Kreuzberg () is a district 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 ...
, Germany. It is part of the
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg () is the second borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former East Berlin borough of Friedrichshain and the former West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg. The historic Oberbaum Bridge, formerly a Berlin border cro ...
borough located south of
Mitte
Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding.
It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuzb ...
. During the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in 1990 it has become more
gentrified
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...
and known for its arts scene.
The borough is known for its large percentage of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, many of whom are of
Turkish ancestry. As of 2006, 31.6% of Kreuzberg's inhabitants did not have German citizenship. Kreuzberg is noted for its diverse cultural life and experimental alternative lifestyles, and is an attractive area for many, however, some parts of the district are still characterized by higher levels of unemployment.
The
counterculture
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...
tradition of Kreuzberg led to a
plurality of votes for the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
, which is unique among all Berlin boroughs.
Geography
Layout
Kreuzberg is bounded by the river
Spree
Spree may refer to:
Geography
* Spree (river), river in Germany
Film and television
* ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
* ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery
* "Spree" (''Numbers' ...
in the east. The
Landwehrkanal
The Landwehr Canal (german: Landwehrkanal), is a canal parallel to the Spree river in Berlin, Germany, built between 1845 and 1850 to plans by Peter Joseph Lenné. It connects the upper part of the Spree at the eastern harbour () in Friedric ...
flows through Kreuzberg from east to west, with the
Paul-Lincke-Ufer running alongside it. Other characteristics are the old
U-Bahn
Rapid transit in Germany consists of four U-Bahn systems and fourteen S-Bahn systems. The U-Bahn commonly understood to stand for Untergrundbahn (''underground railway'') are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while ...
line of the present-day U1, the
Görlitzer Park
Görlitzer Park (nicknamed "Görli") is a major park and recreation area in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. The 14-hectare park area contains, among other things, a petting zoo, several sports and football fields, and a small lake. At its north- ...
in ''SO 36'' and the
Viktoriapark
The Viktoriapark ( en, Victoria Park) is an urban park in the locality of Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. It opened in 1894.
It is situated on the ''Tempelhofer Berge'' range, forming the northern slope of the ground moraine Teltow Plateau, overloo ...
on the slope of the
Kreuzberg hill in ''SW 61''.
Subdivision
Kreuzberg is divided into 2 zones (''Ortslagen''):
*
Östliches Kreuzberg (''Berlin SO 36'');
*
Westliches Kreuzberg (''Kreuzberg 61'').
History
In contrast to many other areas of Berlin, which were villages before their integration into Berlin, Kreuzberg has a rather short history. It was formed on 1 October 1920 by 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 ...
providing for the incorporation of suburbs and the reorganisation of Berlin into twenty boroughs. The eastern Friedrichsvorstadt, the southern
Friedrichstadt
Friedrichstadt (; da, Frederiksstad) is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider approx. 12 km south of Husum.
History
The town was founded in 1621 by Dutch settlers. Du ...
, the western and southern
Luisenstadt
Luisenstadt () is a former quarter (''Stadtteil'') of central Berlin, now divided between the present localities of Mitte and Kreuzberg. It gave its name to the Luisenstadt Canal and the Luisenstädtische Kirche.
History
The area of the neighb ...
and the
Tempelhofer Vorstadt were merged into the new VIth borough of Berlin, first named ''Hallesches Tor''. On 27 September 1921 the borough assembly of Hallesches Tor decided to rename the borough after the
homonymous hill.
[Klaus-Dieter Wille, ''Spaziergänge in Kreuzberg'', Berlin: Haude & Spener, 1986, (=Berliner Kaleidoskop: Schriften zur Berliner Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte; vol. 32), p. 21. .] Kreuzberg, literally meaning ''cross hill'', is the point of the highest elevation in the Kreuzberg locality, which is above sea level.
[Muz-online.de](_blank)
retrieved on 21 March 2008 The hill is traditionally a place for weekend trips. It received its name from the 1821
Prussian National Monument for the Liberation Wars
The Prussian National Monument for the Liberation Wars (german: Preußisches Nationaldenkmal für die Befreiungskriege) is a war memorial in Berlin, Germany, dedicated in 1821. Built by the Prussian king during the sectionalism before the Unifica ...
by
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassica ...
within the
Viktoriapark
The Viktoriapark ( en, Victoria Park) is an urban park in the locality of Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. It opened in 1894.
