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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.

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.

Schönhauser Allee, 3 km (2 miles) long, is the main artery of the district. In the centre of the dual carriageway is the high-level viaduct of U-Bahn line U 2, painted green. Schönhauser Allee, which runs north-east from Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz to the edge of town, is lined with shops and a few pubs. Many buildings have not yet been restored and give a good impression of the “old” Prenzlauer Berg – especially the buildings between Senefelderplatz and Danziger Straße.

The synagogue, built in 1904, is one of the few Jewish places of worship to have survived “Reichskristallnacht” on 9 November 1938, the violent destruction of Jewish shop premises by the Nazis. The historic interior of the synagogue was built from red bricks in the shape of a basilica. Today it is part of an apartment block.

This is one of Berlin’s newest museums and focuses on everything connected with style and design. Based behind the redbrick façade of a former power station, the museum presents exhibitions on furniture, product and interior design, with mainly contemporary themes and featuring artists such as Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. Emphasis is placed on Scandinavian design, and the museum also attempts to forge links between Eastern and Western Europe.

Zionskirche, dating from 1866–73, and the square of the same name form a tranquil oasis in the middle of the lively district. The Protestant church has always been a political centre, too. During the Third Reich, resistance groups against the Nazi regime congregated here and, during the East German period, the alternative “environment library” (an information and documentation centre) was established here. Church and other opposition groups who were active here played a decisive role in the political transformation of East Germany in 1989–90, which eventually led to reunification.