Music.  Street fights. Parades. Pagans. Peace.

Across the globe countries celebrate the International Worker’s Day on the first of May. In Germany, this day has a delicate background that still has a strong impact in 2010.

"May 1" Poster hanging on a building

If we take a brief look at German history, May Day was first celebrated in 1919 as a one-time holiday under the leftist revolutionary government. Only in 1933 under the Nazi dictatorship did this day became an annual national holiday. After the end of World War II in 1945, the allies decided to keep the holiday on the calendar as an anti-nationalist, peaceful day.

Lady under the Engine Hood

Yesterday, I rediscovered Berlin’s hippest district: Kreuzberg. Initially, this post was solely dedicated to interesting bookstores in Kreuzberg, but on my expedition through the streets, I came across a lot more than just bestsellers and second-hand books.

Let me begin with a brief recapitulatation of Kreuzberg’s history. Kreuzberg, which means “cross-mountain“, is divided into two area codes. During the time of the Berlin Wall, three quarters of the southeastern part, also known as SO36, were closed off from the rest of Berlin. In this rather isolated area, the people living here cultivated their own culture. The majority of the people were foreigners, embracing the new symbiosis of Turkish, Persian, African and German culture. Today, more than 180 nationalities live in Kreuzberg, which makes this district a rare melting pot. On my search for interesting bookstores, I discovered a retro garage, a Persian candy factory and, of course, books en masse.