It is situated on the ''Tempelhofer Berge'' range, forming the northern slope of the ground moraine Teltow Plateau, overloo ...
, built in commemoration of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. Except for its northernmost part, the quarter Friedrichstadt (established at the end of the 17th century), today's "Kreuzberg" was a very rural place until well into the 19th century.
This changed when, in the 1860s, industrialization caused Berlin to grow rapidly. This called for extensive housing – much of which was built exploiting the dire needs of the poor, with widespread land speculation. Many of Kreuzberg's buildings originate from that time. They were built on the streets laid out in the
Hobrecht-Plan
The Hobrecht-Plan is the binding land-use plan for Berlin in the 19th century. It is named after its main editor, James Hobrecht (1825–1902), who served for the royal Prussian urban planning police ("Baupolizei").
The finalized plan "Bebauun ...
in an area that came to be known architecturally as the
Wilhelmine Ring.
Far into the 20th century, Kreuzberg was the most populous of Berlin's boroughs even in absolute numbers, with more than 400,000 people, although it was and still is geographically the smallest. As a result, with more than 60,000 people per square kilometer (155,000 people per square mile), Kreuzberg had the highest population density in Berlin.
Kreuzberg became a district of migration during the late 19th century when Berlin began growing rapidly as an economic and cultural hub. Before World War II, it was home to a diverse population, with a large portion of the population being
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
. Central to Kreuzberg Jewish life was the
Fraenkelufer Synagogue
The synagogue on Fraenkelufer (german: link=no, Fraenkelufer Synagoge) in Berlin's Kreuzberg district was built as an Orthodox Synagogue between 1913 and 1916 according to plans and under the direction of the master builder of the Jewish Commun ...
, with a capacity of 2000. This Synagogue was destroyed during
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 ...
, as were numerous Jewish businesses and property.
The vast majority of Kreuzberg's Jews were deported to their deaths between 1942 and 1944 by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
during
The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, and their houses and businesses were seized and given to ethnic Germans.
The
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin (''Jüdisches Museum Berlin'') was opened in 2001 and is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. On of floor space, the museum presents the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day, with new focuses ...
stands in Kreuzberg, and many
Stolpersteine can be seen on the Kreuzberg streets, commemorating the murdered Jews who lived in the area.
In addition to housing, Kreuzberg was also one center of Berlin's industry. The "export quarter" along Ritter Street consisted of many profitable small businesses, and the "press quarter" along Koch Street (
Friedrichstadt
Friedrichstadt (; da, Frederiksstad) is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider approx. 12 km south of Husum.
History
The town was founded in 1621 by Dutch settlers. Du ...
) was the home of most of Germany's large newspapers, as well as the
Ullstein,
Scherl, and
Mosse Mosse may refer to:
Ethnic Groups
* Mossé of Burkina Faso Medicine
* Bartholomew Mosse (1712-1759), Irish surgeon and founder of the Rotunda Hospital
* Markus Mosse (1808-1865), German physician
Literature
* Hans Lachmann-Mosse (1885-1944), Germ ...
book publishers.
Both industrial quarters were almost entirely destroyed by
air raids during World War II, with the American bombing by over a thousand aircraft on 3 February 1945. In remembrance of the old tradition, the
Axel Springer
Axel Cäsar Springer (2 May 1912 – 22 September 1985) was a German publisher and founder of what is now Axel Springer SE, the largest media publishing firm in Europe. By the early 1960s his print titles dominated the West German daily press ma ...
press company erected its German headquarters at Kochstraße again, right next to 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 ...
.
In July 1945, most of the then district was assigned to the American Sector. The most important transition to East Berlin was Checkpoint Charlie after the Wall was built.
After World War II, Kreuzberg's housing rents were regulated by law which made investments unattractive. As a result, housing was of low quality, but cheap, which made the borough a prime target for immigrants coming to Germany (and Berlin).
