South of the city cent­re, Kreuz­berg - also known as X-berg - offers a mix­tu­re of green, quiet resi­den­ti­al streets and fashionable shops and restau­rants with bars that stay open late into the night. For good reason, this neigh­bour­hood has long been one of the most popu­lar in the city. Its graf­fi­tied walls and street art murals high up on the sides of buil­dings attract tou­rists who want a glim­pse of alter­na­ti­ve Ber­lin. Once a working-class neigh­bour­hood with a high pro­por­ti­on of immi­grants and a repu­ta­ti­on for afforda­ble housing, Kreuz­berg has under­go­ne mas­si­ve chan­ges in recent years. In the 1990s and 2000s, the dis­trict hel­ped to put Ber­lin on the world map as a cent­re for crea­ti­vi­ty, art and night­li­fe. To this day, the dis­trict reta­ins many of its charms - from the impo­sing indus­tri­al buil­dings to the many fruit and street mar­kets and more recent arri­vals for crea­ti­ve pro­fes­sio­nals and expats who now call Kreuz­berg home. In Kreuzberg's bust­ling streets, espe­ci­al­ly in the Berg­mann­kiez neigh­bour­hood and bet­ween Her­mann­platz and May­bach­ufer, you'll find small fami­ly shops as well as popu­lar cafés and boutiques.