| Moabit (Berlin) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Germany |
|---|---|
| Region | East Germany |
Moabit is a district of the central district of the city of Berlin.
To know
North of Tiergarten and separated from it by the river Spree, Moabit is the district where the main station is located (Berlin Hauptbahnhof) inaugurated in 2006 and the river port of the West (Westhafen) on the Spree.
Geographical notes
Moabit has the character of an island neighborhood; except for a short stretch of 4 km, it is entirely surrounded by the Spree River and the Spandau-Berlin, Westhafen and Charlottenburger canals.
The multi-track railways that follow its northern and eastern borders contribute to accentuate the isolation of Moabit.
The neighboring neighborhoods are Wedding North, Mitte East, Hansaviertel and Tiergarten to the south and Charlottenburg West.
Background
The name Moabit is attributed to the Huguenots who fled from France after the massacre of San Bartolomeo. They were the first to settle in this area of moorland which constituted grazing land. At first the French colonists called the moor maudite lands (cursed land) because the sandy soils prevented the growth of mulberry trees whose leaves were the staple food for the breeding of silkworms from which the Huguenots hoped to derive their livelihood.
After the mulberry plantation experiment failed, the settlers turned to vegetable crops, especially asparagus and changed the name of the area to land of Moab, from the biblical name of the desert region on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. With the permission of the Prussian king Frederick II they also opened various inns, most of which earned a negative reputation, especially for the poor quality of the coffee served, derived from a substitute called "false moka" (faux mocha).
In the first decades of the eighteenth century, arms and powder keg factories were installed next to the houses of the Huguenots. The industrialization of Moabit dates back to 1836, favored in this by the proximity of the river port which allowed the transport of coal and other raw materials, as well as finished products. In 1847 the Borsig mechanical industry opened a locomotive production plant while the inauguration of the turbine plant of the still famous AEG company dates back to 1909.
As a result, Moabit became increasingly populated, while at the same time becoming a residential area of the working class. The workers of Moabit were of Communist faith and distinguished themselves in the creation of resistance cells to the takeover of the National Socialists in 1933.
A huge prison was opened in Moabit in 1849, demolished after World War II, the Zellengefängnis where famous Nazi anarchists, revolutionaries and war criminals were detained. Moabit hospital (Krankenhaus Moabit), inaugurated in 1872 and distinguished in epidemiological research, was closed in 2001. The building of the Court, also on Turmstrasse, is still in operation. When it was inaugurated it was considered an avant-garde building. It was in fact the first to have electric light and a central heating system. Today, however, it would need restorations. There were discussed sensational cases such as the terrorist attacks on the La Belle nightclub in 1986 and the Mykonos restaurant in 1992.
After the demolition of the Moabit wall, it regained its former position as a central district of Berlin. Due to its proximity to the Tiergarten government district, new buildings have arisen as the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In 1998, work began on the new central station inaugurated in 2006. Nearby is the old neoclassical building of the Hamburg station which since 1996 has housed the contemporary art collections of the Berlin State Museum.
How to orient yourself
Neighborhoods
Moabit is divided into several smaller neighborhoods. Among these are to be mentioned:
- Stephankiez - Located around the square of the same name, north west of the central station, Stephankiez stands out for its imposing nineteenth-century style buildings Gründerzeit 90% escaped the bombings of World War II.
- Europacity - A brand new district extending north of the central station along the Invalidenstraße. The area around the Humboldt dock is a container terminal while the new buildings built around it are the headquarters of logistics companies and oil companies such as the 70 m high "Tour Total Berlin" skyscraper.
- Moabiter Werder -
How to get
How to get around
What see
- 1 Hamburg Station Museum of Contemporary Art (Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart) (Hauptbahnhof station
). 
).
What to do
Shopping
- 1 Covered market (Moabiter Markthalle) (Turmstraße station
).
).How to have fun
- 1 Kulturfabrik.
- 2 Zur Quelle, Alt-Moabit 87 (Turmstraße station ), ☎ 49 30 3914289.
Mon-Sun 00: 00-24: 00. - 3 Spener Stuben, Spenerstr. 29, ☎ 49 30 84439102. Mon-Sun 11: 00-00: 00. Sports pub (Kneipe)
Mon-Sun 00: 00-24: 00.Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 Falafel Humbaba, Turmstraße 85, ☎ 49 30 53050493. Mon-Sun 11: 00-00: 00.
- 2 Wilhelms Burger, Wilhelmshavener Str. 3, ☎ 49 30 55209454. Mon-Sun 11: 00-23: 00.
Average prices
- 3 Casa Matti, Helgoländer Ufer 7, ☎ 49 30 98331150. Mon-Sun 12: 00-23: 00.
- 4 Osteria dell'Arte, Bochumer Straße 26, ☎ 49 30 3974986.
- 5 "La Tettoia" restaurant, Waldstraße 55, ☎ 49 30 3963147. Tue-Sun 16: 00-23: 00. Pizzeria
- 6 Lichtblick restaurant, Birkenstraße 33, ☎ 49 30 3951996.
- 7 Dicker Engel - Alt-Berliner Gasthaus, Birkenstr. 44, ☎ 49 30 39809003.
- 8 "ProbierMahl" restaurant, Dortmunder Straße 9.
Where stay
Moderate prices
- 1 Amstel House Hostel, Waldenserstraße 31, ☎ 49 30 3954072.
- 2 A&O Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Lehrter Straße 12, ☎ 49 30 3229204200.
Average prices
- 3 Meininger Hotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Ella-Trebe-Straße 9, ☎ 49 30 98321073.
- 4 Central Inn Hotel (am Hauptbahnhof), Alt-Moabit 126, Moabit, ☎ 49 30 39742412, 49 172 3942934 (mobile), fax: 49 30 39742319, @[email protected].