Starting in the late 1960s, increasing numbers of students, artists, and immigrants began moving to Kreuzberg. Enclosed by 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 ...
on three sides, the area became famous for its alternative lifestyle and its
squatters
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
, especially the ''SO 36'' part of Kreuzberg. Starting in 1987, there have been violent riots in ''SO 36'' on Labour day.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Kreuzberg suddenly found itself in the middle of the city again. The initially cheap rents and high degree of 19th century housing made some parts of the borough more attractive as a residential area for a much wider (and richer) variety of people. Today, Kreuzberg has one of the youngest populations of all European city boroughs; statistically, its population has been swapped completely twice in the last two decades.
Berlin's 2001 administrative reform
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federated states (city state). Since the 2001 administrative reform, it has been made up of twelve districts (german: Bezirke, ), each with its own administrative body. However, unlike the municipaliti ...
combined Kreuzberg with
Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjacent to Mitte, Prenz ...
to form the new
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 ...
of
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg () is the second borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former East Berlin borough of Friedrichshain and the former West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg. The historic Oberbaum Bridge, formerly a Berlin border cro ...
. Since the two areas are linked only by a single bridge over the
Spree
Spree may refer to:
Geography
* Spree (river), river in Germany
Film and television
* ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
* ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery
* "Spree" (''Numbers' ...
River, the
Oberbaumbrücke
The Oberbaum Bridge (german: Oberbaumbrücke) is a double-deck bridge crossing Berlin's River Spree, considered one of the city's landmarks. It links Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, former boroughs that were divided by the Berlin Wall, and has ...
, The two areas not being able to agree on a common location for the future borough's city hall, the present location in Friedrichshain was decided by flipping a five-
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
coin.
Culture
Kreuzberg has historically been home to Berlin's
punk rock movement as well as other alternative subcultures in Germany. The ''
SO36
The SO36 () club is a music club on Oranienstraße near Heinrichplatz in the area of Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany.
It takes its name from the historic postcode of that area, SO36, in which the SO stands for Südost (South East). The Kreuzberg dis ...
'' club remains a fixture on the Berlin music scene. It was originally focused on punk music and in the 1970s was often frequented by
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
. In those days the club rivalled New York's
CBGB
CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...
as one of the finest new-wave venues in the world.
There has also been a significant influence stemming from
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
and
hip hop culture on Kreuzberg's youth and the area has become a centre for
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
and
breakdance
Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...
within Berlin. Though the majority of Kreuzberg's residents are of German or
Turkish descent, some identify more with American or African-American culture.
Hip hop was largely introduced to the youth of Kreuzberg by the children of American servicemen who were stationed nearby until the
reunification of Germany
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
.
The
Carnival of Cultures, a large annual festival, celebrates different cultures and heritages with colourful street parades and festivities including street entertainment, food, arts and craft stalls, music and art.
Kreuzberg has long been the epicenter of LGBTQ life and arts in Berlin. Kreuzberg is home to the
Schwules Museum
The Schwules Museum (English: Gay Museum) in Berlin, Germany, is a museum and research centre with collections focusing on LGBTQ+ history and culture. It opened in 1985 and it was the first museum in the world dedicated to gay history.
The muse ...
, established in the 1980s and dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and discovering queer history, art and culture.
Kreuzberg in popular culture
* German musician/DJ
Robin Schulz
Robin Alexander Schulz (; born 28 April 1987) is a German musician, DJ and record producer. On 4 February 2014, he released the first single from his debut album, a remix of "Waves" by Dutch hip hop artist Mr. Probz. This remix later received ...
's musical composition, "
Prayer in C
"Prayer in C" is a song by French folk pop duo Lilly Wood and the Prick, originally released on their album ''Invincible Friends'' in 2010.
In 2014, German DJ and record producer Robin Schulz remixed the song, and the remix was re-released in J ...
", an adaptation of a prior song of the same name by
Lilly Wood & the Prick
Lilly Wood and the Prick (also known simply as Lilly Wood and LILLYWOOD) is a French folk pop duo composed of Nili Hadida and Benjamin Cotto. Although the duo is French, Nili was born in Israel. They are best known for their single "Prayer in C" ...
