Kreuzberg

A district founded on anti-establishment values, Kreuzberg is a creative hub and home to a vibrant immigrant population.

TravelCurious Tip

Rent a bike to get around. It’s the best way to explore Kreuzberg, which is a very bike friendly area

Bright Young Things

Kreuzberg, also known as X-Berg, is one of the best known areas of Berlin. Before the fall of the Berlin wall it was a poor, isolated part of West Berlin, but once the city was reunified it suddenly found itself in the thick of things. The initially low rent make it attractive for students and artists, and even today Kreuzberg has one of the youngest populations of all European city boroughs.


Countercultural

Kreuzberg has long been famous as the home of Berlin’s counterculture, and in particular Berlin’s punk rock movement. The SO36 which Iggy Pop and David Bowie hung out in when they lived in Berlin is still going strong today. Although it is more gentrified these days, Kreuzberg retains an edgy revolutionary streak. It is the hub of Germany’s digital currency transactions, with the world’s highest density of businesses accepting Bitcoin.


Carnival of Cultures

A high proportion of people in Kreuzberg are the descendants of Turkish immigrants.Try their food: simit rolls and searing pans of menemen, which is scrambled egg with peppers and tomatoes. Boy-o-boy it’s good. But if you want something native, try the currywurst at Curry 36. You don’t get much more German than that, and Curry 36 is widely considered to do the city’s best sausage and curry sauce. But that’s just a fraction of what Kreuzberg, one of Berlin’s most diverse districts, has to offer. Every year in May the Carnival of Cultures festival takes place, where different heritages are celebrated together in a vibrant street parade, with music, dancing, food and crafts. It’s a wonderful tribute to their inclusive philosophy.


Disobedience, at last

The Tempelhof airport is no longer used but the enormous historic space still hosts exhibitions and festivals. We can thank the German commander Oberst Rudolf Böttger for that fact it still exists. At the close of the Second World War, as the Red Army descended on Berlin, he refused to carry out orders to blow it up, choosing instead to kill himself. Our regards, Oberst.


Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in Berlin
East Side Gallery
This mile long stretch of beautiful murals was painted by 118 artist from 21 countries, to commemorate the fall of the Wall.
The River Spree
Running through the centre of the city, much of Berlin’s culture emanates from along the Spree’s riverbanks.
Künstlerhaus Bethanien
An old hospital turned into a contemporary art space.
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin is one of the largest Jewish Museums in Europe. It opened its doors in 2001 and it showcases the life of the Jewish community from Medieval times to the present.
Oberbaumbrücke Bridge
Built-in 1895 this double-deck bridge crosses River Spree linking Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg districts, becoming an important symbol of Berlin’s unity.
Turkish Food
Turkish cuisine is a must-try in Berlin

Related Tours

Berlin's Street Art Live Virtual Tour
Discover the Best Graffiti Districts in Berlin on this Private Live Virtual Tour where you will be introduced to the personality, political motifs and culture of the most rebellious artistic circles. Berlin’s street-art scene has exploded in recent years, and we will take you to the suburbs of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, two of the best graffiti districts in Berlin. You will discover:
 
  •  Kreuzberg, whose street art scene reflects an alternative vibe, and is home to the punk movement and other alternative subcultures. 
  • Street art pieces with strong political messages and learn about the most influential pieces in the area. 
  •  Friedrichshain, a street art wonderland in a neighbourhood in former East Berlin. 
  • An art scene that is still very much alive and it's the area in Berlin where you can find the most graffiti and art on water pipes, walls and doors. 
 Berlin's street art is not the product of unruly gangs but instead, an important component of the underground art and culture scene and a form of expression that contributes to the uniqueness and creativity that defines the German capital.
LGBTIQ Berlin Live Virtual Tour
Take a  virtual stroll around Berlin's Gay village, in the borough of Schöneberg where you will learn about Queer resistance and culture in one of the most interesting cities in the world. Your tour guide, who has been exploring Berlin’s hidden Queer history and giving tours since 2008 will tell you stories about:

  • How the world's first urban Queer village consolidated itself in the early 20th century
  • Magnus Hirschfeld and the Sexual Science Institute
  •  Europe's first trans emancipation movement
  • The world (in)famous nightlife of 1920s Berlin
  • How performers and writers such as Marlene DietrichChristopher Isherwood and Claire Waldoff made Schöneberg their home
  • What befell the residents of this largely Queer and Jewish neighbourhood during the Third Reich
  • How the gay scene in Schöneberg rebuilt itself during the Cold War, despite the notorious anti-sodomy law Paragraph 175
  • How it is to live in Berlin's rainbow village today
Schönebergbeside is next to Berlin's zoo. In the 1920s and still today it has earned itself a well-deserved reputation for some of Berlin's best nightlife, restaurants, cafés and shops frequented by the LGBTI* community.
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