Prenzlauer Berg: Family-Friendly and Still Full of Life

Prenzlauer Berg is today Berlin's most expensive and most sought-after residential district. Organic supermarkets, renovated Gründerzeit buildings, pushchairs with pneumatic tyres: the cliché holds, there's a kernel of truth in it. What the cliché leaves out is that Prenzlauer Berg is still genuinely alive, with real quality in its restaurants and cafés, and a history that is more unusual than most of Berlin's urban story.

What This District Was Before It Became a Place of Longing

In divided Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg was a working-class and artisan district in East Berlin. Rents were low, the buildings dilapidated and unrefurbished, and for precisely that reason the area began attracting artists, musicians, writers and political dissidents from the 1970s onwards. No other Berlin neighbourhood had such a high concentration of informal circles, underground culture and quiet opposition to the GDR regime. Living-room readings, illegal exhibitions, squats: Prenzlauer Berg was the heart of East Berlin's alternative scene.

After reunification, investors and newcomers arrived. The wave of renovation swept away the old structures in a very short time. Today only a handful of buildings still reflect what the area looked like before 1989. Anyone wanting to understand what it was like can find a few photographs and documents at the Stadtmuseum Berlin — or talk to someone who actually lived there at the time.

Kollwitzplatz: The Best Weekly Market in the City

On Saturday mornings, Kollwitzplatz transforms into the highest-quality weekly market in Berlin. Between nine and sixteen hundred hours, producers from Brandenburg and Mecklenburg set up stalls selling vegetables, cheese, meat, bread and deli goods you won't find in any supermarket. Prices are higher than at other markets, but almost everything is regional and seasonal. It's worth arriving early before the most popular stalls sell out.

Directly around the square you'll find some of the neighbourhood's most interesting restaurants and cafés. Lucky Leek on Kollwitzstraße is one of the few vegan restaurants in Berlin that doesn't actually make you feel guilty. The dishes are thoughtful and seasonal, the atmosphere relaxed. Those looking for a simpler lunch will find it just a few minutes' walk away.

Konnopke's Imbiss: Currywurst Since 1930

Beneath the elevated railway on Schönhauser Allee stands Konnopke's Imbiss, one of Berlin's oldest currywurst restaurants. It has been serving since 1930 — opening at a time when currywurst hadn't even been invented yet. The snack bar survived the Second World War, the GDR and reunification, and today it is a listed Berlin landmark. The queue is long, most of the time. It moves quickly, though, and the result — currywurst with chips for under five euros — is better than at many newer establishments that charge considerably more.

Mauerpark: Flea Market, Karaoke and Sunday Vibes

On Sundays, Mauerpark is one of the liveliest spots in Berlin. The flea market runs from nine to eighteen hundred hours, is free to enter and is one of the largest in the city. The offering is eclectic: vintage clothing, vinyl records, household items, books, knick-knacks. Spending a sunny Sunday afternoon here requires no further plan.

For many visitors, the highlight is the karaoke in the open-air amphitheatre. From fifteen hundred hours, Joe Hatchiban organises a public karaoke session there. The amphitheatre holds several hundred spectators and in summer it is always packed. People of all ages sing on a makeshift stage in front of an audience that joins in, claps along and reacts enthusiastically. It's raucous, sometimes surprisingly good, and almost always entertaining. Free admission.

Kastanienallee: Boutiques, Beer and Ice Cream

Kastanienallee is colloquially known as "Casting-Allee" because, allegedly, you're more likely to encounter people who want to be recognised than actual celebrities. The nickname is fair: the street is genuinely attractive and makes quite an effort. It's worth visiting nonetheless.

Prater Biergarten on Kastanienallee is the oldest beer garden in Berlin, in operation since 1837, and one of the few that still has genuine chestnut-tree shade. In summer, hundreds of people sit under old trees, drinking beer and eating Bratwurst. It's one of the most relaxed experiences Berlin has to offer. Hokey Pokey ice cream shop on Kastanienallee offers daily-changing flavours, all homemade. Queues in sunny weather are perfectly normal.

Weinerei Forum on Fehrbelliner Straße operates on a different principle: you pay a euro coin at the entrance for your wine glass and then drink as much as you like. At the end, you leave an amount that feels fair to you. This sounds like an experiment that should fail, but it has been working — reliably — for years. In the evenings there are sometimes concerts or readings.

Kulturbrauerei: Major Cultural Centre in a Historic Industrial Building

The Kulturbrauerei on Knaackstraße is a former Schultheiss brewery site from the 19th century, now repurposed as one of Berlin's largest cultural centres. The brick buildings and courtyards are freely accessible during the day and well worth exploring. The site houses cinemas, clubs, a concert hall, a Christmas market in December and several museums. The Haus der Kulturen der Welt operates a branch here; the permanent exhibition on everyday life in the GDR is free to enter and genuinely informative.

Helmholtzplatz: Less Well-Known, But Worth It

Those looking to escape Kollwitzplatz should head to Helmholtzplatz. The square is smaller and less well-known, but the bars surrounding it are more accessible and less focused on appearances. On warm evenings, locals sit on the square itself or at the outdoor seating of the surrounding pubs. The atmosphere is comparable to what Prenzlauer Berg was like ten years ago: lively and effortless.

Prenzlauer Berg has changed — it has become more expensive and more polished. Those who want to get to know it without being put off by the surface should set aside a Saturday and Sunday morning: the market at Kollwitzplatz, currywurst at Konnopke's, a stroll through Husemannstraße, an afternoon in Mauerpark. It's not a typical tourist itinerary, but it is the real Prenzlauer Berg. Guests staying in a central Berlin apartment in Mitte or nearby with bevoflats have quick access via the U2 directly into the neighbourhood.