() is a quarter 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 ...

of in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, that takes its name from the small

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...

(literally 'White Lake') within it. Before

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 municipalit ...

, was a borough in its own right, consisting of the quarters of , , , and . A fictional German-language TV series by the same name is set in the borough between 1980 and 1990 during the

communist era A Communist Era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of Communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist ...

History

was first mentioned in 1313 as . The first settlers subsisted on

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...

and established themselves on the eastern shore of the lake, where an old

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sin ...

connected

with (german: Stettin) and the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...

– today the federal highway. From 1914 onwards, the

Weissensee Studios The Weissensee Studios (german: Filmstadt Weißensee) was a collection of separate film production studios located in the Berlin suburb of Weißensee during the silent era. History The two main studios comprising the complex were almost next-d ...

produced a number of

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

including works by

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

and the

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

film ''

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (german: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920 German silent film, silent horror film, directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. Considered the quintessential work of German Expressio ...

''. As Berlin's least inhabited district, it has been overshadowed historically by its neighboring boroughs and . However its popularity is increasing due to its proximity to the hip but expensive . Its

trams 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 ...

make reaching very convenient.

Overview

is appreciated as a good choice for people seeking for a balance between urban life and seclusion in a peaceful district of Berlin. The immediate area around the lake is characterized by its historical architecture, numerous places of interest, parks, lakes and activities. The

Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin, also known as Berlin-Weissensee Art Academy, School of Art and Design Berlin-Weissensee (german: Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee) is a non-profit, public art school in Berlin-Weißensee, Berlin, Germany, found ...

( is of national rank. The cycling track has also hosted popular music concerts. The largest concert ever held here was a

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

concert on July 19, 1988. Springsteen played before an estimated crowd of 500,000. At

Weißensee Cemetery Weißensee (German: ''white lake'') may refer to: Places *Weissensee (Berlin), a district of Berlin *Weißensee, Thuringia, a town in Thuringia, Germany *Weissensee, Austria, a municipality in Carinthia, Austria *Weissensee (Carinthia), a lake in C ...

, one of Europe's largest

Jewish cemeteries A Jewish cemetery ( he, בית עלמין ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot ...

, notable people like the painter

Lesser Ury Leo Lesser Ury (November 7, 1861 – October 18, 1931) was a German Impressionist painter and printmaker, associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Life and career Ury was born in Birnbaum in what was then Prussia (now Międzych� ...

and the publishers Samuel Fischer and Rudolf Mosse are buried.

References

External links

tic-berlin: tourist & historical information about Weißensee

Gustav-Adolf Street

Article from Exberliner magazine
{{Authority control Localities of Berlin *Weissensee Former boroughs of Berlin Populated places established in the 1310s