Prenzlauer Berg
With long streets lined with classic residential facades, green avenues, small parks and fashion shops, Prenzlauer Berg is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in the city - and one of the most desirable to live in. Formerly located in East Berlin, the suburb with its apartment blocks was extensively renovated and modernised after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since then, there has been a steady influx of newcomers, making the neighbourhood one of the trendiest in the city.
Get to know your neighbourhood
Markets and shopping facilities
Kollwitzstraße is home to an organic market on Saturdays and Thursdays with organic produce, food, crafts and the occasional street artist (the weekend market is bigger). A real highlight is the flea market in Mauerpark, which takes place every Sunday in the area next to the park and where you can shop for everything from vintage clothing and vinyl records to delicacies from all over the world, such as Japanese pancakes, Italian sandwiches and sugar cane juice from Costa Rica. However, the main attraction is not the market itself, but the festival atmosphere in Mauer Park, where you can find picnics, spontaneous basketball games or new murals, as well as live bands, street artists and acrobats trying to wow the crowds. The biggest draw is the karaoke event in the Bärengrube, an amphitheatre, with several hundred visitors. This happy tradition seems to continue, despite complaints from neighbouring residents about the noise.
Nightlife
There's a great bar on every corner in Prenzlauer Berg. Beckett's Kopf is one of them. You can enjoy high-quality drinks made from exquisite ingredients in comfortable upholstered armchairs. The spirits come from selected micro-distillers. Those in the mood for entertainment are in good hands at the Zum Starken August bar. The crowd here is as mixed as the interior. Events such as porn karaoke, a bingo evening and burlesque shows take place here regularly.
Cafés and restaurants
Every corner of Prenzlauer Berg has its own charm. Around Kollwitzplatz, named after the German artist Käthe Kollwitz, there are trendy bars and restaurants everywhere. Nearby is the Prenzlauer Berg water tower, Berlin's oldest water tower (now a residential building). There is a small park at the base, but around the tower are a number of special restaurants that have long been part of the Berlin scene - including "Pasternak", which serves Russian food. If you head north along Rykerstrasse from there, you will find coffee houses and cafés to the right and left along the side streets.
Another favourite place for locals and tourists alike is Oderberger Straße and the surrounding streets. Vintage clothes shops are everywhere here, many displaying their fashions on outdoor clothes racks on the pavement. There are also numerous popular restaurants and bars, for example in the "Bonanza" (they also have a roastery in Kreuzberg). Nearby is the "Prater Biergarten", which is said to be the oldest beer garden in Berlin. It's a great place for a drink or sausage in the sun after work. Access is through an alley from Kastanienallee and there is plenty of space to lock up a bike.
Further north is Helmholtzkiez, around Gethsemane Church, where streets such as Pappelallee, Lychenerstraße and Stargarder Straße are full of restaurants and cafés, including the ice cream parlour Hokey Pokey, one of the city's most popular ice cream parlours.
Art and culture
Prenzlauer Berg lacks museums, which you are more likely to find in neighbouring Mitte. But there are a number of interesting cultural venues, you just have to know exactly where: Bars and small clubs regularly organise concerts. The Kulturbrauerei, for example, has several venues, including a theatre and a cinema as well as dance clubs. And open-air performances and markets take place on the large central square. If you want to look into other worlds, you can visit the Zeiss Großplanetarium, one of the largest star theatres in Europe.
Parks and leisure
Prenzlauer Berg has many small parks and playgrounds throughout the district. Sports fields can be found in Volkspark Friedrichshain or Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. Those looking for some solitude amidst the hustle and bustle of the city will find it in Leise Park, which was opened in 2011 on the site of a former cemetery. It's a perfect place to read a book or take a walk to recharge your batteries.
Transport and location
Prenzlauer Berg is located to the north of Mitte and has good underground, tram and long-distance transport connections. Trams run westwards through Mitte to the main railway station or eastwards to Friedrichshain and Warschauerstraße on the border with Kreuzberg. The underground line U2 connects to Alexanderplatz in Mitte and then continues to West Berlin, including Schöneberg and Charlottenburg. Meanwhile, the S-Bahn runs to the west and east and offers connections to both Berlin airports.
Did you already know?
The district of Prenzlauer Berg is a popular place to raise children and has one of the highest birth rates in the whole of Germany.
Prenzlauer Berg
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