WEDDING

BERLIN, GERMANY

Explore Berlin’s Diverse Wedding District
Once known as the “Red Wedding,” Berlin’s Wedding district has transformed into a vibrant and diverse neighborhood, where the echoes of its working-class history coexist with a rich blend of cultures. Nestled within its historic architecture are students, immigrants, and the original working-class residents, all calling Wedding home.
Wedding is a cultural melting pot, where Shisha bars stand side by side with currywurst stalls, and you can find Turkish fabrics at the local market as well as organic produce from Brandenburg. The neighborhood’s unique mix of classic worker housing and affordable rental apartments continues to attract students, artists, and professionals.
Leopoldplatz, affectionately known as “Leo” by Berliners, graces the western part of Wedding. This charming square is adorned by the historic Nazarethkirche, designed by the renowned architect Schinkel. The adjacent Müllerstraße is a shopper’s delight, offering a wide range of retail options. The Beuth Hochschule für Technik adds a student-friendly atmosphere to the area, and new bars and pubs continually pop up around Müllerstraße.
To the northwest of Leopoldplatz lies the African Quarter, where streets bear names related to Germany’s colonial history in Africa. Within this quarter stands the Friedrich-Ebert-Siedlung, a complex of buildings designed by architects Paul Mebes and Paul Emmerich. Constructed from 1928 to 1939, this area is now a protected heritage site. Nearby, you’ll find the expansive Volkspark Rehberge with its Plötzensee bathing area and the lush Schillerpark.
Wedding has a rich history, with the Berlin Wall once dividing the neighborhood into two parts. The Bernauer Strasse, for instance, saw the facades of houses in the East and the sidewalks in the West.
Wedding, once a standalone district, is now part of the administrative district of Mitte. It’s split into the Wedding and Gesundbrunnen neighborhoods, boasting a diverse population with 55.4% of residents having a migration background (German citizens and foreigners). Foreign residents make up 35.4% of the population, significantly higher than Berlin’s average of 21.5%. Wedding truly encapsulates the essence of Berlin’s multicultural spirit.

4 REASONS TO VISIT WEDDING

Wedding Markt

The Weddingmarkt is a fantastic event that happens every 1st Sunday from May to September between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. You’ll find it at Leopoldplatz. The winter season is on every Sunday in December.
Since 2012, Weddingmarkt has become one of Berlin’s most beloved art and design markets. Get ready for an exciting day filled with a rotating lineup of exhibitors, delicious street food vendors, and a vibrant program of music and dance.
This event perfectly reflects the lively spirit of the district. You’ll discover an array of crafts, design, and art, including ceramics, screen prints, glass art, illustrations, paintings, handmade jewelry, photographs, unique fashion, and exceptional art objects – all proudly “Made in Berlin.”
And if you’re a foodie, you’re in for a treat! Street food vendors offer everything from coffee and ice cream to international dishes, sourdough pizza, and even inventive French creations. Your taste buds are in for a delightful journey.
As you explore, you’ll be serenaded by the sounds of street musicians, turning the Leopoldplatz fountain area into a spontaneous dance floor. Plus, there’s plenty of fun for the little ones to discover. Don’t miss this chance to experience the creative and culinary delights of Weddingmarkt’s Summer Season.

Panke Pacours

Since 2014, the Pankeparcours has been a music festival that takes place annually at the end of August or beginning of September around the Panke river in the Berlin districts of Berlin-Gesundbrunnen and Berlin-Wedding.
The Panke Parcours music festival has become a fixed size of the late summer cultural programme in Berlin Mitte. With a varied programme of concerts, performances, DJ sets, theatre or film on various stages or workshops, guided tours and children’s programme in the neighbourhood, the festival invites Berliners and tourists alike to get to know and experience culture, neighbourhood lives and the Panke with their surrounding green and open spaces as an oasis in the big city. In addition to national and international artists, many Wedding residents are present.
Last time, the Panke Parcours covered 2,5 kilometers!

Berliner Unterwelten

The “Berliner Unterwelten” association, located in a former bunker in the Gesundbrunnen transportation hub, invites visitors to discover the city of Berlin in a whole new light ! They organize guided tours through historic bunkers, anti-aircraft installations and old brewery cellars. Here, visitors can learn what everyday life was like for Kreuzberg families in the “Fichtebunker” and how the emergency community functioned in such an air raid shelter.
Numerous exhibits, surviving eyewitness accounts and modern projection technology bring the 130-year history of the Fichtebunker to life.