, had most of the music video filmed in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.
* Turkish-German filmmaker
Neco Celik
Manoel Nunes (March 7, 1895 – May 31, 1977), also known as Neco, was an association football midfielder. With great skill and tenacity, he was the first idol of Corinthians, being the first player to get a statue in the team's gardens (in 192 ...
, who portrays the American influence over the youth culture in Kreuzberg in his first film, ''
Alltag
''Alltag'', released in 2003 by Turkish-German director Neco Celik, is a film depicting life in the neighborhood of Kreuzberg. The film has particular significance in the arena of Turkish-German hip-hop and hip-hop life in the neighborhood. Celik ...
'', notes that "Kreuzberg is a kind of biotope where different nationalities live, but the environment determines their lives, not their nationalities."
* German musician
Sven Regener
Sven Regener (born 1 January 1961) is a German musician and writer living in Berlin. In 1982 he recorded his first LP with the band ''Zatopek'' and in 1984 he joined ''Neue Liebe''. In 1985 he founded the Berlin band Element of Crime together w ...
's first novel, ''
Berlin Blues
''Herr Lehmann'' is a German novel by Sven Regener, published in 2001, adapted for the screen in 2003. It has been translated into English by John Brownjohn under the title ''Berlin Blues''.
The book has sold more than 1 million copies in German ...
'', and third novel, ', are set in the district of Kreuzberg.
* "Kreuzberg" is a song by English indie rock band
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Loui ...
on the album ''
A Weekend in the City
''A Weekend in the City'' is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The album was refined and mixed at severa ...
'', which also mentions the
East Side Gallery
The East Side Gallery (german: East-Side-Gallery) memorial in Berlin-Friedrichshain is a permanent open-air gallery on the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall in Mühlenstraße between the Berlin Ostbahnhof and the Oberbaumbrücke alo ...
.
* American musician
Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Joseph Malkmus (born May 30, 1966) is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and as a solo artist ...
mentions taking a "locomotive to Kreuzberg" in his song "Black Book".
* Kreuzberg's bohemian way of life is reflected in the song "Find the Time" by English singer/songwriter Sam Duckworth's band
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
on the album ''
Searching for the Hows and Whys
''Searching for the Hows and Whys'' is the second album by Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. It was released on 3 March 2008. The record was co-produced by Sam Duckworth and Nitin Sawhney. "Waiting for the Monster to Drown" was released as a free down ...
''.
* Kreuzberg-based Turkish/German rapper
Killa Hakan
Hakan Durmuş (born 3 March 1973), better known by his stage name Killa Hakan, is a Germany born Turkish rapper and songwriter.
Biography
Born in Berlin, West Germany, Hakan is one of the first Turkish rappers, and the first hardcore/gangsta ...
mentions Kreuzberg in most of his songs, most notably in his 2007 single "Kreuzberg City".
* The acclaimed documentary ''
Pool of Princesses
Pool of Princesses is a German documentary film that was made in 2007. It is the English title of Prinzessinnenbad. Director Bettina Blümner accompanies three teenage girls named Klara, Mina, and Tanutscha through the district of Berlin known as ...
(Prinzessinnenbad)'' by focuses on the lives of three young girls from Kreuzberg.
* Canadian musician
Shotgun Jimmie
Shotgun Jimmie is the stage name of Jim Kilpatrick, a Canadian singer-songwriter. 's 2011 album ''
Transistor Sister'' contains a song titled "The King of Kreuzberg", wherein he sings about taking the train to Kreuzberg and "jump
ngright into it".
* English post-punk band
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass).
Their first album, ''Ki ...
have a song on their first album titled "SO 36".
* Phoenix folk-punk band
Andrew Jackson Jihad make a reference to Kreuzberg in the song "Kokopelli Face Tattoo" with the lyric "Kreuz is German for Williams." Vocalist Sean Bonnette claims this pokes fun at the young hipness of Kreuzberg, in that it is similar to a German version of
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant to the s ...
.
