Alt-Hohenschönhausen (, literally ''Old Hohenschönhausen'') is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') in the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
(''Bezirk'') of
Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.
Overview
The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin's ...
, Berlin. Known also as Hohenschönhausen it was, until 2001, the main and the
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous locality of the former
Hohenschönhausen
Hohenschönhausen () was a borough of Berlin, that existed from 1985 until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform. It comprised the localities of Alt-Hohenschönhausen (the core of the borough), Neu-Hohenschönhausen, Malchow, Wartenberg and Falken ...
borough. In 2008 the population was in excess of 41,000.
History
Early history
The earliest evidence of settlement in Alt-Hohenschönhausen are from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, and when the settlement history of the wider Berlin area is taken into consideration, there could have been settlements there since 10,000BC. Alt-Hohenschönhausen was first mentioned in 1230. In the initial centuries of the
Common Era
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
the area was mainly inhabited by the
Sprevane
The Sprevane or Sprevani (; Slavonic: ''Sprevjane'') were a Slavic tribe who lived around the river Spree, where Berlin is now, in the Brandenburg area of eastern Germany. They were first recorded in 948 and again in 965 as living in the territ ...
and
Hevelli
The Hevelli or Hevellians/ Navellasîni (sometimes ''Havolane''; german: Heveller or ''Stodoranen''; pl, Hawelanie or ''Stodoranie''; cs, Havolané or ''Stodorané'') were a tribe of the Polabian Slavs, who settled around the middle Havel river ...
tribes. By the 13th century the area had been colonised by Germans, particularly from the settlement of
Schönhausen
Schönhausen (Low Saxon: ''Schöönhusen'') is a municipality in the district of Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Elbe-Havel-Land.
Geography
The village is situated on a ...
, during the
eastward migration and settlement of Germans in the medieval period. By the 14th century, the prefix ''Hoh'' (high) was added to the name of the village to distinguish itself from the southerly village of
Niederschönhausen
Niederschönhausen (, literally "Lower Schönhausen") is a locality (''Ortsteil'') within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Pankow in Berlin, Germany. It is also known as "Pankow-Schönhausen" to differ it from Hohenschönhausen in Berlin-Lichtenberg. Fr ...
. The first definitive written record of Hohenschönhausen is from an official certificate to ''Conradus de Schonehusen'', dated 19 August 1284.
Effects of War
Thirty Years' War
From 1626 Hohenschönhausen was affected by the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
. Apart from the Swedish forces who were passing through the area, the troops of
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...
also plundered the area and its surroundings, with only the village church remaining undamaged. The result of this was a large-scale desertion of the area by its inhabitants and widespread famine. In the following years,
The Plague and other epidemics were reported, including a plague of locusts in 1651. As a result of these factors, the village had lost 58% of its inhabitants by the mid-17th century.
Seven Years' War and Industrialisation
Hohenschönhausen was affected by the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, and was plundered by Austrian and Russian troops after
Frederick the Great's defeat at the
Battle of Kunersdorf
The Battle of Kunersdorf occurred on 12 August 1759 near Kunersdorf (now Kunowice, Poland) immediately east of Frankfurt (Oder), Frankfurt an der Oder (the second-largest city in Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia). Part of the Third Silesian War and t ...
. From 1817 the village and the surrounding estates were under the control of the local state councillor,
Christian Friedrich Scharnweber. Under his tenure and those of his successors, Hohenschönhausen began expanding along the road to Berlin. Apart from the settlements, at this point cereals were also widely grown and, after the easing of restrictions in 1810, milled on-site. As the 19th century progressed and Germany
began to industrialise, Hohenschönhausen benefitted from investment in infrastructure, such as the opening of an electric
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
line in 1899, and a brewery which opened in the early 1890s.
Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany
Amalgamation with Berlin
With the
Greater Berlin Act
The Greater Berlin Act (german: Groß-Berlin-Gesetz), officially Law Regarding the Creation of the New Municipality of Berlin (german: Gesetz über die Bildung einer neuen Stadtgemeinde Berlin), was a law passed by the Prussian state government i ...
of October 1920, Alt-Hohenschönhausen officially became incorporated as part of Greater Berlin within the Weißensee district. Along with the rest of the city, Hohenschönhausen saw food and housing shortages throughout the
financial crisis
A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and man ...
of the mid-1920s.