Interkulturelles Fussballturnier

NARUD e.V. has been organizing the Interkulturelles Fußballturnier (Intercultural Football Tournament) for the past 10 years. The tournament started in 2010 with eight teams and has grown significantly since then. In the recent tenth anniversary tournament, there were 26 adult teams and 10 junior teams, with many others expressing interest in participating. Interested teams now contact NARUD e.V. at the beginning of each year to inquire about the tournament dates and registration process. The tournament is accompanied by the BAOBAB-Messe, where organizations and associations can showcase their projects in fields such as development cooperation, development education, refugee and migration issues, participation promotion, and anti-racism and anti-discrimination work. The accompanying family celebration, featuring African food and various interactive activities for children, has also been growing in size.
This event creates conversations and encounters with the most diverse people in Berlin’s Mitte district and increasingly beyond, as well as the resulting cooperation with other committed people in Berlin.

POINT OF INTERESTS

Plötzensee Memorial

The Plötzensee Memorial serves as a poignant reminder of the crimes against humanity committed during the German Nazi regime (1933-1945). It is located on the former grounds of Plötzensee Prison, where numerous individuals endured imprisonment and execution under fascist rule. The killings took place through beheading or hanging.
After the prison was damaged by an Allied bomb, Adolf Hitler ordered the acceleration of executions. From the 7th to the 10th of September 1943, more than 200 opponents of the regime lost their lives in the so-called ‘Blood Nights of Plötzensee.’
Admission to the present-day memorial is free, and visitors can also book complimentary tours in various languages through the website. You can gain insights into the prison structure and the execution chamber. Numerous memorial plaques recount the stories of inmates, wardens, and the executioner Wilhelm Röttgen. More than a third of all judicial death sentences during the Third Reich were carried out in Plötzensee.

Siedlung Schillerpark

The Schillerpark Settlement is a residential complex located in the English Quarter of the Berlin district of Wedding. It was built in the 1920s according to the plans of the architect Bruno Taut and is regarded as the city’s first public social housing project during the Weimar Republic era. Since July 2008, the settlement has held UNESCO World Heritage status. It is characterized by its predominantly red brick buildings and extensive green areas designed for communal use.
The nearby Schillerpark, from which the settlement derives its name, was Berlin’s first people’s park (Volkspark). Here, everyone could relax or engage in sports regardless of their social status.
The entire area exudes a vibrant Berlin atmosphere and is easily accessible through its excellent connection to the public transportation network. A visit to this World Heritage site is undoubtedly worthwhile.

Vorstadtkirchen

Schinkel’s suburban churches were designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the 1830s. The Nazareth Church and the Paul’s Church are located in the Wedding district. All structures share an identical, simple concept because the king demanded cost-effective buildings for the working-class neighborhoods. These constraints compelled Schinkel to forgo elaborate facades and towers. Nevertheless, he managed to devise intriguing architectural solutions.
Both churches underwent subsequent structural alterations, with the Nazareth Church remaining almost unchanged in its external appearance. In 1893, it was replaced by the larger New Nazareth Church due to the rapid population growth. However, after many years of alternative use by the community, religious services are once again held there today.
St. Paul’s Church received a 32-meter-high church tower in 1890 and various extensions in the following years. During the Second World War, it was nearly completely destroyed and later reconstructed.

Luisenbad

Luisenbad, formerly known as Friedrichs-Gesundbrunnen and later Marienbad, was a bathhouse in Berlin, established near a spring on the Panke River in the early 18th century. By the mid-18th century, it had become a popular recreational destination, offering guesthouses and a church.
However, the industrialization of Wedding in the 19th century led to the pollution of the river, primarily due to wastewater discharge. Canal construction in 1862 significantly reduced the spring’s water flow. Additional damage occurred during area development in 1869 and just a few years later the spring got fully buried.
While the bathhouse lost its charm, the area around it evolved into a vibrant hub of nightlife and entertainment until many buildings were destroyed or damaged during World War II.
The few remaining parts of the former bathhouse were repurposed into the Luisenbad Library during an extensive renovation in the 1990s. The building is considered an architectural jewel in the Wedding district.

Humbolthain

The twin Flak Towers in Humboldhain are World War II-era structures originally designed as air raid shelters and defensive fortifications against enemy aircraft. In 1948, the French army partially demolished these massive concrete structures.
Today, visitors can enjoy a captivating experience from one of the tower’s panoramic viewing platforms or even participate in a guided tour by the Berliner Unterwelten e. V., which allows for the exploration of the tower’s interior. In small groups, your guide will lead you on an adventurous journey down five floors through massive stairwells, past elevator shafts, and into passageways and rooms, some of which are partially filled with debris and groundwater, until you reach the cable and utility cellar. The tour can be compared to an alpine hike through challenging terrain. Participation requires sturdy ankle-high footwear with a tread sole, bringing a functional flashlight, gloves, and robust clothing.

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