Berlin is divided into boroughs or districts ( Bezirke ) for administration. The boroughs are further divided into neighborhoods ( Ortsteile ) which are officially recognised but have no administrative bodies of their own. Neighborhoods typically have strong identities that sometimes pre-date their inclusion into the modern boundaries of Berlin. These function differently to other subdivisions in Germany because of the dual status of Berlin as both a city and a federated state of Germany in its own right.
27-415: Wilhelmsruh ( German: [ˈvɪlhɛlmsˌʁuː] ) is a German locality ( Ortsteil ) within the borough ( Bezirk ) of Pankow , Berlin. It is the city's smallest locality, after Halensee and Hansaviertel . In the locality, originally part of Rosenthal , it was built a country house named Nordend which received occasionally the designation name Rosenthal II . In 1892 the settlement received
54-517: A mural crown : 3 towers in red bricks with the coat of arms of Berlin in the middle. Most of the coats of arms of current boroughs have changed some elements in their field : Some of them have created a "fusion" of themes of the merged Bezirke (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Lichtenberg, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Tempelhof-Schöneberg); others have modified their themes taken from one of the two (or more) former merged boroughs (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Mitte and Treptow-Köpenick). Only
81-627: A council of mayors ( Rat der Bürgermeister ) led by the city's governing mayor, which advises the Berlin Senate. Each borough is made up of several officially recognized subdistricts or neighborhoods ( Ortsteile in German, sometimes called quarters in English). The number of neighborhoods that form a borough varies considerably, ranging from two ( Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg ) to fifteen ( Treptow-Köpenick ). These neighborhoods typically have
108-759: A former city or municipality; others, such as Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg , were named for geographic features. Minor changes to borough boundaries were made in 1938. After World War II, Berlin was divided into four sectors, with the Western sectors controlled by the United States, Britain, and France, and the Eastern sector controlled by the Soviet Union. In 1961, the SED built the Berlin Wall to divide
135-404: A full-time borough council ( Bezirksamt ), consisting of five councilors ( Bezirksstadträte ) and headed by a borough mayor ( Bezirksbürgermeister ). The BVV assembly is directly elected by the borough's population and therefore acts as a borough parliament , though it is officially part of the executive . It elects the members of the borough council, checks its daily administration, and
162-494: A historical identity as former independent cities, villages, or rural municipalities that were united in 1920 as part of the Greater Berlin Act , forming the basis for the present-day city and state. The neighborhoods do not have their own governmental bodies but are recognized by the city and the boroughs for planning and statistical purposes. Berliners often identify more with the neighborhood where they live than with
189-483: A long history as a working-class neighborhood and was heavily damaged during World War II. After the war, the area became home to many immigrants, including Turkish and other migrants from the Middle East and Europe. In the 1970s and 1980s, Kreuzberg became a center of political activism and alternative culture, with a large youth and student population. Friedrichshain, on the other hand, has a more diverse history. It
216-599: A process of rapid transformation, as the city worked to rebuild and modernize its infrastructure and economy. Many new businesses and cultural institutions were established, and the city became a center of creativity and innovation. By 2000, Berlin comprised twenty-three boroughs, as three new boroughs had been created in East Berlin . Today Berlin is divided into twelve boroughs ( Bezirke ), reduced from twenty-three boroughs before Berlin's 2001 administrative reform. An administrative reform in 2001 merged all but three of
243-424: A rich and complex history that reflects the city's changing political and cultural landscape over the past two centuries. Located in the heart of the city, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain were once separate neighborhoods that were united into a single district in 2001. The area is known for its diverse and vibrant cultural scene, as well as its history as a center of political activism and counterculture. Kreuzberg has
270-572: Is Köpenick (34.9 km or 13.5 sq mi), the smallest one is Hansaviertel (53 ha or 130 acres). The most populated is Neukölln (154,127 inhabitants in 2009), the least populated is Malchow (450 inhabitants in 2008). Note that the coats of arms shown for localities in the tables below are historical and no longer in official use, having lost their validity upon incorporation into Greater Berlin or new districts. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg ( German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪçsˌhaɪn ˈkʁɔʏtsbɛʁk] )
297-513: Is a single municipality ( Einheitsgemeinde ), its districts have limited power, acting only as agencies of Berlin's state and city governments as laid out in the Greater Berlin Act of 1920 . The districts are financially dependent on state donations, as they neither possess any taxation power nor own any property. This is contrast to municipalities and counties in other German states, which are territorial corporations ( Gebietskörperschaften ) with autonomous functions and property. Each district
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#1732787004309324-600: Is able to make applications and recommendations. The twelve borough mayors regularly meet in the Council of Mayors ( Rat der Bürgermeister ), led by the city's Governing Mayor ; the council answers to and advises the Senate. The localities have no local government bodies, and the administrative duties of the former locality representative, the Ortsvorsteher , were taken over by the borough mayors. People who live in
351-498: Is administered by a representatives' assembly ( Bezirksverordnetenversammlung ), directly elected by proportional representation, and a district board ( Bezirksamt ) led by a district mayor ( Bezirksbürgermeister ), elected by the assembly representatives. The district board is in charge of most administrative matters affecting its residents, but its decisions can be revoked by the Berlin Senate . The district mayors form
