KCR XMAS WINTER FINAL print adjusted Dec 28. lower res - Flipbook - Page 38
Oriana. Berlin
Kreuzberg9s only 5-star hotel melds historical fascination with contemporary comfort.
As one of Berlin9s edgier neighbourhoods, Kreuzberg embodies pre-uni昀cation
de昀ance and liberalism. It has a punky, gritty vibe, with cheap, cheerful eateries
and kebab stores, interspersed with dive bars and gra٠恩tied facades.
Orania.Berlin9s graceful lines are even more elegant in this setting. Stepping from
Oranienstraße into its reception and restaurant area, you9re immediately swathed
in rich colours: deep red, burnt orange, tawny yellow and petrol blue, with the
textures of natural wood, chocolate leather and tan suede complementing the
warmth.
The building was designed in 1912, on commission from Merchant and City Councillor Leopold Jacobi. Although the upper 昀oors were o٠恩ce spaces, the ground
昀oor was dedicated to eating and drinking, in Café Oranienpalast. Soon, guests
began to enjoy concerts in the café - a tradition that9s carried on today, with local
artists taking to the curved, piano-topped stage for the entertainment of guests
and non-residents alike.
Where o٠恩ces were once located, you9ll now 昀nd 41 beautifully decorated rooms,
ranging in size from a petite 17sqm to a sprawling 339sqm loft, which houses a
Steinway B piano and features open 昀replaces and roomy balconies, with views of
Berlin9s cityscape. Others look over Oranienplatz and Oranienstraße, or the inner
courtyard, if you want complete removal from the hubbub of Kreuzberg.
You can9t miss the elephant motif as you travel through the hotel: it features on
soft furnishings from restaurant cushions to the wall-mounted fabric headboards
in the bedrooms. I9m informed that it features also at Orania.Berlin9s mother hotel,
Schloß Elmau, which is in the Bavarian Alps. Hannibal, it is said, travelled over
these mountains with an elephant, making them a 昀tting symbol for the property
3 as well as the fact that Schloß Elmau9s owner, and partner of The Orania.Berlin
spent many years living in India and, quite simply, loves the fabric.
I spent quite some time sitting in the window, just watching city life unfold
beneath me. It was a late September day, bright and sunny with just a hint of
Autumn and, overlooking the green of the Platz, I had a view of dog walkers and
cyclists criss-crossing its open space, as well as a clutch of policemen having stern
words with a solitary man. My room had a pleasant ability to make me feel that I
was simultaneously in the thick of everything, and in a bubble of luxe comfort.
In a city with a past as troubled as Berlin9s, it9s astonishing that the building
survived World War II undamaged, reinventing itself more than once over the following years, shapeshifting from a furniture store to a restaurant and pool hall. In
1995, a few years after the fall of the Wall, the building was registered as a national
monument; in this same year, and somewhat paradoxically, the 昀rst 昀oor became
a club called 8Trash,9 known for its hardcore music, with performances from the
likes of Rancid, Marilyn Manson and Overkill.
Such cacophonous excesses seemed 3 thankfully 3 a world away that evening, as I
drank an imaginative cocktail at the bar accompanied by piano music. Once ready
to eat, I was guided to my table to choose from a menu replete with Asian in昀uences: if you9re dining à deux, try the four-course X-berg Duck (or 8vuck9 if you9re
vegetarian) menu, for ¬77 per person. Presided over by chef Philipp Vogel, Orania.
Restaurant well deserves its mention in the 2023 Michelin Guide: every mouthful
of my meal (duck gyoza and edamame cod) is perfection.
Despite its polish, Orania.Berlin hasn9t forgotten the neighbourhood it inhabits,
and the breakfast menu 3 complete with champagne and cocktails, alongside
options such as shakshuka; homemade granola with fresh berries; potato rosti
with smoked salmon and poached egg, and avocado toast 3 is available daily from
6.30am to 2pm. Whether travelling for business or leisure; whether just home
from a night out, or 昀nally surfacing in one those wonderfully comfortable rooms
in the afternoon, Orania.Berlin has you covered.
orania.berlin
Oranienstraße 40
10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Sarah Rodrigues