BERLIN – ALT TREPTOW

Photos f.l.t.r.: Treptowers By jenszhonk (own work) on pixabay CC0 Public Domain, Puschkinallee by Kvikk (own work) CC BY-SA 3.0, Schmollerstraße by Lotse (own work) CC BY-SA 3.0

Though the neighborhood has a large percentage of elderly, working- and middle-class residents, more and more young people, artists, and families are moving into Alt-Treptow, drawn by lower-than-average rents and easy access to the fashionable restaurants, bars, and clubs in Kreuzberg and Neukölln. The district’s architecture is beginning to reflect its changing population, with a rising number of new building projects as well as renovated old buildings with large, imperial-style apartments. Because of recent population growth, day-care centers and schools are coming under increasing pressure, though residents are laying the groundwork for more and improved facilities.

Bordered by the River Spree in the north, the Landwehr Canal and Kreuzberg in the west, and Neukölln in the south, Alt-Treptow doesn’t have a center per se. Treptower Park, sometimes referred to as the green lung of east Berlin, takes up the entire eastern half of the district. South of the Treptower Park S-Bahn station, the area between Elsenstrasse and Bouchéstrasse is made up of mostly industrial facilities. Near the Treptowers skyscrapers on the River Spree is a mixture of renovated and new, contemporary-style apartments. In the northwestern part of the district, on Pushkinallee and Eichenstrasse, are a series of converted 19th-century villas, many of which have landmark status. Near the Landwehrkanal and in the streets surrounding Karl-Kunger Strasse is the so-called Kunger Kiez, a rapidly gentrifying area with a growing number of new apartments, galleries, cafes, and elegant bistros.

Elsenstrasse, Pushkinallee, Kiefholzstrasse, and Bouchéstrasse are the busiest streets in the district.

Besides the Park Center, a conventional shopping mall near the Treptower Park S-Bahn station, Alt-Treptow has a minimal but rising number of unique places to shop, including the Vintage Berlin consignment store on Karl-Kunger-Strasse and Boutique Flair, a charming store on Plesser Strasse with a hand-picked selection of independent designer labels. In addition to discount supermarket chains like Lidl and Netto, there’s an LPG organic supermarket on Bouchéstrasse.

Treptower Park is the district’s prime recreation spot. Alongside the River Spree, the park boasts lovely meadows, a picturesque harbor with passenger ships offering boat excursions, an observatory, the biggest Soviet memorial in western Europe, and the Insel der Jugend (the Island of Youth), a prime picnic spot and cultural event hub. Meanwhile, Arena Treptow is a large-scale event venue and cultural center hosting festivals, flea markets, and concerts year-round. Located on the north end of the district on the River Spree, the Badeschiff is a trendy swimming pool and beach bar in the summer that doubles as a sauna in the winter.

While there are plenty of hip, upscale restaurants, bars, and cafes in neighboring Kreuzberg and Neukölln, good food and drink options in Alt-Treptow are fairly limited. Still, places like Passenger Espresso (an excellent cafe and coffee roastery), Black Sheep (a popular all-vegan restaurant-cafe) and Cafe Grenzenlos (serving house-made cakes and seasonal fare made with regional produce) are breathing new life into the gastro scene.