378-515: Is close to Wittenau but it doesn't borders with this locality. In its territory, Wilhelmsruh counts two little lakes: Wilhelmsruhsee and Garibalditeich ; this one named after Giuseppe Garibaldi and located in Garibaldistraße. The locality is served by the S-Bahn lines S1 and S85 , at Wilhelmsruh station , and by the bus lines 122 and 155. The railway station also represented
405-418: Is divided into 2 localities, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg . The governing body of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is the district council ( Bezirksverordnetenversammlung ). It has responsibility for passing laws and electing the city government, including the mayor. The most recent district council election was held on 26 September 2021, and the results were as follows: The district mayor ( Bezirksbürgermeister )
432-427: Is that of a unified municipality ( Einheitsgemeinde ). The power of the borough governments is limited and their performance of assigned tasks is subject to regulatory supervision by the Senate. Nevertheless, the twelve self-governing boroughs have constitutional status and are themselves subdivided into two administrative bodies: each is governed by the borough assembly ( Bezirksverordnetenversammlung , BVV) and
459-434: Is the second borough of Berlin , formed in 2001 by merging the former East Berlin borough of Friedrichshain and the former West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg . The historic Oberbaum Bridge , formerly a Berlin border crossing for pedestrians, links both districts across the river Spree as the new borough's landmark (as featured in the coat of arms). The counterculture tradition especially of Kreuzberg has led to
486-640: The borough being a stronghold for the Green Party . While Kreuzberg is characterised by a high number of immigrants, the share of non-German citizens in Friedrichshain is much lower and the average age is higher. The merger between the distinct quarters is celebrated by an annual anarchic "vegetable fight" on the Oberbaumbrücke. Both parts have to deal with the consequences of gentrification . The Berlin district of Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain has
513-426: The borough that governs them. The neighborhoods are further subdivided into statistical tracts, which are mainly used for planning and statistical purposes. The statistical tracts correspond roughly but not exactly with neighborhoods recognized by residents. When Greater Berlin was established in 1920, the city was organized into twenty boroughs, most of which were named after their largest component neighborhood, often
540-645: The city, effectively separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany. Three new boroughs were created in East Berlin: Marzahn was split off from Lichtenberg in 1979, Hohenschönhausen from Weissensee in 1985, and Hellersdorf from Marzahn in 1986. In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, and the city was reunified. This marked the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era in Berlin's history. After reunification, Berlin underwent
567-412: The existing boroughs into the current 12 boroughs, as listed below. The three boroughs that were not affected were Spandau , Reinickendorf and Neukölln , as the population of each was already exceeding 200,000. All the coats of arms of Berliner boroughs (the current as of the ones in the period 1990 to 2001) have some common points: The shield has a Spanish form and the coronet is represented by
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#1732787004309594-554: The first tier of the so-called Hauptverwaltung (central administration). In the second tier, the boroughs enjoy a certain grade of autonomy—though in no way comparable to the German Landkreise districts or independent cities , nor even to the local government of a common municipality as a legal entity, as according to the Berlin Constitution the legal status of the city as a German state itself
621-636: The former West Berlin tend to vote for the CDU and the SPD, While voters in the former East Berlin tend to vote for Linke and the AfD. As of 2012, the twelve boroughs are made up of a total of 97 officially recognized neighborhoods or localities ( Ortsteile ). Almost all of these are further subdivided into several other zones (defined in German as Ortslagen, Teile, Stadtviertel, Orte etc.). The largest Ortsteil
648-945: The junction of two abandoned branches of the Prussian Northern Railway and the Heidekraut Railway . Due to its position outside the Wall (in Reinickendorf), from 1961 to 1989 the S-Bahn station was usable only for West Berlin , at the southern entrance. The Heidekraut rail terminal was instead moved to Rosenthal station , now abandoned. [REDACTED] Media related to Wilhelmsruh at Wikimedia Commons Boroughs and localities of Berlin Since 2001, Berlin has been made up of twelve districts, each with its own administrative body. However because Berlin
675-713: The name of Colonie Wilhelmsruh . As part of Nordend municipality (now a zone of Rosenthal ), it merged into Berlin in 1920 with the " Greater Berlin Act ". During the " Cold War " it was part of East Berlin bordering with the western sector , and it was crossed by the Berlin Wall from 1961 to 1989. Wilhelmsruh is located in the northern suburb of Berlin, in a corner of Pankow district surrounded by Rosenthal , Niederschönhausen , Reinickendorf and Märkisches Viertel (both in Reinickendorf district). Its western corner
702-457: The unchanged boroughs of Neukölln, Reinickendorf and Spandau have not changed their field. The coat of arms of Pankow was created with a new design in 2008, having been the only district without an emblem for 7 years. The borough government is part of the two-tier administration of the Berlin city-state , whereby the Senate and its affiliated agencies, institutions, and municipal enterprises form
729-554: Was originally a working-class neighborhood, but was heavily bombed during World War II and then divided by the Berlin Wall after the war. After the fall of the Wall in 1989, Friedrichshain underwent a process of gentrification and became a popular neighborhood for artists, students, and young professionals. In recent years, both Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain have become popular tourist destinations, known for their lively streets, diverse cultural scene, and rich history. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
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