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Narrow Sophienstraße has been beautifully restored and now looks exactly as it did in the late 18th century. A number of shops and arts and crafts workshops are now based in the modest buildings and courtyards. Close by stands Sophienkirche, the first Protestant parish church, founded by Queen Sophie Luise in 1712. Next to the Baroque church is a small cemetery with some 18th-century tombs.

Berlin’s largest Catholic church was commissioned by Frederick the Great in 1747–73 after his conquest of Silesia (see Unter den Linden) .

The small synagogue looks the same today as when it was originally built 100 years ago (see Prenzlauer Berg) .

The ruins of the former Wilhelm-Einkaufspassagen, one of Berlin’s most elegant shopping centres dating back to the turn of the 20th century, have been transformed by artists into an alternative arts centre. It now houses workshops and cafés and offers a regular programme of events.

A Huguenot, Fontane (1819–98) was one of the most important 19th-century novelists in Germany. He also worked as a journalist for more than 20 years, penning many of his articles and essays in the Café Josty on Potsdamer Platz. Fontane is particularly well known for his Walks in the Province of Brandenburg , in which he describes the mentality of the people, historic places and the Brandenburg landscapes.

After 1934, three terrifying Nazi institutions had their headquarters in this area: the security service (Sicherheitsdienst, SD) was based at Wilhelmstraße 102 in the Prinz-Albrecht-Palais; the school of arts and crafts at Prinz-Albrecht-Straße 8 was occupied by the Gestapo; while Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, resided next door at No. 9, at the Hotel Prinz Albrecht. After World War II, all the buildings were bulldozed except for the cellars where, in 1933–45, prisoners had been interrogated and tortured. An exhibition and a documentation centre (under construction) chronicle the history of the area.

This rambling park was set up as a recreational space for workers in Kreuzberg in 1888–94 to plans by Hermann Mächtig. It has an artificial waterfall, and the Neo-Gothic Schinkel memorial at the top of Kreuzberg, 66 m (216 ft) high, commemorates Prussian victory in the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon.

Designed by J A Nering as the first Berlin Baroque building, the former Royal Prussian Arsenal is now the Deutsches Historisches Museum (see Unter den Linden) , with a modern addition by L M Pei.