Founded about 1200, the (Nicholas' Quarter) of Alt-Berlin, together with nearby

Cölln Cölln () was the twin city of Old Berlin (Altberlin) from the 13th century to the 18th century. Cölln was located on the Fisher Island section of Spree Island, opposite Altberlin on the western bank of the River Spree, until the cities we ...

, jointly make up the reconstructed historical heart of the

German 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 ...

capital of Berlin. It is located in

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 ...

locality (in the homonymous district), five minutes away from

Alexanderplatz () ( en, Alexander Square) is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin. The square is named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I, which also denotes the larger neighbourhood stretching from in the nort ...

Geography

Situated on the eastern shore of 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' ...

, it is bounded by the streets ''Rathausstraße'', ''Spandauer Straße'' and ''Mühlendamm''. The

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

itself is named for the eponymous deconsecrated

Nikolaikirche The following cathedrals, churches and chapels are dedicated to Saint Nicholas: Austria *Church of St. Nikolaus, Lockenhaus *St. Nicholas Church, Inzersdorf, Vienna Albania *St. Nicholas Church, Moscopole * St. Nicholas Church, Perondi *Church ...

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

Church") at its heart, i.e. Berlin's oldest church.

History

The two settlements of Old Berlin as well as Cölln on the other side of the Spree originated along an old trade route, the ''Mühlendamm'' (Mills Dam), a ford where the river could be easily crossed. The Nicholas' Church, originally a late Romanesque basilica, was erected about 1230. The area around the church with its medieval alleys in the main had been preserved throughout the centuries, until it was destroyed by the air raids and the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

during World War II. At Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987 the house-building was restored in a peculiar mixture of reconstructed historic houses and concrete slab '' Plattenbau'' blocks, giving the area an unmistakable appearance. Today the small area is famous for its traditional

restaurants and bars.

Places of interest

Beside the Nicholas' Church, the best-known building of the quarter is the ''Ephraim-Palais'', built in 1766 for Veitel-Heine Ephraim, the financier of King Frederick II of Prussia. The Rococo façade at the intersection of ''Mühlendamm'' and ''Poststraße'' became famous as Berlin's "finest corner", until the house was demolished in 1936 for the laying out of the enlarged ''Mühlendamm'' street. Parts of the façade were stored in the western outskirts of Berlin, West Berlin authorities delivered them to

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

's magistrate in 1982 to support the reconstruction. The palace was rebuilt between 1983 and 1987, about away from its original site. Today, it serves as a museum. On the other side of the ''Poststraße'' is the ''Knoblauchhaus'' from 1760, with a neoclassical façade from the 19th century. One of the few preserved historic original buildings, it was the residence of the notable

Knoblauch Knoblauch is a surname of German origin, a metonymic occupational name for a gardener or trader with garlic. It is also the German word for garlic. It may refer to: *Chuck Knoblauch (born 1968), American baseball player ** Ray Knoblauch (1928–20 ...

family with members like the architect

Eduard Knoblauch (Carl Heinrich) Eduard Knoblauch (born 25 September 1801 in Berlin; died 29 May 1865 in Berlin) was a Germans, German architect. Eduard Knoblauch was born in his family's house on Poststraße 23 in the Nikolaiviertel neighborhood in Berlin, Ge ...

or the physicist

Karl-Hermann Knoblauch Karl Hermann Knoblauch (; 11 April 1820 – 30 June 1895) was a German physicist. He is most notable for his studies of radiant heat. He was one of the six founding members of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft at Berlin on 14 January 1845. ...

. It is home of a

Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...

museum, the oldest civic museum of Berlin. On the banks of the Spree river stands the red sandstone ''Kurfürstenhaus'' ( Prince-elector's House), erected in 1897 at the site of an older building, where Elector John Sigismund of Brandenburg died on December 23, 1619. As he believed a

White Lady A White Lady (or woman in white) is a type of female ghost. She has long straight hair, typically dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy. White Lady legends ar ...

haunted the '' Stadtschloss'' (City Palace), he had fled to the home of his valet before dying therein.

References

External links

berlin-nikolaiviertel.com
{{Coord, 52, 31, 00, N, 13, 24, 26, E, region:DE-BE_type:landmark, display=title History of Berlin Mitte Rebuilt buildings and structures in Berlin Restaurant districts and streets in Germany Zones of Berlin

Geography

History

Places of interest

See also

References

External links