Nazi Germany
The district was broadly left-wing in the early 1930s; when the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
took power in 1933, the majority of residents were members of the social democratic parties, the
USPD
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was establish ...
and the
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been t ...
. Nevertheless, more than 100 local civil servants were
replaced by officials more favourable to the Party on 7 April 1933. After the pogroms of
Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
on 9 November 1938, only some isolated Jews were still allowed to carry out their business, among them was Hohenschönhausen doctor
Victor Aronstein
Victor Aronstein (1 November 1896 – 13 January 1945) was a History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish medical doctor whose practice in Alt-Hohenschönhausen, Berlin served as a meeting place for Communism, communists and Social Democratic Part ...
, whose waiting room served as a secret meeting place for communists and social democrats until 1939. In 1938 the district's synagogue was completely destroyed by the Nazis; its location is now the site of a memorial to the persecuted Jews of Hohenschönhausen.
Post-war History
Capitulation
Together with
Wartenberg,
Falkenberg
Falkenberg is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran (river), Ätra ...
and
Marzahn
Marzahn () is a locality within the borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin. Berlin's 2001 administrative reform led to the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf fusing into a single new borough. In the north the Marzahn locality inclu ...
, Hohenschönhausen was one of the first parts of Greater Berlin to be capitulated by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
in the evening of 21 April 1945. Like most of Berlin, the immediate problems facing the area included outbreaks of
Typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure.
...
and
Shigellosis
Shigellosis is an infection of the intestines caused by ''Shigella'' bacteria. Symptoms generally start one to two days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and feeling the need to pass stools even when the bowels are emp ...
, a lack of gas and electricity, and widespread homelessness and orphancy. By the end of the summer of 1945, schools had re-opened and
Hohenschönhausen Castle
Hohenschönhausen Castle (German: ''Schloss Hohenschönhausen'' or ''Bürgerschloss Hohenschönhausen'') is a manor house in the borough Alt-Hohenschönhausen in Berlin, Germany. It is owned by the ''Association Hohenschönhausen Castle'' and lis ...
began functioning as a hospital, which continued until 1989. At around the same time, the
Soviet secret police
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
took over a building in an industrial area formerly occupied by the
Nazi welfare organisation, the NSV,
and converted into use as a
detainment and transit camp for prisoners of war, which continued to be used until the beginning of the fall of the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
in 1989.
Hohenschönhausen as part of the GDR
On 18 June 1953 more than 1,000 residents of Alt-Hohenschönhausen took part in the
mass uprising which spread throughout the country. Like most of the country, the district saw a reduction in its population up until 1961 when the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
was built. In the 1970s the district was expanded with the construction of new high-rise apartment buildings. Thanks to the secretive nature of the prison in Hohenschönhausen, a large part of the district where the facility was located was left blank on official maps.
Post-1989 History
After
Die Wende
The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...
in 1989, East and West Berlin
merged
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
to form the federal state of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
in 1990. On 1 January 2001 the former borough of Hohenschönhausen, consisting of Alt-Hohenschönhausen as well as the localities
Neu-Hohenschönhausen
Neu-Hohenschönhausen (, literally ''New Hohenschönhausen'') is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. Until 2001 it was part of the former Hohenschönhausen borough.
History
The locality, still inha ...
,
Malchow
Malchow () is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany.
Geography
It is situated on the river Elde, 25,5 km west of Waren, and 35 km north of Wittstock.
History
The site ...
,
Wartenberg and
Falkenberg
Falkenberg is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran (river), Ätra ...
, was merged with the borough of
Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.
Overview
The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin's ...
into the contemporary borough of Lichtenberg.
[Historical chronicles of Alt-Hohenschönhausen on the official website of Berlin]
/ref>
Geography
Position
Alt-Hohenschönhausen is situated on the Barnim Plateau The Barnim Plateau is a plateau which is occupied by the northeastern parts of Berlin and the surrounding federal state of Brandenburg in Germany.
Boundaries and Subdivision
Boundaries
The limits of the plateau are easily definable. The souther ...
in the northeast of Berlin. It borders on the localities of Neu-Hohenschönhausen
Neu-Hohenschönhausen (, literally ''New Hohenschönhausen'') is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. Until 2001 it was part of the former Hohenschönhausen borough.
History
The locality, still inha ...
, Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.
Overview
The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin's ...
