Neukoelln

Neukoelln was founded by Bohemian immigrants who settled in the old village center of Rixdorf. It was an entertainment district at the time of Kaiser William II—and still is—with bars, restaurants, beer gardens and dance halls amongst what it had to offer. Neukoelln is teeming with  people—mostly artists, students, and recent immigrants who could only afford its low-cost housing. Multilingual and multicultural, this district is a place where small ethnic businesses thrive alongside large-scale public recreation venues. Neukeolln is bustling and exciting; a great place to enjoy good coffee and exotic food as long as one doesn't stray too far into the side streets. Crime is a problem here and the community often takes the law into its own hands.

The Landwehrkanal continues from Kreuzberg into Neukoelln. On the east, the Berlin Wall separates Neukoelln from Treptow. A road-crossing, Sonnenallee, allows passage into East Germany for citizens of Berlin. Neukoelln contains many U-bahn stations; one of the larger ones is Hermannplatz, located in a busy square and serviced by multiple subway lines and connecting buses. Getting here is easy but navigating within Neukoelln itself is more challenging. You can easily get lost in its back alleys and winding streets. Most of the shop signs don't offer much information—if they're even in German—and the locals aren't exactly friendly with outsiders.

## Sites

### Hermannplatz

Hermannplatz is a large town square in the north of Neukoelln, serving as the "gateway" to the district. Urbanstrasse and Kottbusser Damm lead to it from Kreuzberg, and three main roads diverge into Neukoelln—Hermannstrasse, Karl-Marx-Strasse, and Sonnenallee. The main feature of the square is the reconstructed Karstadt building—a department store spanning a few blocks, dramatically downsized after Allied bombings during the war. The original limestone facade still survives—the rest of the building is a recent addition, done in the elegant, restrained style that characterises modern Berlin.

#### U-bahnhof Hermannplatz

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A busy subway station. Contains two platforms, one in the large main lower hall, and another above it connected to the main hall by escalators. It is brightly lit with yellow tiles featuring heavily in the decor. The art deco pillars are from the 1920's, since the original construction of the station. Elevators allow direct access to the Karstadt department store just above.

### Hermannstrasse

Developed in the 19th century, Hermannstrasse consists of mainly low-income residential and business buildings. It is elevated from the surrounding streets, situated on the gentle hill of the Teltow slope. Numerous churches are squeezed in between and behind buildings. Narrow strips of land serve as cemeteries—with up to eight just on this street alone. Every bit of land is used up. The locals live in overcrowded conditions, practically on top of each other.

#### Bahnhof Hermannstrasse

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The entrance to this station is closed after the construction of the Berlin Wall. This station is dug deep underground and was used as an air raid shelter during WWII. Jumping the turnstile leads you to the cavernous interior, covered in dust and rubble from years of disuse. Located on the south end of Hermanstrasse, this was originally an S-bahn station with a planned U-bahn extension, but construction was halted after the war.

#### St. Michael Church

This is a small yellow brick chapel squeezed in between a row of houses. On the building itself, six feet of the wall closest to the ground is covered by graffiti. A stone arch with a wrought iron gate provides entry to the graveyard. The centrepiece of the yard is a bronze sculpture of Christ on the crucifix—with thick vines entangling his limbs, his torso, and the arms of the cross. Oak and linden trees have been planted along the footpaths; in an alcove facing the yard is a limestone sculpture of St. Michael. There is a small morgue in the church building, used for the storage and preparation of bodies.

#### U-Bahnhof Leinestrasse

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This station is located in the middle along the length of Hermannstrasse. It has one central platform and is colored in light green, with green tiles on the walls and supporting pillars.

#### Werner-Seelenbinder Sportpark

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Named after a German Olympic wrestler, this sporting venue provides much-needed recreation space for the large population in Neukoelln. It contains three football fields and a small stadium, with a seating capacity of 3,500. Pools, flower gardens, and the diverse natural flora attract visitors throughout the year.

### Karl-Marx-Strasse

Karl-Marx-Strasse runs through the centre of Neukoelln. It contains the town hall of the local borough, Rathaus Neukoelln, and the district court of Neukoelln. The clock tower of the town hall is quite distinctive, with a green rooftop and a copper statue of Fortuna perched on top. Large-scale department stores and entertainment venues line this street. The shops stay open until late at night, attracting a never-ending stream of customers. One of the perpendicular side-streets lead to Richardplatz, the old Bohemian village centre of Rixdorf.

#### Stadtbad Neukoelln

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Opened in 1914, this public pool was built in a lavish style, modelled after the public bathhouses of Ancient Rome. Seven-metre high travertine pillars on either side of the pool support the dome-shaped rooftop, with skylights on either end. The second-floor balcony above the pool can be accessed, and alcoves behind the pillars provide changing rooms and other facilities. Ancient Greek and Roman motifs are depicted on mosaics along the walls. The entrance to the main pool has two fountain statues, each letting out an arcing jet of water into the pool. Visitors can also enjoy smaller pools and saunas at other parts of the venue.

#### U-bahnhof Karl-Marx-Strasse

This station was recently renovated in 1968, extending the platform to 110 metres. The brown and dark green tiles give it an unremarkable appearance.

### Rixdorf

Rixdorf is the village first founded by Bohemian settlers in 1737—full of old buildings on winding streets and back alleys. One can find cafes, pubs, and beer gardens all along this area. Rixdorf is known for its September hay bale-rolling contest and Christmas market on the second weekend of Advent.

#### Brauhaus Eisengiesser

A place to enjoy traditional beers and German food, this pub is converted from an old villa built in 1885. Rich oak flooring and wooden wall panels lend to it a cozy atmosphere. The long tables facilitate group dining, and smaller tables along the walls provide for more intimate conversations. Fairy lights are strung up along the corners of the ceiling. The beer garden provides a seating area for those who want to enjoy their meal and drinks outside.

#### Comenius Garden

Richardplatz is the location of the Comenius garden, named after a Bohemian bishop, Johann Amos Comenius. Various features of the park are symbolic of the "life cycle" as taught by Comenius. In the western part of the garden, a patch of violets, a lawn, a maze, and water features represent childhood. Education is represented by Comenius' statue, a platform, and a gallery, culminating in a row of fruit trees along Richardstrasse. The adult life is the walnut tree at Karl-Marx-Strasse with its circle of benches. The life cycle ends at Kirchofstrasse, at the Bohemian graveyard where death claims all.

### Sonnenallee

Sonnenallee is a street about 4.5 kilometres long, of mainly low-cost housing inhabited by immigrants. It is sometimes known as "Little Beirut" or "Gaza Strip" because of its high concentration of immigrants of Arab origin. Some buildings have small shops on the ground floor—general stores, eateries, laundromats, and the like.

This street leads to a checkpoint at the Berlin Wall. Civilian cars line up to have their papers checked by the East German border guards before they are allowed passage to East Germany.

#### East Berlin-Treptow

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You cross the border and head into another world—a grey, bleak landscape, of seemingly empty buildings with boarded up windows and walls of bare concrete. The streets are empty, devoid of traffic. You might come across an occasional East German—hurrying past, eyes down, because they have been forbidden to talk to you by the regime. Behind you looms the Wall—the barbed wire casts coiling shadows down on the asphalt, and the harsh searchlights bathe everything in an unnatural grey.