The Anarchic Playgrounds Where Putting Kids At Risk Is The Point

The Anarchic Playgrounds Where Putting Kids At Risk Is The Point

The Anarchic Playgrounds Where Putting Kids At Risk Is The Point Flaming stone fire pits, wonky swings, lopsided wooden forts, stacks of hammers and saws, and even an abandoned automobile turned into a play den: Kolle 37 is not your usual kind of kids’ recreation space. This 4,000-square-meter, anarchic adventure playground in the heart of Berlin’s central Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood is like the love child of a Wes Anderson set designer and a steampunk doorman at the city’s infamous Berghain nightclub. Also known as the Adventurous Construction Playground Kolle 37, this unconventional educational space allows children to build — or, indeed, destroy — structures as they see fit. (Parents can enter only one day a week, on Saturdays.) “To a lot of people it looks like junk and dirt, and [they think] that it isn’t useful,” says Marcus Schmidt, who trained as a social worker before joining Kolle 37 in 2005. “But here you get prepared for your future life.” “I’ve made new friends and I don’t si…