer construction, this monument honors the spot where Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, and their allies broke from the Social Democratic Party to form a radical socialist group that would later become the foundation of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).
Named after Spartacus, leader of the ancient Roman slave rebellion, the Spartacists advocated for a soviet-style revolution in Germany. Their revolutionary vision, though ultimately unsuccessful, represented a powerful alternative path that Germany might have taken after the collapse of the monarchy. As it was, it finally came into exist decades after the meeting at this spot, and in due time passed into history itself. The isolated monument, visible through the iron bars of the gateway, always struck me as being quietly tragic, on many levels. This forgotten, little visited memorial seems to carry an awful lot of history on its slowly moldering shoulders.
Clash at Invalidenstrasse Intersection
Just beyond the Spartacist monument, we reach the critical intersection with Invalidenstrasse. This crossroads witnessed fighting during the German Revolution of 1918-19. In January 1919, government troops clashed violently with revolutionary workers and leftist groups here, as the new post-war Republic fought to establish control. What they ended up doing was machine gunning civilians who had been accidently caught up in the tumult. It wasn’t a good look for the new, post-kaiser order.
The echoes of gunfire and revolutionary slogans have long faded, but this intersection marked a crucial battleground in Germany’s tumultuous birth of democracy following World War I. The struggle that played out here directly connected to the Spartacists we just learned about, with the revolution’s leaders, including Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, meeting tragic ends shortly after the fighting at this intersection, in the western part of the city.
Federal Intelligence Service Headquarters
Continuing northward, we come upon the imposing modern complex of the Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst or BND) headquarters at Chausseestraße 96-99. Completed in 2019, this massive facility stands where a Communist-era stadium once stood, which itself was built on the grounds of a former military barracks where the lyrics for what later became the song «Lili Marleen» were written in 1915. Essentially a mournful poem/song about a soldier leaving his beloved and promising to meet, as once before, under the light of the streetlamp became a smash hit in the Second World War. The barracks, and the lamp, are long gone, but the song remains and you can look it up online and play it while standing here. The scenery may have changed immensely, but there is something haunting about hearing the words of the poem sung at the place where they were written.
Berlin Wall Crossing Point
Our walk concludes as we approach the intersection with Liesenstrasse, where we encounter one of Berlin’s Cold War sites. Here stood the Chausseestrasse border crossing. When the Wall suddenly divided the city on August 13, 1961, it cut directly across this street, transforming a normal urban thoroughfare into a heavily fortified boundary between ideological worlds.
Though less famous than Checkpoint Charlie, this crossing point served as a crucial gateway for travelers and diplomats. The east side featured the typical control buildings, watchtowers, and «death strip» designed to prevent escapes. Today, subtle markers in the pavement indicate where the Wall once stood, a reminder of Berlin’s 28 years of division. Stand here for a moment and imagine how this ordinary street corner once represented the front line of the Cold War, where families were separated and armed guards scrutinized every movement.
And that wraps up our stroll through Berlin’s past on one of its more important, yet largely unsung, roads. If you want to see the real Berlin beyond the big-name tourist sites, while still seeing places of huge historical and cultural interest, this is certainly a walk to consider.
