Berlin is a loud, vibrant city. This already lamented Kurt Tucholsky almost 100 years ago. Radau, as the Berliner used to say, is today an integral part of Berlin's center.
These sounds can be euphoric or cause other, positive feelings - but also be perceived as disturbing noise. This decides in the consciousness of the listener. Already the philosopher Seneca came to this realization in the noisy Rome about 2000 years ago. The real problem is not the noise, but the unrest of the soul, he wrote. Grandeur over the noise is for him a sign of greatness.
And Adalbert Stifter found some 150 years ago in his essay entitled "Häusermeer", a metaphor that was gratefully picked up. Because only the sea produces a noise in nature that is comparable to the incessant noise and buzzing of the big cities. Some speak romantically of the "surf" of the city, others feel "flooded" by the "flood" of noise. And here we are again with Seneca; in the individual perception of the individual.
And the Luise lies there like a "beach house" in the middle. And it is not a staged parallel world of steel and glass, with thick carpets and tinted glazing. It was founded in 1995 as an artist project, as "Künstlerheim Luise", in a historic city palace from 1825 and has since developed into a hotel. Directly at the Hochbahn Viaducts, where the Berlin S-Bahn connects the west of Berlin with the east.

Much has been done in recent years to minimize the impact of this. For example, a new building shields the courtyard from railway noise and soundproof windows that can not be opened effectively protect the rooms from the railway side.
However, if one looks into the evaluation portals of the Internet, one could get the impression that railway noise is a general problem in the Luise. The ratings range back to the year 2006 and only 0.18% of our guests have since been there railway noise thematized. And we have made a lot of efforts in recent years to better meet the needs of our guests.
However, despite all efforts, there are still perhaps 3 rooms (out of a total of 50 rooms), in which the "surf" of the city lulls the guest to sleep. And here the noise-sensitive guest can make use of the earplugs which are prepared as a precaution in the rooms.
So that future guests can get an impression about it, we recorded this soundcheck. Here you have the opportunity to hear the "Sound of Luise" at 11 points in the house. From the lobby over the staircase of the old building to a representative selection of rooms, where we also selected the rooms, which were perceived by some guests as loud (204, 205 and 304). Recorded was unadulterated and at maximum noise (if available). Then you hear a correspondence sound (TV, music, etc.) for comparison.
Soundcheck Luise - Only in space is it really quiet *
 
* In the nonfiction book of the same name, journalist and author Sieglinde Geisel explores people's ambivalent relationship to the sounds of their environment. Definitely worth reading! Published by Galiani Verlag, Berlin. & Nb