Rummel on the hasenheide

In 1964, the people of Berlin were breathing a sigh of relief. And breathed a sigh of relief. The airlift was behind them. No humming of the sultana bombers, neither during the day nor at night. Then the Wall was built. The division of Berlin was also very real in the minds, and especially in the hearts, of the citizens of East and West. Two family fathers (Hans Purwin & Harry Wollenschlaeger), seasoned showmen, came up with the idea of doing something about the mood in the city (West Berlin): to organise a festival for the whole family - in the GREEN. In the Jahnpark - on the Hasenheide.

Thilo Wollenschlaeger
(In 1989 he took over the traditional Wollenschlaeger Fairground business in the fifth generation)


Rummel auf der Hasenheide
A photographic memory

For around 15 years, I accompanied the ‘Rummel auf der Hasenheide’ with my camera - first analogue, later digital. It was my own way of teaching myself photography: through observation, through return, through attention to detail.

The fair was more than just a folk festival - it was a place of magic, a piece of home that has stayed with me since my childhood. Every year, at the end of April, a childlike joy would awaken in me: ‘The fair is coming.’

But since 2022, the meadow has remained empty. No more laughter, no sea of light, no scent of candy floss in the air.

This exhibition is my attempt to keep the memory alive - of a time that was enchanting.
To a place that is part of Neukölln's history - and part of my own.