Visited on: Sunday 5th March 2017
Bob Thompson
When I first thought about the name of this pub. I thought of the word Borse in terms of a money or stock exchange. This made me wonder why such a place would be located in the far suburbs of eastern Berlin.
Of course it just means market. It opened in 1903 as a co-operative wholesale livestock market. It was known as Magerviehhof Friedrichsfelde. Friedrichsfelde is the district to the south of the location.
The market sold beef cattle, horses, pigs, sheep and geese to the butchers of Berlin who took them away live. They arrived by railway as the market was on the line from Berlin to Wreizen. A new passenger station was also created as well as a Post Office and Gasthaus (pub with letting rooms).
The market traded uneventfully until the end of the war in 1945. It was then in the Russian zone of divided Berlin and the passenger station closed in that year.
The Red Army moved in and it was often used for them to rehearse the parades that were such a feature of the German Democratic (sic) Republic era. However the Soviet Army moved out eventually and the site fell into a slow decline. The railway past the site closed for through traffic in 1971 yet it was still accessible from the north as the line became an industrial siding.
Dereliction was creeping through the buildings and they came under national historic protection in 1995. This enabled the structures to be used for other purposes but not demolished. Nothing much happened until 2014 when the main buildings were converted into a very plush exhibition, conference and events centre. As part of this project a small brewery with an associated pub (Braustube) was incorporated.
On this particular day I arrived just before midday having walked from the tram stop at Beilsteiner Strasse and I had completely forgotten that it opened at 10.00 on Sundays. What’s more, as they do a buffet brunch, the place was packed with families eating. The waiter said the only seating was outside so I ordered a beer and he brought it to me.
Winter had just started its change to Spring so the temperature wasn’t so bad. I had arranged to meet Patrick here and I hadn’t even taken a gulp of beer when he arrived, having walked from the S-Bahn station at Friedrichsfelde Ost. There was evidence that the few wooden tables and benches outside are augmented in Summer months to provide a full biergarten.
I went back into the building to use the facilities and on way got to look at some of the rooms used for seminars, conferences, concerts, etc. All were very well appointed and it was interesting to see the largest hall was full of tables where model war gamers had set up their miniature battlefields. I did not discover the brewery but this is a large complex.
On the menu there was just one beer from the in-house brewery: Marzahner Pils which we had and liked very much, being quite bitter. They also sold the ubiquitous Berliner Pilsner. Within the Alte Börse complex there is another brewery: Bierfabrik. This is housed in a single level building opposite the pub (see photo, above right). There were three of their draught beers on offer: Bierfabrik Dunkles (dark), Bierfabrik Helles (light) and Bierfabrik Wedding Pale Ale. We had the Helles and the Pale Ale and both were very worthy beers.
Although the Alte Börse Bierstube is a bit off the beaten track it is worth the time taken to get there as it offers some interesting and pleasant beers not easily found elsewhere.
Important Information:
Alter Börse, Beilsteiner Strasse 51-85, 12681 Berlin-Marzahn. Tel: 030 554 75132
Monday-Friday: 17.00-22.00; Saturday: 11.00-22.00; Sunday: 10.00-22.00
I believe that the above times are for Winter. I think the hours are longer in the Biergarten months.
The Beilsteiner Strasse stop is on tram route M8. It runs every ten minutes.
This is a useful route as it serves the Springpfuhl S-Bahn station on lines S7 and S75. It also runs through the Mitte district in centre of the city and continues to the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station).
The stop is in the Allee der Kosmonauten (Avenue of the Cosmonauts).
Beilsteiner Strasse intersects it at this point. From the stop go back in the direction of the city centre.
Turn left into Beilsteiner Strasse. Continue along this street until you reach Kröver Strasse.
Turn right into the pedestrianised section of this street. You will immediately see the pub.
Another way is to go on the S-Bahn to Friedrichsfelde Ost, then the 194 bus to the Kröver Strasse stop. Cross the road into Kröver Strasse and keep walking. The pub will be in front of you.
Of course, you walk all the way from Friedrichfelde Ost station.
If you are in any doubt if you are walking in the right direction, look for the tall chimney behind the pub.