, Fennpfuhl
Fennpfuhl () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. With a population of 30,932 (2008) in an area of , it is the second most densely populated locality in Berlin (14,591/km²) after Friedenau.
Hist ...
, Marzahn
Marzahn () is a locality within the borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin. Berlin's 2001 administrative reform led to the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf fusing into a single new borough. In the north the Marzahn locality inclu ...
(in Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Marzahn-Hellersdorf () is the tenth borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf.
Geography
It is situated in the northeast of Berlin. Marzahn-Hellersdorf borders to the Berlin boroughs of Lichtenbe ...
borough) and Weißensee (in Pankow
Pankow () is the most populous and the second-largest borough by area of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow. P ...
borough).
Subdivision
The district is divided into 8 zones (''Viertel''):
* Dorfkern
* Gartenstadt
*Märkisches Viertel
Märkisches Viertel (, ''MV'') is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Reinickendorf in Berlin. Its name refers to the March of Brandenburg (german: Mark Brandenburg).
Overview
It consists of a large housing estate of a ...
* Siedlung Dingelstädter Straße
*Siedlung Malchower Weg
Siedlung, a German word meaning settlement, may refer to several places:
Austria
*Überlendner-Siedlung, a village in Upper Austria
Germany
*Siedlung (Dessau), a quarter of Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt
*Siedlung Eichkamp, a zone of Berlin
* Siedlung Ne ...
* Villenviertel am Oranksee
* Weiße Taube
* Wilhelmsberg
Culture
Hohenschönhausen Castle
Hohenschönhausen Castle (German: ''Schloss Hohenschönhausen'' or ''Bürgerschloss Hohenschönhausen'') is a manor house in the borough Alt-Hohenschönhausen in Berlin, Germany. It is owned by the ''Association Hohenschönhausen Castle'' and lis ...
is located in Alt-Hohenschönhausen. The ''Association Hohenschönhausen Castle'' cares for the restoration and cultural revitalization of this manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
and regularly organizes different events in the castle, such as exhibitions, readings, and concerts.
Transport
Personal transport
The road network in Alt-Hohenschönhausen focuses mainly on some of the historic major roads of the Berlin network, such as Main Street ''(Hauptstraße)'' and Konrad Wolf Street ''(Konrad-Wolf-Straße)''. According to some estimates, daily traffic on some of the busiest roads in the area can reach 32,000 movements.
Public transport
The district is served by the M4, M5, M6, 16, M17 and 27 lines of the Berlin tram network and by the ''S-Bahn
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...
'' stations Berlin Gehrenseestraße ( S75 line) and Berlin Hohenschönhausen (S75 + DB).
Photo gallery
File:Dorfkirche Hohenschönhausen 04.jpg, Protestant Tabor Church
Tabor Church (german: Taborkirche) is the church of the Evangelical Tabor Congregation, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The church building is located in Wrangelkie ...
on the main road
File:Hohenschönhausen Hauptstraße 01.jpg, Main road
File:Berlin Obersee.JPG, The Obersee lake
File:Hohenschönhausen Gartenstadt 01.jpg, Gottfriedstraße in Gartenstadt
File:Hohenschönhausen Flusspferdhof 01.jpg, The ''Siedlung Flusspferdhof''
See also
*Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial
The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial (german: Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen) is a museum and memorial located in Berlin's north-eastern Lichtenberg district in the locality of Alt-Hohenschönhausen, part of the former borough of Hoh ...
References
Further reading
* Anke Huschner: ''Geschichte der Berliner Verwaltungsbezirke. Hohenschönhausen.'' Band 15. Stapp Verlag, Berlin 1995, .
* Bärbel Ruben: ''Hohenschönhausen wie es früher war.'' 1. Auflage. Wartberg Verlag GmbH, 1999, .
* Walter Püschel: ''Spaziergänge in Hohenschönhausen.'' Haude & Spenersche Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Berlin 1995, .
* Peter Erler, Hubertus Knabe
Hubertus Knabe (born 1959) is a German historian and was the scientific director of the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a museum and memorial in a notorious former Stasi torture prison in Berlin. Knabe is noted for several works on oppression ...
: ''Der verbotene Stadtteil. Stasi-Sperrbezirk Berlin-Hohenschönhausen.'' Jaron Verlag, 2004, .
External links
Alt-Hohenschönhausen page on www.berlin.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alt Hohenschonhausen
Localities of Berlin
*