Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district attracts locals and tourists like virtually no other part of town because it has undergone the most dramatic changes in recent years. Today, the old tenement blocks in the former workers’ district of East Berlin have been taken over by cafés, pubs and restaurants, and the nightlife is exciting and vibrant. Even when Berlin was still a divided city, Prenzlauer Berg was an area favoured by artists and an alternative crowd – and it exerts a similar pull today. Many houses in the quiet side streets have not yet been renovated and give a genuine impression of what Berlin once used to be like. But Prenzlauer Berg is undergoing a transformation. Since the reunification of the city, this quarter has become one of the most popular residential areas. Many West Germans, decried as “yuppies” by the locals, settle here, restore the buildings and buy up the apartments. The standard of life in the district has risen noticeably. Trendy bars, restaurants and cafés are clustered mainly around Kollwitzplatz and Husemannstraße. And so a visit to Prenzlauer Berg today is at the same time a journey back in time to the days immediately following reunification.
Vitra Design Museum: www.design-museum-berlin.de www.berlin.de/home/TouristCenter/Sightseeing/Sehenswuerdigkeiten/deutsch/Prenzlauer_Berg/juedfriedhofpberg.html-
Morning
Set off from U-Bahn station Senefelderplatz - one of the lively spots in Prenzlauer Berg. From here, explore the old tenement blocks and backyards. Now continue in a westerly direction along Fehrbelliner Straße to Zionskirchplatz with its eponymous church. There are numerous cafés on the square, such as Commode , where you could stop for a capuccino. Continue along Zionskirchstraße, then turn left into Kastanienallee. This is one of the most colourful streets in the quarter. At the end of the street you could pop into Prater ; now turn right into Oderberger Straße, one of the best preserved streets of the district. Continue along Srzedzkistraße in an easterly direction until you reach Husemannstraße . Have a good look around the Old Berlin streets, you may find something interesting to buy.
Afternoon
You could have lunch at one of the many restaurants in Kollwitzplatz : Gugelhof and Zander are both worth recommending . Continue along Knaackstraße to the small Synagoge Rykestraße . From here it is only a few paces to the Wasserturm in Knaackstraße. Give your feet a rest on the small green space around the tower, before continuing along Belforter and Kollwitzstraße to Schönhauser Allee. You will find perfect tranquillity there in the Jewish Cemetery.
-
One of the district’s oldest pubs, attracting students, would-be revolutionaries and locals.
-
Lively Italian restaurant with a large terrace – ideal for people-watching in the open air.
-
Popular restaurant and bar on the Prenzlauer Berg hill.
-
Yuppies and West Germans congregate at this trendy eaterie, serving international and Asian food.
-
Outside this red-brick church, dating back to 1891–3, East German secret police beat up peaceful protesters. It was the starting point for the collapse of the East German regime.
-
Not the most beautiful street of Old Berlin, but one of the best preserved.
-
Bill Clinton was once a guest at this restaurant, which draws clients from all over Berlin. The menu features an original combination of German and French dishes.
-
All around this square, time seems to have stopped in 1925. The residential buildings are reminiscent of a social housing programme.
-
The East German regime undertook a perfect restoration of this idyllic street for Berlin’s 750th anniversary celebrations. A stroll through the leafy roads lined with houses from the Gründerzeit (the years after the founding of the German Empire in 1871) is one of the nicest ways to experience Prenzlauer Berg. Ancient-looking street lamps and signs, cobbled streets, antiquated shop signs and a few atmospheric pubs take the visitor back to the late 19th century.
-
Restaurant price categories
For a three course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and charges included.
-
Advertisement
-
-
Prague guide
Chroni
-
ibrgic's London guide
ibrgic
-
megs55's Prague guide
Laurel
-
The Wanderer's Beijing guide
The Wa
-
-
Ligia's Paris guide
ligian
-
Barcelona guide
Europe
-
A Tour of London (with Food)
Accide
-
Paris guide
rosale
-
Firstimers Las Vegas guide
erinen
-
Munich guide
KPotvi
-
-
Elton John - The Red PianoRock and pop legend Elton John performs his stage show The Red Piano, featuring spectacular inflatables, visuals and extravagant sets, at O2 World in Berlin. Read more
-
New Year at the Brandenburg GateEach year thousands of revellers see in the New Year at the Brandenburg Gate. Silvester, as it is known in Germany, is celebrated with organised firework displays and live performances to entertain... Read more
-
Berlin Christmas MarketsThe Berlin Christmas Markets bring the smell of Glühwein, heart-shaped gingerbread biscuits and roasted almonds to public squares and venues around the city. Don't fight the urge to fill that... Read more
-
International Green Week BerlinThe International Green Week Berlin is a unique exhibition for the food, agriculture and horticulture industries, held at the Messe Berlin. Producers from all over the world use the event to... Read more
![[+]](/images/button-addtoguide.gif)
symbol, to start adding attractions to your
tailor-made travel guide.
