Skip to content
The Needle: Berlin

  • —> Guide for Moving to Berlin
  • Privacy
  • Contact
Berlin and German Politics
Joseph Pearson 20/09/201323/06/2018

The Needle’s 2013 German Federal Elections Roundup

It’s time to vote in Germany this weekend and you might have been wondering what issues are on the plate

Read More
Foodie Berlin
Joseph Pearson 15/09/201323/06/2018

The Berlin Brunch all’Italiana, at Brio

NOTE: Alas, the brunch at Brio has been suspended until further notice.  There’s no such thing as brunch in Italy.

Read More
Berlin and German Politics
Joseph Pearson 13/09/201323/06/2018

Unemployed Spanish Youth in Berlin

I came across this street-art poster the other evening near Kottbusser Tor in Kreuzberg. It’s entitled Emigro (‘I emigrate’ in

Read More
Places in Berlin
Joseph Pearson 07/09/201323/06/2018

The Bridge of Neglected Lions

It is late summer and you wander through the garden of beasts, the Tiergarten, along the waters of the Neuer

Read More
Living in Berlin
Joseph Pearson 31/08/201323/06/2018

Gentrification Alert: Wedding

At dinner last night on Schoenleinstraße in Kreuzberg, I was surrounded by people who live in Wedding and love it.

Read More
Trips from Berlin
Joseph Pearson 24/08/201323/06/2018

Weekend Trips from Berlin: Toruń’s Gothic in Poland

The small city of Toruń escaped the Second World War miraculously undamaged. When you approach from the rail station across the

Read More
Berlin History
Joseph Pearson 17/08/201323/06/2018

The Peacock Island… and sex in Arcadia

Frisky as a rabbit, Frederick William II (1744-1797) was called by some der Vielgeliebte (the much loved), and by others

Read More
Foodie Berlin
Joseph Pearson 11/08/201323/06/2018

Markthalle 9, Kreuzberg: The Puzzle of Street Food Thursday

A recent phenomenon in Kreuzberg are the crowds piling into the old Markthalle 9, an unrenovated market hall of more

Read More
Berlin History
Joseph Pearson 08/08/201323/06/2018

Why We Participated in the 1936 Nazi Games: Lessons for Sochi

I am a historian teaching undergraduates at New York University in Berlin and today I was asked, walking in the

Read More
Berlin History
Joseph Pearson 04/08/201323/06/2018

Exhuming German War Dead in the East

On Saturday, a new official war cemetery was inaugurated near Smolensk Russia for some 30 000 fallen German soldiers retrieved from

Read More
Berlin and German Politics
Joseph Pearson 01/08/201323/06/2018

Snowdenstraße, 10967 Berlin

Spotted this afternoon on what was once Schoenleinstraße, Kreuzberg: a political art action renaming the street Snowdenstraße, after the American

Read More
  • ← Previous
  • Next →

Explore The Needle

  • Places in Berlin
  • Berlin History
  • Living in Berlin
  • Berlin and German Politics
  • Opinion and Politics
  • Berlin Arts
  • Foodie Berlin
  • Gay and Queer Berlin
  • Trips from Berlin
  • Blog Posts on The Needle

About the Author

 

Joseph Pearson is a writer and historian based in Berlin. His non-fiction portrait of Berlin was published in 2017. He published a second book, My Grandfather’s Knife, about how everyday objects tell World War Two stories, in 2022. His writing has appeared widely in the press, literary and academic journals, and has been translated into German, Italian, French, Arabic, and other languages. Born in Canada, he was educated at Cambridge University, UK, where he received his doctorate in history in 2001. He works at New York University, Berlin, and at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Since 2008, he has written The Needle, which has become one of Berlin’s most popular blogs. For professional inquiries please contact his agency, Peters Fraser Dunlop, email him directly   joseph [AT] cantab.net, or visit his professional website: josephpearson.ca

What is The Needle?

The changing meanings of The Needle are the inspiration for these pages. Above Alexanderplatz is Berlin’s television tower. The Needle surveilled the city during East German times like a threatening eye; then its meaning changed after the Berlin Wall fell. Berliners now think of the tower as a giant disco ball flirting with the city lights––a symbol of sex, electronic music and youth culture. This bi-weekly documents the Berlin Renaissance today, mindful of a dramatic and terrifying history. Berlin is Europe’s most exciting city, and The Needle is here to share.

Never miss a post!

If you'd like to sign up to be notified by email when there's a new post on The Needle, you can do so here.
Loading

Recent Comments

  • Ronnie Gonzalez on Why so many Germans Dislike Spicy Food
  • Berlinblog.dk on What’s Changed in Berlin in a Decade? Ten Years of ‘Moving to Berlin’
  • Suzy on Revolt on the Admiralbrücke, Kreuzberg
  • Elain on The Rise and Fall of Berliner Schnauze
  • Joseph Pearson on Turks but not Berliners?
  • Steph on Turks but not Berliners?
  • RudyTrudy on The Rise and Fall of Berliner Schnauze
  • Partitions & Resonances on A Secret Plan in Rix Café
  • Joseph Pearson on What’s Changed in Berlin in a Decade? Ten Years of ‘Moving to Berlin’
  • Max on What’s Changed in Berlin in a Decade? Ten Years of ‘Moving to Berlin’

Berlin Links

  • Architecture in Berlin A blog about buildings in the city
  • Berlin Poche Berlin en français!
  • Boulezian Classical Music Blog, with much on Berlin
  • Cabaret Berlin Exploring the entertainment world of Weimar Berlin
  • Expats Blog compendium of expats’ blogs
  • German Way Resources for the German-speaking lands
  • Il Mitte Online Magazine about Berlin in Italian
  • Kreuzberged Xberg–A Love and Hate Relationship
  • Neuköllner.net (German language) Nifty Neukölln weekend round-up
  • Sand: Berlin Literary Journal A literary journal based in Berlin
  • Slow Travel Berlin Meander through the city…
  • Sugarhigh: Design, Eat, Love Berlin
  • Then We Take Berlin Off-beat Berlin Blog
  • Überlin tips on the best places
  • Wednesday Chef Berlin Foodie Blog

Archives

Copyright © 2025 The Needle: Berlin. All rights reserved.
Theme: ColorMag by ThemeGrill. Powered by WordPress.