Berlin/East

The East is a district of Berlin. It consists of the boroughs Pankow (except for Prenzlauer Berg), Lichtenberg, Hohenschönhausen, Marzahn and Hellersdorf. The most interesting places for tourists are in Lichtenberg: the Stasi (secret service of the GDR) relics and museums, the Tierpark (zoo) and some remarkable architecture such as the Mies van der Rohe house.

Understand
Lichtenberg is a district in the east of Berlin. It was merged with Hohenschönhausen in 2001. Lichtenberg is mostly a residential district, but because of its heterogeneity there are all classes of people living there. The centre of Lichtenberg (where there are some buildings left from the 19th century) is home to the working class, as is the centre of Hohenschönhausen (built mainly in the 1970s in rather ugly East German (GDR) socialist building block architecture). The middle class resides in the greener areas like Friedrichsfelde, whereas in Karlshorst you can watch some smaller mansions of the upper class.

Marzahn-Hellersdorf is a district in the northeast of Berlin. It is largely a residential district for the underclass and the middle class. It is famous for its GDR socialist building-block architecture, but often ignored are some old, village-like parts. In general it is a very green district. There are only a few interesting sites for visitors. Most interesting are maybe the "Gärten der Welt", the Gründerzeitmuseum and the Schlosspark Biesdorf with its small castle in late classical style. A more thorough description of the district can be found on its official website.

Pankow is a borough of Berlin. In 2001 the three former districts of Prenzlauer Berg, Weißensee and Pankow were combined to form the new Pankow district. The former Pankow on the other hand is a very green, middle-class district with a laid-back atmosphere and some minor sights for tourists. Weißensee, too, is a largely residential district. Prenzlauer Berg is dealt with in East Central. Like other place - names ending in "ow" Pankow is pronounced ending in a slightly more open German o, certainly not "punk-off" and a wrong pronunciation is a frequent cause of derision.

Get in
The GDR authorities prioritized the S-Bahn and later the Tram over the U-Bahn and it shows. While the U5 is the only U-Bahn that was extended during GDR times, it is a single line and where it doesn't go you'll have to make use of other modes of transportation.

The stations of biggest interest are and S-Bahn station. You can also use the long distance/regional trains, but departures are less frequent than for the S-Bahn. also goes to Hohenschönhausen.

The S-Bahn lines or  and the U-Bahn line  will get you to most parts, otherwise take the tram: the M6, for example, starts in the city centre (e.g. Alexanderplatz) and runs through almost the entire district. U5 was one of only two U-Bahn lines operated in and by East Berlin during partition and it is the only one that saw any expansion by the GDR. It is the only line that reaches the city and state boundary of Berlin. As a matter of fact, the stop at Hönow was outside the Berlin borders when it opened and was annexed following reunification to make administration easier.

To get into Pankow, get out at S-Bahn/U-Bahn station.

Marzahn and Hellersdorf




Art galleries
As Berlin is a city of art, it is quite easy to find an art gallery on your way. They provide a nice opportunity to have a look at modern artists' work in a not so crowded environment for free. Here are some of the galleries in Marzahn-Hellersdorf:



Buy
Shopping centres mainly provide goods for the local population, but there are several shopping centres in the district such as the following:



Eat
Most restaurants in Marzahn-Hellersdorf belong to the lower price segment, some to the medium range, and exclusive restaurants are virtually non-existent.