On a low hill northeast of Mitte, 'Prenzl' Berg' is an old working-class district in the former East Berlin that came through the war relatively unscathed. After 1989, the cool brigade pounced on the area, and houses that were once home to East German punks were renovated in odes to pastel. The number of wine shops and young parents pushing pricey prams indicates the level of gentrification here. The best places to soak up the atmosphere are Kollwitzplatz, Helmholzplatz and along Kastanienallee. One of Prenzlauer Berg’s best attractions is the Kulturbrauerei culture centre, set in a 19th-century brewery complex. This chapter also covers some places in multicultural Wedding, just to the west.

Getting there
The U2 from Alexanderplatz feeds crowds onto Senefelderplatz and Eberswalder Straße, close to most attractions. From Museumsinsel and Friedrichstraße you can use tram M1 to Eberswalder Straße as well. U-Bahn station Bernauer Straße and S-Bahn station Nordbahnhof are most convenient for a stroll along the Wall Memorial to Mauerpark.

Pocket Walk: Prenzlauer Berg
Start walking uphill along Kollwitzstraße from U-Bahn station Senefelder Platz. From leafy Kollwitzplatz turn into beautiful Husemannstraße, which was already restored in GDR times, and left into Sredzkistraße where you'll spot the Kulturbrauerei complex ahead; enter beside the tall chimney and wander through its courtyards to the northern exit. Cross Danziger Straße and amble down Lychenerstraße to pretty, café-lined Helmholtzplatz. Follow Raumerstraße west, turn left down Pappelallee and cross underneath the U-Bahn station to Eberswalder Straße; you'll soon reach the popular Mauerpark and the top end of Bernauer Straße with its excellent Wall Memorial.