Prenzlauer Berg - Cityscape

Cityscape

Prenzlauer Berg is characterized by old buildings, the majority of which come from the turn of the 20th century (1889 to 1905). Over 80% of all housing in this area was constructed before 1948, with the oldest building still standing being from 1848 at 77 Kastanienallee. In the second World War, relatively few buildings were destroyed in comparison to other areas of the city. The area was neglected in the time of the German Democratic Republic, and the last ruins were cleared away only at the beginning of the 1970s. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent German Reunification, the dilapidated structures in many areas were rehabilitated, and since the middle of the 1980s empty lots have been closed up.

Today, Prenzlauer Berg forms a nearly homogeneous historic building area. Over 300 buildings remain protected as historic monuments, like the municipal swimming pool at Oderberger Straße and the breweries on Milastraße and Knaackstraße. The central area is characterized by restaurants and bars. The typical Berlin cuisine concentrates especially on Kastanienalle around Kollwitzplatz and Helmholtzplatz. The centre for nightlife is the region around the U-Bahn station Eberswalder Straße at the intersections of Schönhauser Allee, Danziger Straße, Eberswalder Straße, Kastanienallee and Pappelallee. These intersections and the surrounding area are called "Ecke Schönhauser" ("Schönhauser Corner"). This older Berlin appellation was used as the title for the DEFA film from 1957 and thereby became generally known:

Under the U-Bahn arches at Schönhauser Corner, young Germany meets daily. Adults object to the group of adolescents, the beatniks, without asking why they seek their freedom on the streets. —Berlin – Ecke Schönhauser

With regard to urban planning, the district affords a relatively uniform picture. It is predominantly characterized by five-story, multiple dwelling units in closed blocks. Thanks to the long property lots, the blocks, more often than not, are very large and have abundant backyards, some having a perimeter of more than a kilometer.

Notable buildings are the large churches of the district, of which Gethsemane Church of August Orth at Stargarder Straße (1891–1893) is the best known. Its 66-meter steeple is exceeded by the 79 meters of the steeple of Segenskirche on Schönhauser Allee and the 68-meter steeple of Immanuelkirche on Prenzlauer Allee. Also, the representative school buildings planned by Ludwig Ernst Emil Hoffmann (1852–1932) stand out in the area.

The largest synagogue in Germany is that on Rykestraße. Construction began at the end of 1903 and it was dedicated on 4 September 1904. The building escaped the November pogrom in 1938, for the synagogue was tightly surrounded by residential buildings. The synagogue was desecrated and confiscated in April 1940. In July 1945 it reopened for services, underwent several renovations (1952/1953, 1976, 1987/1988) and on the occasion of its 100th anniversary it was restored to its original splendor. In the Jewish Cemetery on Schönhauser Allee, opened in 1827, there are more than 22,500 graves and 750 family tombs, including the graves of David Friedländer, Max Liebermann, Leopold Ullstein, Ludwig Bamberger, Eduard Lasker and Giacomo Meyerbeer.

A landmark in Prenzlauer Berg is the former water tower "Thick Hermann" at Rykestraße corner of Knaackstraße from the year 1877, which was the first water tower in Berlin. Another remarkable building is the Zeiss-Großplanetarium on Prenzlauer Allee, opened in 1987.

In the west of the district, north of the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark, is Mauerpark. This public green area was left when the area of the primary freight station was seized for the building of the Berlin Wall between Nordkreuz and Bernauer Straße. Thus, for 40 years any other use was prohibited.