Area
The flat is situated in a quiet, residential street on the borders of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg only seven minutes' walk from Alexanderplatz, the hub of the former East Berlin. Beyond Alexanderplatz, the road gradually becomes Unter den Linden, surely the most famous street in all Berlin. Here may be found Museum Insel, with the Cathedral, Pergamon Museum and National Gallery. The Staats Oper and the Komische Oper are both only a short distance away.
Before 'die Wende' in 1989, Prenzlauer Berg was one of the poorest areas of Berlin, despite its streets of fine apartment buildings. No area has been transformed so radically. It is now being restored to its original glory. The streets are broad, tree-lined and most of the buildings, dating from 1900, have been lovingly renovated.
The area is now one of the most vibrant in Berlin, with an extraordinary choice of restaurants – Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Sri Lankan, Italian, Mexican, Russian – and many cafes and cocktail bars. It was in Prenzlauer Berg restaurants that former US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to dine in recent visits to Berlin.
In addition, there are many designer shops – clothes, ceramics, antiques – which gives the area its distinctive charm. A former 19th century brewery has been converted into the Kultur Brauerei, a centre for the arts containing a multiplex cinema, theatre, shops, bars and restaurants. Prenzlauer Berg is very much a centre for the young and affluent to live and play.