* Kreuzberg appears in ''
Shadowrun Returns
''Shadowrun Returns'' is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Harebrained Schemes. It takes place in the science fantasy setting of the ''Shadowrun'' tabletop role-playing game. The game was crowd funded through Kickstarter and ...
''s ''Dragonfall'' expansion as Kreuzbasar, a small self-sufficient walled community in the
anarchic
Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted ...
"F-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 the novel ''No Man's Land'' by Michael Califra (Hadrian, 2015) the story's narrator, an American expatriate named Richard, lives in the Kreuzberg district of West Berlin in the months prior to the fall of the Wall.
* Kreuzberg based Turkish/German rapper
Massaka mentions Kreuzberg as a "ghetto" in his songs.
Places and buildings of interest
*
Anhalter Bahnhof (station)
*
Böckler Park
*
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991), as named by the Western Allies.
East German leader Walter Ulbricht agitated and maneuv ...
*
Checkpoint Charlie Museum
The Checkpoint Charlie Museum (german: Das Mauermuseum – Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie) is a private museum in Berlin. It is named after the famous crossing point on the Berlin Wall, and was created to document the so-called "best bord ...
*
Engelbecken
The Luisenstadt Canal, or Luisenstädtischer Kanal, is a former canal in Berlin, Germany. It is named after the Luisenstadt district and ran through today's districts of Kreuzberg and Mitte, linking the Landwehr Canal with the Spree River, and se ...
*
Peter Fechter Memorial, one of the first fatalities of 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 ...
*
*
Friedrichstraße
The Friedrichstraße () (lit. ''Frederick Street'') is a major culture and shopping street in central Berlin, forming the core of the Friedrichstadt neighborhood and giving the name to Berlin Friedrichstraße station. It runs from the northern pa ...
*
German Museum of Technology (Berlin)
(German Museum of Technology) in Berlin, Germany is a museum of science and technology, and exhibits a large collection of historical technical artifacts. The museum's main emphasis originally was on rail transport, but today it also features e ...
*
Gleisdreieck (Berlin U-Bahn)
Gleisdreieck is an elevated Berlin U-Bahn station located on a viaduct in the Kreuzberg district, and served by lines U1, U2, and U3. The U1/ U3 platform is at a higher level than, and perpendicular to, that of the U2.
Overview
''Gleisd ...
*
Görlitzer Bahnhof (station)
*
Hermannplatz (Berlin U-Bahn)
Hermannplatz is a station in the Neukölln district of Berlin which serves as an interchange between the lines and . Operated by the BVG, it is one of the busiest stations on the Berlin U-Bahn system.
History
Hermannplatz station first o ...
*
Hotel Excelsior
Hotel Excelsior was a hotel in Berlin, Germany. It occupied number 112/113, Königgrätzer Straße (today's Stresemannstrasse) on Askanischer Platz in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg. It was once one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in ...
*
Jerusalem Church
*
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin (''Jüdisches Museum Berlin'') was opened in 2001 and is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. On of floor space, the museum presents the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day, with new focuses ...
*
Kochstrasse (Berlin U-Bahn)
*
Kottbusser Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
Kottbusser Tor () is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on lines U1, U3, and U8. Many Berliners use the affectionate term ''Kotti'' (; see Berlin dialect).
It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively ...
*
Kreuzberg (Tempelhofer Berge)
The Kreuzberg (German for ''Cross Mountain'') is a hill in the Kreuzberg locality of Berlin, Germany, in former West Berlin. It rises about above the sea level. It was named by King Frederick William III of Prussia after the Iron Cross which cr ...
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Landwehr Canal
The Landwehr Canal (german: Landwehrkanal), is a canal parallel to the Spree river in Berlin, Germany, built between 1845 and 1850 to plans by Peter Joseph Lenné. It connects the upper part of the Spree at the eastern harbour () in Friedri ...
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Luisenstadt Canal
The Luisenstadt Canal, or Luisenstädtischer Kanal, is a former canal in Berlin, Germany. It is named after the Luisenstadt district and ran through today's districts of Kreuzberg and Mitte, linking the Landwehr Canal with the Spree River, and s ...
