I, unfortunately, do not live in this trendy quarter. It's about a half-hour subway ride from my berth here in Friedenau, which I have already mentioned is more of a peaceful place for families. Kreuzberg, however, is traditionally known as the prime example of Berlin's ethnic diversity and the center of the city's Turkish immigrant population. Kreuzberg still has the highest percentage (about 30%) of foreign-born residents anywhere in the city. But lately, it has come to represent the "scene culture" and is now considered a hotbed of gentrification. The Turkish supermarkets and döner stores (but not all, since everyone is a fan of the Turkish delicacy) are heading out, and the hipster-looking bars and cafes catering to a young, artsy student crowd are coming in.
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| This is Oranienplatz, which was first built out in the 1840s. It was also the epicenter of the first leftist May Day riots, which still happen today (although they apparently have taken on a more party-like atmosphere) |
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| This used to be a waterway called the Luisenstadt Canal, which was dug in 1852. But the water sat still more than it flowed, so it started emitting a foul smell and became a threat to hygiene. It was then filled in. Remember where we ran into problems with smelly waterways before? Belgium! |
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| This lake is all that remains of that canal. It didn't smell, thankfully. The church there is Saint Michael's, completed in 1851. The Berlin wall used to run through this square. The church was on the East German side, but the winged statue of Archangel Michael on the top of facade there was facing the West, looking out over the wall. The East German authorities removed him, since he could be seen as longing to fly over the wall into the West. Another result of how the wall once split this square: you can turn around and see... |
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| ...buildings built by West Germans |
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| ...buildings built by East Germans |
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| ...and fancy new buildings with high rent. Love it or hate it - there's gentrification for you |
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| This is the St. Thomas Church, a protestant church built in the 1860s. It's the 2nd-largest church in all of Berlin (the biggest is the cathedral, which you can see here) |
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| When the Berlin wall went up, the churchgoers wound up being stuck on the East German side, but the church was on the West German side. The church was largely empty for a few years after 1961 as a result |
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| This cool-looking building was once a Protestant hospital. Today it serves as Kreuzberg's cultural center and plays hosts to lots of artists' studios |
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| Görlitzer Park was once a huge train station, but that was destroyed in WWII. These buildings are all that remain from that structure. Our professor left this part out, but I know that today, the park is populated by drug dealers and users aplenty, at least after dark. It was the middle of the day when we were there, but I still saw a few sketchy characters |
That does it for our trip through Kreuzberg! I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at a cafe with my international friends, heading to a bar with some Americans, and playing soccer with Constantine (my younger host brother). And then it was off to Frankfurt for a week-long seminar put on by my exchange program.
A quick word about the present day, though. Today I started working towards completing my community service hours, as required by my program. We were responsible for finding engagements ourselves, and I found one that is super ideal for me - I came across a charity called Einhorn (which means 'unicorn') that needed a photographer! I photographed a play that they had sponsored, which was performed by adorable elementary school children. They were super nice to me! Too bad I'll never see them again, as I will be photographing other, different activities with different children in the coming weeks. Hopefully I will be able to point out my photos on Einhorn's website soon!
That's it for now. Next up - more pictures of Frankfurt!