Luisenstadt

This neighborhood takes its name from Queen Louise of Mecklenburg. Today, Luisenstadt lies mainly within the north-western section of the Kreuzberg district, just a few meters from Friedrichshain and Mitte. But it must be said: the lively, expressive and multicultural crowd that lives in the area today would surely have given Queen Louise a fright.

Established in the 18th century, Luisenstadt was conceived as Berlin’s extension to the south. There were very few buildings there at the time, and the aristocracy ventured that way only rarely. As a result, a certain freedom prevailed from an early stage. So it comes as no surprise that this area is also the home to today’s party scene. To the south, Luisenstadt ends at the legendary Berghain, a club located in a former electrical substation that even after ten years is still renowned as the most important venue for electronic music.

But there are other clubs in Luisenstadt, too, including the KitKatClub and the Kater Blau, which replaced the celebrated Kater Holzig. Luisenstadt is Berlin’s party central, a place where people don’t care what time the clock says. But in the area between the Engelbecken canal basis and the Jannowitz Bridge, just a stone’s throw away from all this vibrant activity, a solidly middle-class populace lives in beautifully restored buildings. Literary agencies have found a new home here. And in the area’s cafés you might come across one or two of Germany’s current most successful authors. You will rarely see a paper and pen, though: an Apple Notebook (now an emblem of Berlin) is much more likely.

There are lots of new things happening in the area around Saint Michael’s church, which is a part of the Bethanien complex – a large and long-abandoned hospital that today houses cultural organizations and restaurants. And first-class dining can be found wherever you go in Luisenstadt.