| Friedrichshain (Berlin) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Germany |
|---|---|
| Region | East Germany |
Friedrichshain it's a neighborhood (Ortsteil) of Berlin, belonging to the district (Bezirk) of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.
To know
Friedrichshain is one of the trendy districts of Berlin, best known for its lively nightlife. Until 2001 it was an independent administrative district. The reform of that year merged it with the district of Kreuzberg across the River Spree.
Except the presence of countless discos and night on their territory, the two neighborhoods don't have much in common; While Kreuzberg has preserved its graceful pre-war buildings, the landscapes of Friedrichshain are dominated by icy monumental buildings built at the time of Stalin according to the style called socialist realism and by very high apartment buildings raised at the time of the German Democratic Republic with the use of prefabricated panels.
Only the easternmost parts of Friedrichshain escaped the heavy bombing of World War II. Today it is precisely these areas that have a high concentration of clubs that attract a predominantly young clientele on weekends. Very nice are the small neighborhoods around Warschauerstraße and Simon-Dach-Straße overlooked by buildings built between the 19th and 20th centuries.
Geographical notes
Friedrichshain is located immediately east of the city center. Moving clockwise from the north, it borders the neighborhoods of Prenzlauer Berg, Lichtenberg, Rummelsburg, Plänterwald, Alt-Treptow, Kreuzberg is Mitte. To the south, the neighborhood is wet by the river Spree which separates it from Kreuzberg.
The town of Stralau, an old fishing village on a peninsula on an island in the Spree, also belongs to Friedrichshain. Stralau today constitutes a rather expensive residential area where several luxury condominiums have sprung up.
Background
The original nucleus of the district was the fishing village of Stralau, which has existed since the Middle Ages. The first settlements in this area date back to the 16th century, close to the Frankfurt gate, of which the memory remains in the name of today's metro station.
Even in the first half of the 19th century the area had a rural aspect. The situation changed rapidly from 1842 onwards, following the installation in the area of various factories, from food to yarns. Large tenements were built to house the workers who worked in the nearby factories. Thus a proletarian-style population was formed, adhering to the precepts of Marxism, which took an active part in the uprisings that stirred the Weimar Republic which was established after the 1st World War. The proletarian uprisings continued even in the period that saw the rise of National Socialism. In 1930 Albrecht Höhler, aka Ali, a communist activist from Friedrichshain, shot dead Horst Wessel, propagandist and member of the National Socialist party.
During the Second World War, large parts of Friedrichshain were destroyed by Allied air raids. With the end of the conflict, the neighborhood found itself in the Soviet sector. The Berlin Wall, erected in 1961 by the East German government, passed through Friedrichshain. There remains a section called the "East Side Gallery", much visited because of the murals that adorn it.
With the reunification of the two Germanys in 1990, Friedrichshain underwent a radical transformation. The vacant apartments in its dilapidated late 19th century buildings were occupied by young leftists, all from West Berlin. Many of the squatters were evacuated by the police with the sound of batons but some buildings are still occupied today. The neighborhood has undergone a strong revaluation, also due to its central location. Many palaces have been refurbished to perfection and new luxury condominiums have sprung up along the Spree. Part of it remains with the air of a left-wing student neighborhood and alternative culture that contributed to Friedrichshain's tourist fortunes from 1990 onwards.
How to orient yourself
How to get
How to get around
What see
- 1 Frankfurter Tor, Frankfurter Tor station
. 
- 2 East Side Gallery (Warschauer Straße station
). One of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. The section in the Friedrichshain district is 1.3 km long and is entirely painted with graffiti made between 1990 and 1992. It is a protected monument. - 3 Oberbaumbrücke (Warschauer Straße station ).
- Friedrichshain photogallery.
- 4 Volkspark Friedrichshain.
.
). One of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. The section in the Friedrichshain district is 1.3 km long and is entirely painted with graffiti made between 1990 and 1992. It is a protected monument.What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Shows
- 1 Mercedes-Benz Arena (OR2 World), O2-Platz 1. Opened in 2008, the Berlin Sports Palace is reserved for sporting and musical events. It has hosted the final matches of the Euroleague Basketball championship, plus various games of ice hockey and basketball. Numerous stars of international pop music have performed, from Metallica to Depeche Mode. It was formerly known as O2 World from the mobile phone company that had secured the rights to the name then sold to the Mercedes-Benz car company. The arena has a capacity of 17,000 spectators. Inside there are restaurants, bars and various clubs.
Night clubs
- 2 Berghain Panorama bar, Rüdersdorfer Straße 70 (Near (north-east) of the railway station of Berlin Ostbahnhof: bus lines № 140, 142, 240, 248, N40, and urban train lines № S1, S2, S25, S5, S7, S75, and regional train lines № RB14, RE1, RE2, RE7, and EC, EN trains, IC, ICE, Locomore). Panorama Bar, nightclub. Almost all Berlin nightclubs, even the lesser known ones, are stunning but Berghain is the standard-bearer. 'Best club in the world' according to DJ Magazine's 2011 ranking. Count an hour or more in line to get in.
- 3 Matrix club, Warschauer Platz 18 (Stop Warschauer Straße: bus lines в „- 248, 347, N1, and subway line , and tram line № M10, and urban train lines № S5, S7, S75). Dance club.
- 4 Salon Zur Wilden Renate, Alt-Stralau 70 (Stop Ostkreuz: bus lines № 194, 240, 347, N94, S3X, and urban train lines № S3, S41, S42, S5, S7, S75, S8, S9, and regional train lines № RB12, RB24, RB25), ☎ 49 30 25041426. Renowned club housed in a dilapidated house. The interiors are in the shape of a labyrinth where it is easy to get lost. Also in this case, be prepared for long queues to enter.
- 5 Große Freiheit 114, Boxhagener Straße 114 (Stop Frankfurter Tor: subway line ). Gay cruising bar.
- 6 Lab-oratory, Am Wriezener Bahnhof (U: Warschauer Straße; S: Ostbahnhof; Bus 240: Franz-Mehring-Platz).
Where to eat
Where stay
Moderate prices
- 1 Best Western Hotel City Ost, Frankfurter Allee 57-59 (Samariter Straße station on the ), ☎ 49 30 72022100, fax: 49 30 720221099. The City Ost is the least expensive of the Berlin hotels affiliated with the Best Western chain. Nothing to complain if not, perhaps, its location. It is located in the eastern sector of the city, 6 metro stops from Alexanderplatz station.
- 2 Ostel Berlin, Wriezener Karree 5 (At the back of the Ostbahnhof train station). Obtained from a building with prefabricated panels from the time of the German Democratic Republic.
- 3 Zarenhof Friedrichshain, Boxhagener Str. 17 (Bus N5 Frankfurter Tor, Frankfurter Tor, Tram 21, M10 Frankfurter Tor), ☎ 49 30 405 0200, @[email protected].
from 53,90 EUR. Check in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Free newspaper, free Wi-Fi.
from 53,90 EUR. How to keep in touch
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Friedrichshain
Commons contains images or other files on Friedrichshain
