Landmark West Berlin café reopens

The new management of Café Kranzler is serious about coffee. Under the famous red and white awnings on Kurfürstendamm, "Single Origin Coffees" will be sold at manual coffee filter stations. Milk will not be available. Those seeking a cappuccino will be directed to the espresso machine that has been imported from Seattle. A cup of coffee and a slice of cake will cost between three and four euros ($3.2 - 4.3).

The terrace and the distinctive red and white rotunda will offer perfect views of the traffic bustle dominated by yellow city buses, as well as neon signs and building sites. 

A café with tradition

The original Café Kranzler was established by Austrian-born Johann Georg Kranzler in 1835 on Unter den Linden, with the current branch opening in Charlottenburg almost a century later, in 1934.

During the Battle of Berlin, the café on Kurfürstendamm was badly damaged by the end of the Second World War, while the original café was completely destroyed.

The café on Kurfürstendamm opened for business again in 1951, becoming a famous tourist attraction in the British sector of the divided city. 

New start

The post-war Café Kranzler, with its distinctive red and white rotunda was a popular haunt for Berliners and foreigners alike. Now the café looks to become the talk of the town again as it reopens.

Berlin insiders will surely discuss whether the area surrounding the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is too urban and ugly or if it is as hip and vibrant as it was in the past. Ralf Rüller, the new manager, is looking forward to the challenge of making the famous West Berlin café popular again. 

ak/sb (dpa)