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Martin-Gropius-Bau
Martin-Gropius-Bau, commonly known as Gropius Bau, is an important exhibition building in Berlin, Germany. Originally a museum of applied arts, the building has been a listed historical monument since 1966. It is located at 7 Niederkirchnerstra ...
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Mehringdamm (Berlin U-Bahn)
Mehringdamm is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and the .
History
Opened in 1924 as Belle-Alliance Straße it was built by Grenander and later renovated by Rümmler. The station's ceiling collapsed during the Battle of Berlin.
In 1946 ...
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Mehringplatz
Mehringplatz is a round plaza (or circus)A circus is "circular open space at a street junction" at the southern tip of the Friedrichstadt (Berlin), Friedrichstadt Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin, neighborhood of Kreuzberg district, Berlin. ...
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Moritzplatz (Berlin U-Bahn)
Moritzplatz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the line.
Peter Behrens constructed this unusual subway station in Berlin in 1928. It was closed briefly in 1945, and between 1961 and 1990 it was the last station in West Berlin, after which t ...
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National Monument for the Liberation Wars
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Niederkirchnerstraße
Niederkirchnerstraße () is a street in Berlin, Germany and was named after Käthe Niederkirchner. The thoroughfare was known as Prinz-Albrecht-Straße until 1951 but the name was changed by the socialist German government. The street was the ...
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Oberbaumbrücke (bridge over the Spree)
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Platz der Luftbrücke (Berlin U-Bahn)
Platz der Luftbrücke is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the . It is located under Platz der Luftbrücke and the south end of Mehringdamm on the border between Kreuzberg and Tempelhof, near the former Tempelhof International Airport, and is ...
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Prinzenstrasse (Berlin U-Bahn)
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Saint Thomas Church (Berlin)
The church St. Thomas (German: Thomaskirche) is a Protestant church in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. Friedrich Adler designed and built the church between 1865 and 1869. The church was constructed in the shape of a Latin cross with two towers ...
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Schlesisches Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
Schlesisches Tor is a Berlin U-Bahn station on lines U1 and U3. Many Berliners use the affectionate term ''Schlesi'' (see Berlin dialect).
Overview
The station is located in eastern Kreuzberg, near Oberbaumbrücke, in the Bohemian quarter ...
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Schönleinstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Schönleinstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .
Opened in 1928 and designed by Grenander it was shortly closed in 1945 and renamed in 1951 to Kottbusser Damm. In 1992 the station was named Schönleinstrasse again.
On 25 December 2 ...
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SO36 quarter
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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 ...
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Topography of Terror
The Topography of Terror (german: Topographie des Terrors) is an outdoor and indoor history museum in Berlin, Germany. It is located on Niederkirchnerstrasse, formerly Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, on the site of buildings, which during the Nazi reg ...
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U1 (Berlin Underground line)
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Viktoriapark
The Viktoriapark ( en, Victoria Park) is an urban park in the locality of Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. It opened in 1894.
It is situated on the ''Tempelhofer Berge'' range, forming the northern slope of the ground moraine Teltow Plateau, overloo ...
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Wilhelmstrasse
Wilhelmstrasse (german: Wilhelmstraße, see ß) is a major thoroughfare in the central Mitte and Kreuzberg districts of Berlin, Germany. Until 1945, it was recognised as the centre of the government, first of the Kingdom of Prussia, later of th ...
People
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Peter Frankenfeld
Peter Frankenfeld (born ''Willi Julius August Frankenfeldt'' on 31 May 1913 in Berlin – 4 January 1979 in Hamburg) was a German comedian, radio and television personality.
After World War II he became an interpreter with the U.S. military gover ...
(1913-1979), German comedian, radio and television personality.
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Gabor Steingart
Gabor Steingart (born 1962 in West Berlin) is a German journalist and the author of several popular and influential books. He was the chief editor of ''Handelsblatt'' from 2010 to 2018. In 2018, he founded his own media company that issues new ...
(born 1962), German journalist
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Benno Fürmann (born 1972), German actor
See also
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Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – Prenzlauer Berg East (electoral constituency)
References
External links
friedrichshain-kreuzberg.de the website of the combined borough
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
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Entertainment districts in Germany
Former boroughs of Berlin
Localities of Berlin