Hotel Oderberger

Hotel Oderberger is one of the most unusual hotels in Berlin. It occupies a listed former public bathhouse on Oderberger Strasse in Prenzlauer Berg, designed in 1898 and opened in 1902 to give the residents of this crowded working-class district somewhere to bathe and swim. After standing empty for around 30 years, the building was restored and reopened as a boutique hotel, with its grand neo-Renaissance swimming hall brought back to life.

The pool is the heart of the hotel. Set in a tall hall with arched windows and historic details, it is a beautiful place to swim, and it is one of the main reasons people choose to stay here. Check the hotel's website or ask at reception for current pool times, as the hall is also used for public swimming sessions and events, and the pool can be covered over for functions.

The hotel has 70 rooms, five tower suites and two apartments. Rooms combine the high ceilings and solid structure of the old building with clean, modern design, and the tower suites offer more space and character. The apartments are useful for longer stays or for families who want extra room. The building also hosts events, which is another sign of how the old bathhouse has returned to public life.

The Oderberger suits couples, families and travellers who want a characterful, mid-range base in a residential neighbourhood with plenty of cafés and restaurants nearby. It is a good alternative to the large hotels of Mitte, while still being well connected. Rates are moderate for the quality, and it is worth booking early for summer weekends.

Berlin built many public baths around 1900, when most apartments in districts like Prenzlauer Berg had no bathroom of their own, and few have survived in such good condition. Staying here, and swimming in the same hall that local families used more than a century ago, gives a real sense of the city's social history. Even if you do not swim, it is worth asking whether you can take a look at the pool hall during your stay.

The hotel is a few minutes' walk from Eberswalder Strasse station on the U2, and trams along Kastanienallee and Bernauer Strasse run towards Mitte. Oderberger Strasse is lined with cafés, including Bonanza Coffee, and Mauerpark, with its Sunday flea market, is at the end of the street. The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, Prater Garten on Kastanienallee and Konnopke's Imbiss are all within ten minutes on foot.