Mitte, Germany

Welcome to Mitte, the heart of Berlin, Germany. This central locality is located in the eponymous district of Mitte and was once an autonomous district until 2001. Mitte proper comprises the historic center of Alt-Berlin, centered on the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Mary, the Museum Island, the city hall Rotes Rathaus, the city administrative building Altes Stadthaus, the Fernsehturm, Brandenburg Gate at the end of the central boulevard Unter den Linden, and other tourist attractions. For these reasons, Mitte is considered the heart of Berlin.

History:
Mitte comprises the historic center of Berlin (Altberlin and Cölln). Its history thus corresponds to the history of the entire city until the early 20th century, and with the Greater Berlin Act in 1920, it became the first district of the city. It was among the areas of the city most heavily damaged in World War II. Following a territorial redeployment by the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom that reshaped the borders of West Berlin’s British Sector in August 1945, the western part of Staaken became, in effect, as of 1 February 1951, an exclave of Mitte, then still a borough of East Berlin. This ended on 1 January 1961, when western Staaken was incorporated into then East German Falkensee, which had already been under its de facto administration since 1 June 1952. Between 1961 and 1990, Mitte, one of the most important boroughs of East Berlin but close to all three western sectors of the city, was almost surrounded by the Berlin Wall. One of the most important border crossings was Checkpoint Charlie, near Kreuzberg.

Geography:
Situated in central Berlin and mostly in its old town, it is traversed by the river Spree. It borders the localities of Tiergarten, Moabit, Wedding, Gesundbrunnen, Prenzlauer Berg (in Pankow district), Friedrichshain, and Kreuzberg (both in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district).

Subdivision:
Mitte is subdivided into 13 zones or neighborhoods (Stadtviertel) (the numbers refer to the map above right):
Cölln (1)
Museum Island (1a)
Fisher Island (1b)
Alt-Berlin (2)
Nikolaiviertel (2a)
Friedrichswerder (3)
Neukölln am Wasser (4)
Dorotheenstadt (5)
Friedrichstadt (6)
Luisenstadt (7)
Stralauer Vorstadt (8)
Alexanderplatz (9)
Spandauer Vorstadt (10)
Scheunenviertel (10a)
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stadt (11)
Oranienburger Vorstadt (12)
Rosenthaler Vorstadt (13)

Sister cities:
Mitte has two sister cities, Higashiōsaka, Japan, and Holon, Israel.

Main sights:
Mitte is home to many famous buildings, structures, places, squares, and streets. Some of the most notable include:

Buildings and structures:
– Fernsehturm
– Brandenburg Gate
– Berlin Cathedral
– Berlin City Hall
– Altes Stadthaus
– Rotes Rathaus
– Berliner Ensemble
– Berlin State Opera
– Berliner Dom
– Berlin Wall Memorial

Places, squares, and streets:
– Museum Island
– Alexanderplatz
– Gendarmenmarkt
– Unter den Linden
– Potsdamer Platz
– Hackescher Markt
– Friedrichstraße
– Oranienburger Straße
– Kastanienallee
– Rosenthaler Platz

Photogallery:
Check out some of the stunning photos of Mitte on our website.

Transportation:
Mitte is well-connected to the rest of Berlin and beyond. It is served by S-Bahn lines S5, S7, S75, S9 (both on Berlin Stadtbahn); S1, S2, S25, and U-Bahn lines U2, U5, U6, and U8, as well as numerous tram and bus lines.

See also:
– Berlin Alexanderplatz railway station
– Berlin Friedrichstrasse railway station
– Berlin Potsdamer Platz railway station

References:
Learn more about Mitte’s history and attractions on our website.

External links:
For more information on Mitte, visit the official webpage of Mitte Ortsteil on www.berlin.de.