East Central is a trendy, bohemian, artistry area that consists of Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg (sometimes called Prenzlberg). The western district Kreuzberg was merged with the east Berlin district Friedrichshain in 2001. They both have a rather poor population (high unemployment rate) and they are a habitat to a young and alternative, often politically left oriented crowd. Both districts feature a very heterogenous architecture, from whole quarters of 19th century apartment houses to functional and not very pleasant 60s and 70s residential building blocks. As the districts were separated by the wall, you notice also some differences.
The remaining part of the wall between Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg is the longest still existing one in Berlin. Prenzlauer Berg has changed considerably since reunification, transforming from deserted apartment houses into a lively area for students, artists, and young people — if they or their parents can afford it. Rents have risen extremely in the last years. Usually empty apartments nowadays in this area aren’t rented out but sold away, transformed into luxurious lofts or hostel rooms.
Kreuzberg is one of Berlin’s most eclectic districts, home to a unusual mix of left-wing punks, anarchists, gays, creative artists and Turkish immigrants, the last of which make up a third of the population and have earned the area its occasional nickname Little Istanbul. The district has gentrified to a considerable extent in recent years, with dot-coms, marketing agencies, designers, German and international kids from wealthy backgrounds moving into renovated lofts and spacy apartments, but there are still plenty of kebab joints, funky nightclubs, and pictures of Abdullah Öcalan gazing down from Communist Party of Kurdistanpropaganda posters.
Getting in
The main entry point for Kreuzberg is Kottbusser Tor, the U-Bahn station on line 1 and 8. The U-Bahn line 1 is the backbone crossing the borough from east to west. The main gateways for Friedrichshain are the S-Bahn stations Ostkreuz and Warschauer Strasse. There are frequent U- and S-Bahns to the main tourist central in Friedrichshain, e.g. the Berlin Wall East Side Gallery close to the «Warschauer Strasse» station. The best and fastest way to get into Prenzlauer Berg is either the U-Bahn Eberswalder Strasse or the S-Bahn Schönhauser Allee.
To see
Kreuzberg
- Jüdisches Museum Berlin (Berlin Jewish Museum). Designed by Daniel Libeskind with an excellent exposition on the Jewish life in Berlin and the impact of the holocaust.
- Martin-Gropius-Bau, Niederkirchnerstraße 7 | Stresemannstr. 110, tel +49 30 254 86-0.
- Topography of Terror . This museum documents the terror applied by the Nazi regime.
- Oranienstrasse— A street full of shops, cafes and restaurants.
- Bergmannstrasse— Like Oranienstrasse a street full of shops, cafes and restaurants, but in the other, more middle-class part of Kreuzberg.
- Görlitzer Park. 150-200m along the Wiener Straße (bypassing the fire house and the public swimming pool) from U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof, the park is famous for the Turkish families barbecuing on summer weekends, failed contemporary art and relaxed atmosphere of students.
- Landwehrkanal. Take a stroll for a few kilometers along this canal which runs right through the heart of Kreuzberg. It’s peaceful and mostly traffic-free, but full of life in summer. Some parts are lined with bars and restaurants with terraces. Sit on a bench or terrace and watch the world go by on a summer evening.
- Berlinische Galerie
- Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin . Huge technical museum, featuring among many other things an exhibit about computer pioneer Konrad Zuse’s work, a collection of old locomotives, and the interactive SPECTRUM science center with various hands-on experiments.
Kreuzberg is known for its innovative and good value restaurants. The variety of immigrants can be witnessed in the corresponding restaurants. The following have been recommended in a fast changing market.
Budget
- Morgenland, Skalitzer Str. 35 (U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof), tel. 030 611 3291. Oriental breakfast buffet on weekends (reservation essentiell!), restaurant and bar every day with good food for mid-range prices.
- Nil. Sudanese fast food shop, serves excellent falafel and other Arabic snacks together with its famous peanut sauce.
- To Loc, Wiener Str. 61. Indochinese cuisine. The best Asian kitchen so far. Highly recommended by a local.
- Hannibal, Wiener Str. 69 (U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof), tel. 030 611 5160. Famous for its burgers and weekend buffet breakfast, good cocktails in the evening.
- Tiki Heart, Wiener Straße 20, tel. 030-61 07 47 03. Innovative and creative Asian, Polynesian and South American breakfast.
- Cream, Schlesische Straße 6, tel. 030-61 07 49 80. Urban coffee house culture with own breakfast creations linked to the film «Herr Lehmann» and own coffee creation!
- Meyman, Krossener Str. 11a, ☎ +49301638061636, . Su-Th noon-2am, Fr-Sa noon-3am. Kurdish restaurant, Small tables with candlelights, full view of the kitchen €7.
- Yellow Sunshine, Wienerstr. 19 (near Görlitzer Bahnhof), . This vegetarian diner offers «bio fast food»: soya burgers, organic french fries and currywurst made of seitan. To be enjoyed with freshly-squeezed fruit juice or a Bionade soft drink!
Friedrichshain
- Karl-Marx-Allee The main street of former East Berlin. It is a big avenue, featuring neoclassical DDR buildings, fountains and lakes.
- East side gallery, the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall still in existence, painted by artists in 1991 (but nowadays rather run down). At Mühlenstrasse, next to the river Spree. Note that the murals are painted on the eastside of the wall after the fall of Communism; so they are not from the Cold War, during which murals could only be painted on the west side. The gallery is close to the Ostbahnhof S-bahn station on the west side and the Warschauer Straße S-bahn station on the east side.
- Make sure not to miss the famous mural of a car seemingly crashing through the wall with Brezhnev and Honecker kissing above it. It is actually on the back side of the gallery (it is facing away from the street.) It is just inside the entrance of the Eastern Comfort Hostel, near the east end of the gallery.
- Oberbaumbrücke, arguably the most beautiful bridge in Berlin and the only connection between Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.
- Der Maerchenbrunnen the Fountain of Legends at the Volkspark Friedrichshain
- Boxhagenerkiez The area around Boxhagenerplatz is filled with bars, cafes and small shops. Boxhagenerplatz itself is a small park with a playground and a cafe, and the nearby Simon Dach Strasse is filled with cheap bars and restaurants. At the weekend you can find many places that serve the famous, cheap Berliner brunch. On Sundays there is a small flea market worth strolling around.
Source: Wikitravel Overnatting East Side Gallery Deutsche Oper Berlin Brandenburg Gate Brandenburg Gate Marzahn