COOL in Berlin; German capital at the cutting edge.

Byline: by TORI MAYO

UNTIL the Wall came down in 1989, it was hard to imagine spending a funky weekend break in a German city to catch up on the latest European trends in fashion and music.

All that changed with the collapse of Communism and dramatic re-emergence of Berlin, as the city became a natural Mecca for bohemians, alternative lifestyle seekers, squatters, hedonists and anarchists alike.

Today this edgy, 24-hour party city is famed as the birthplace of techno and the old stomping ground for rock legends David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Nick Cave and, more recently, supergroup U2.

My partner and I booked a four-day break while Berlin hosted Popkomm, the annual music industry trade fair showcasing international and domestic live bands and DJs in venues across the capital.

Our base was The Ellington, a design hotel dating back to the 'roaring twenties', noted for its rich musical heritage and something of an entertainment venue since 1949 when it hosted the Badewanne club, then Berlin's most important jazz spot, with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Duke Ellington among the performers.

Today, as a listed building and venerable city landmark, The Ellington maintains its music connections, with an in-house jazz radio station, a jazz brunch every Sunday and black and white photographs of the forefathers of jazz on most walls.

On our first outing, we walked through Breitscheidplatz and were struck by the sight of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche, a church severely bombed during World War Two.

The main building was restored as a memorial chapel, while the jagged remains of the spire still pierce the sky to dramatic effect.

It's a grim reminder of the ghastly experience of war.

Our first stop on the U-Bahn (subway) was Zoologischer Garten. Berlin partisans U2 named their album Zooropa and the track Zoo Station after this busy interchange, a salubrious meeting point for prostitutes, runaways, and drug addicts in the 1970s and 1980s.

Above ground, we visited one of the many memorials to Jewish Holocaust victims. Peter Eisenham's Denkmal Fuer Die Ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial To The Murdered Jews of Europe) consists of hundreds of concrete blocks built on an undulating floor.

The experience of walking between the blocks is very moving.

From here we headed for the symbolic Brandenburg Gate. Initially called the Friedenstor (Gate of Peace), it stood at the centre of a huge no-man's land between east and west, and was the focal point of wild jubilation when the Wall came down in 1989.

Keen to leave the beaten track and see parts of the former Communist zone, which are attracting a new generation of bohemian residents, we had dinner in Marktehalle, a Kruezberg institution.

This unassuming schnitzel restaurant and bar - owned by one of the founders of Tresor, Berlin's most renowned techno club - sits on a quiet, shabby, residential street and is hugely popular with locals.

We dined early to explore some German nightlife - assisted by Henrik Tidefjard of Berlinagenten, a lifestyle tour guide offering urban insider guidance and gastro tours of the city. His knowledge of the underground party scene was invaluable as our private tour ranged from boho Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, and hip Mitte in the east, to sophisticated Tiergarten in the west.

What makes Berlin's scene so special is its transient nature and DIY culture. It's constantly evolving as clubs, bars and galleries move from venue to venue, reshaping disused spaces.

To understand how the city's music history continues to evolve, we embarked on a comprehensive circuit of the city courtesy of Fritz Music Tours. With former recording engineer Thilo at the helm, we hurtled around to retrace the steps of numerous rock stars.

From the hotel where Michael Jackson famously dangled his baby, Prince Michael II from a third floor window, we moved swiftly on to the famous Hansa recording studios which used to overlook the Wall.

The building's main hall was used as a ballroom by the Nazis and later became the famous 'studio 2' or David Bowie's "big hall by the wall". Bowie and Iggy Pop made six albums between them at Hansa and more recently Supergrass and Snow Patrol have recorded there.

For four fascinating days, we criss-crossed the city exploring numerous bric-a-brac shops, record stores, stalls selling former GDR militaria and eccentric cafes on leafy streets, galleries and, of course, the not-so-subtle, circus-like Checkpoint Charlie.

A leisurely Sunday afternoon was spent in Boxhagener Platz's busy flea market in Friedrichshain, where a busker entertained the crowds with a marionette performing Nirvana's Teen Spirit.

Still evolving, Berlin is an absorbing glimpse of modern European history which you find nowhere else in our Continent.

As the buzz in avant-garde bars and bustling street cafes demonstrates, this is one of Europe's coolest cities.

TRAVEL TIPS

TORI Mayo's visit to Berlin was arranged with the help of the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) and she flew easyJet ex-Luton to Berlin Schoenefeld. Fares start at pounds 60 single. Easyjet reservations: www.easyjet.com.

She stayed at the Ellington Hotel, where standard double rooms cost 118 Euros (pounds 100.50) - 208 Euros (pounds 177).

Hotel reservations: 0049 3068 3152224 and www.ellington-hotel.com.

German National Tourist Office enquiries: 020 7317 0908 and www.germanytourism.co.uk.

CAPTION(S):

MUSIC MAGIC: The former Studio 2 at Hansa Studios in Berlin, where music legends such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop recorded and (inset top) the Kunstliche Beatmung bar and (inset bottom) retro goods for sale at Boxhagener Platz's busy flea market in Friedrichshain