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Kiez: Small Islands in the Big City
What is a Kiez? Where does that word come from? And what kind of Kieze are there in Berlin? A short introduction for new Berliners and visitors. more
With its nightclubs, organic food stores, gentrification and squatters, the Boxhagener Kiez is reminiscent of what Kreuzberg was 20 years ago.
The Boxhagener Kiez is bordered by Revaler Straße and the city railway line in the south, Warschauer Straße in the west, Frankfurter Allee in the north and the Ringbahn railway in the east.
Once a stronghold of the squatter and punk scene, gentrification has taken hold in the neighborhood around Boxhagener Platz in recent years. New restaurants and shops have opened, houses have been renovated. The residential and recreational value of the neighborhood has increased considerably as a result - and so have the rents. The same process has also already begun in the neighboring Samariterkiez.
In Simon-Dach-Straße and its side streets are teeming with nightclubs, pubs and restaurants. If you are a repeat visitor to the area, you likely may not find the place you visited before - but some other business has already moved in. Nevertheless, there are still a few old-established pubs which existed long before the street was included in any travel guide.
Those who tend to sleep lightly or need their rest at home should not move to the area around Boxhagener Platz. Especially in the summer months, when the outside dining scene is in full swing, it often gets a little louder here. The square giving the area its name is called "Boxi" for short and has a fenced-in lawn for sunbathing and a playground for children. On weekends and some weekdays thesquare hosts a market or flea market.
An exceptional street is the quiet Knorrpromenade with its column-decorated magnificent buildings and front gardens. It was named after the entrepreneur Georg Knorr, founder of the company Knorr-Bremse. The promenade with its large ornamental gates was built for the upper middle class before the First World War - right in the middle of the workers' district. Today it is a protected monument.
© dpa
What is a Kiez? Where does that word come from? And what kind of Kieze are there in Berlin? A short introduction for new Berliners and visitors. more