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Lola's Apartment
We don’t envy Franka Potente’s predicament as the titular Lola in Tom Tykwer‘s 1998 thriller ‘Run Lola Run,’ but you’ve got to admit, there’s no better way to see Berlin than by following her whirlwind tour of the city. Some creative cutting means that, unfortunately, it would be impossible to recreate her 20-minute run and see the same sites, but here are enough highlights from her tour of the city to fill a weekend.
See it all, after the jump…
Potente starts out in her mother’s apartment at 13-14 Albrechtstraße in Berlin-Mitte, the city’s center. To reach it, take the U-Bahn to the Friedrichstraße station. (Click here for a map of the Berlin subway system.)
That’s not the only U-Bahn station you’ll want to see on the trip. Be sure to pause for a photo under the overpass at the corner of Falckensteinstraße and Oberbaumstraße where Lola ran as a yellow U1 train passed overhead. While you’re here, keep an eye out for the Oberbaumbrücke bridge, a former east-west pedestrian passage way nearby Checkpoint Charlie — that’s where Lola runs under an arched bridge (you’ll find the same bridge in the ‘Bourne Supremacy’). Also worth checking out the Französische Straße U-Bahn station’s south enterance, that’s the one in the middle of the road.
Oberbaumsbrücke Bridge
From there head to the Deutsche Transfer Bank, where Lola’s father works. You’ll find it at the corner of Behrenstraße and Hedwigskirchgasse. The exteriors were played by Bebelplatz, a site best known for the 1933 Nazi book burnings, commemorated today with a memorial of a glass window looking onto rows of empty bookshelves. It is also home to the State Opera, Humboldt University and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral.
To see more of Berlin’s cultural side, follow Lola through the iconic Gendarmenmarkt, which features a 19th-century Konzerthaus, and two cathedrals dating back to the 17 hundreds — one German, one French. If you find yourself in the city, especially near Christmas, this is one spot you won’t want to miss.
Feeling lucky? Head to the casino, which can be found on the swanky Unter den Linden, but unlike Lola you’ll want to dress up. To find it look for where Unter den Linden meets Hinter dem Gießhaus, across from the German Historical Museum.
When all of this running around has left you tired, head to the Supermarket from the film. You’ll find it at the corner of Osnabrücker Straße and Tauroggener Straße in Charlottenburg, the city’s former British quarter. Just don’t make like Lola’s boyfriend Mani or you’ll have to deal with the Polizei.
To find out more about film in Germany, pick up Film + Travel from Museyon Guides, where Hannah Tucker is your guide to all things Deutsch.
images: Lola’s apartment, K_Gradinger/Flickr; Oberbaumbrücke, muckster/Flickr
