BERLIN – WESTEND

Flatowallee by Alexrk2 (own work) CC BY-SA 3.0; Am Rupenhorn by Angela Monika Arnold (own work) CC BY 3.0; Königin-Elisabeth-Straße/Haeseler Straße by Albertyanks/Albert Jankowski (own work) CC0 Public Domain

Housing in Westend ranges from late 19th-century mansions to modest single-family homes to modernist apartment buildings to picturesque early 20th-century flats. The district’s center is at Theodor-Heuss-Platz, a large square intersecting with the major boulevards Reichsstraße and Heerstraße. Northeast of Theodor-Heuss-Platz, the neighborhood’s original villa colony can be found on streets between Reichsstrasse and Spandauer Damm, with lovely Branitzer Platz at its heart. Along the northern end of Reichsstrasse is Neu-Westend, an attractive area with upscale apartment buildings and housing developments centered around Steubenplatz and the landmark Brixplatz park.

On either side of Heerstrasse is the Olympic Stadium area, which includes the massive Le Corbusier apartment complex as well as a number of single-family homes, upscale mansions, pine forests, and parks. Straddling the western border with Spandau, the Pichelsberg area has three large-scale apartment complexes built between the 1950s and the 1970s that feature sports facilities, saunas, and swimming pools.

On the northwestern tip of Westend, the tranquil area of Ruhleben (part of which lies in Spandau) features a nature preserve along with suburban-style settlements comprised of row houses and duplexes surrounded by trees. Similarly, on the south side of Westend, the Siedlung Eichkamp (which borders Grunewald in the southwest) and the Siedlung Heerstraße (which borders Grunewald in the west) contain row houses and duplexes that evoke a village-like atmosphere. Am Rupenhorn street, in the southwest corner of the district, is known for 1930s-era villas by star architects Erich Mendelsohn and Wassili and Hans Luckhardt.

Spandauer Damm, Reichsstrasse, Kaiserdamm, Königin-Elisabeth-Strasse, and Heerstrasse are the district’s busiest thoroughfares. The A100 (Berliner Stadtring) freeway runs along Westend's eastern border.

Besides the Olympic Stadium and its surrounding park, Westend also has a number of rejuvenating green spaces, including Ruhwaldpark (on the northeastern end of the district) and the Murellenschlucht und Schanzenwald nature reserve (on the district’s western border). The Waldbuehne outdoor amphitheatre is one of the city’s best concert venues, hosting everyone from rock stars to renowned classical music orchestras. Sculpture lovers frequent the studio of Georg Kolbe, which has been converted into a museum. The neighborhood’s Funkturm (radio tower) has a viewing deck with excellent vistas of the surrounding city. Westend is also home to the Berlin Convention Center (Messe Berlin), where large-scale events like International Green Week and the Internationale Funkausstellung (International Radio Exhibition) take place.

Most of Westend’s shopping facilities are concentrated along Reichsstrasse between Theodor-Heuss-Platz and Spandauer Damm. Options range from chain supermarkets and pharmacies to bookshops and boutiques like Herzog (a noted men’s clothing store) and Uhle (specializing in unique fashion for women).

Though the district doesn’t boast any notable upscale restaurants, there are several Michelin-recommended spots in neighboring Charlottenburg, including Brasserie Lamazere and Alt Luxemburg. Meanwhile, Restaurant Scheune is a traditional German restaurant in Westend serving regional, seasonally-oriented specialties from Berlin and Brandenburg. The neighborhood also has a handful of first-rate cafes: My Cottage (a charming British-inspired bakery/cafe), Cafe K (the stylish in-house cafe at the Georg Kolbe Museum), and Wiener Conditorei Caffeehaus (a classic Austrian-style bakery and coffeehouse serving Viennese desserts and French patisserie).