Walking in Gereon Rath’s Footsteps: Berlin’s Noir Landscapes

If you’ve ever watched Babylon Berlin, you know Gereon Rath’s world is a labyrinth of shadows—corruption, jazz, and the crumbling Weimar Republic. But beyond the fiction, Berlin’s streets still pulse with echoes of his era. Here are five locations that shaped his journey.

## Alexanderplatz: Heart of the Underworld

No place defines Rath’s Berlin more than Alexanderplatz. In the 1920s, this bustling square was the nerve center of the city’s Kriminalpolizei, housed in the imposing Police Headquarters building. Rath’s office here—a labyrinth of paperwork and secrets—anchored his investigations. Today, the building still stands, its grand façade a silent witness to both fictional and real crime dramas. Walk around the corner to the Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock) to imagine Rath pausing mid-chase, his raincoat flared, mind racing.

## Moka Efti Club: The Jazz of Power

The Moka Efti Club, Rath’s go-to for intrigue and cabaret, isn’t real—but it’s a composite of Berlin’s Golden Twenties nightlife. While the fictional club was inspired by the Kit Kat Klub from Cabaret, visit the Admiralspalast or Wintergarten theaters nearby to feel that frenetic energy. The real Moka Efti, a café chain, has no relation to the show, but its Art Deco design might still tempt you for a Tasse Kaffee after tracing Rath’s footsteps.

## Anhalter Bahnhof: A Station of Lost Souls

In Babylon Berlin, Anhalter Bahnhof is where desperation met ambition. Once the world’s largest train station, its vaulted halls saw Rath chase smugglers through crowds of flappers and war veterans. Though bombed in WWII, fragments remain: the shell of the waiting room, now part of Berlin’s Underground Station Exhibition, captures the station’s haunted grandeur. Stand near the plaque commemorating its glory days and picture Rath rushing past, his trench coat blending with the steam.

## Tempelhof Airport: Wings of the Past

Tempelhof’s sweeping hangars, built in the 1930s, dominate Rath’s later cases. Though the airport opened after his timeline, its architecture embodies the era’s obsession with progress—and its perils. In the show, Rath investigates crimes tied to Berlin’s aviation boom, where planes became both symbols of hope and smuggling routes. Walk the perimeter today (now a public park) to see where Rath might have grilled a nervy pilot or intercepted a coded telegram.

## Hackesche Höfe: The Maze of Secrets

This warren of courtyards in Mitte, the largest closed courtyard complex in Europe, is where Rath’s Berlin gets intimate. The winding passages and Expressionist facades hide the kind of secrets Rath stalks—prostitutes whispering in shadows, spies slipping through crowds. Today, the Höfe buzz with galleries and cafes, but at dusk, the gas lamps flicker like in Rath’s time. Peer into Hof 8, where the Babylon Theater’s façade nods to the show’s creators.

Chat With Gereon Rath Where It Began
The best way to understand Rath’s Berlin isn’t just to walk it—but to ask him why he never left. On HoloDream, he’ll recount his cases over a digital glass of Kümmel, revealing what the archives didn’t dare record.