Friedrichshain at a glance
Friedrichshain lies east of the centre, on the north bank of the Spree, opposite Kreuzberg. Since 2001 the two neighbourhoods have formed a single borough, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, but they lived separated by the Wall for 28 years: Friedrichshain was in the East, Kreuzberg in the West. The Spree marked the border, and the East Side Gallery keeps its memory alive.
The neighbourhood divides into three easy-to-remember parts. To the north, Karl-Marx-Allee and the Volkspark Friedrichshain. In the centre, around Boxhagener Platz, the residential "Kiez", with its late 19th-century apartment blocks, bars and shops. To the south, along the railway lines and the Spree, Warschauer Straße station, the RAW-Gelände, the East Side Gallery and the big concert venues.
Friedrichshain is still a lived-in neighbourhood, often noisy at weekends. Keep an eye on your belongings in crowds, especially at night around Warschauer Straße: our guide to scams to avoid in Berlin explains the common traps.
Karl-Marx-Allee and Frankfurter Tor
Karl-Marx-Allee is the architectural showcase of East Germany. Named Stalinallee when it was created, it was rebuilt in the 1950s as a boulevard nearly 90 metres wide, lined with "palaces for the workers" with neoclassical facades clad in ceramic tiles. It received its current name in 1961.
It was on its building sites that the uprising of 17 June 1953 began: construction workers, protesting against higher work quotas, started a strike that spread across East Germany before being crushed by Soviet tanks.
Two landmarks structure the walk:
- Frankfurter Tor: the two domed towers designed by architect Hermann Henselmann mark the eastern entrance to the boulevard, above the U5 station of the same name.
- Strausberger Platz: to the west, a round square with a fountain, framed by two more Henselmann tower blocks.
Beyond Strausberger Platz, the second section of the boulevard, built from 1959 to 1965 with prefabricated panels, leads to Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower, clearly visible along the axis. Here you will find Kino International, an iconic 1960s cinema. The U5 serves the boulevard at Strausberger Platz, Weberwiese and Frankfurter Tor stations.
Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Straße
Boxhagener Platz, "Boxi" to locals, is the heart of the neighbourhood: a tree-lined square surrounded by old apartment blocks, cafés and designer shops. At weekends it hosts two very different markets.
| Place | What you will find | Days and hours | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boxhagener Platz market | Regional fruit and vegetables, bread, cheese, coffee, takeaway specialities | Saturday 9:00-15:30 | U5 Frankfurter Tor or Samariterstraße |
| Boxhagener Platz flea market | Bric-a-brac, second-hand clothes, books, records, East German objects | Sunday 10:00-18:00 | U5 Frankfurter Tor or Samariterstraße |
| East Side Gallery | Murals along 1,316 metres of the Wall | Free access 24/7; visitor information daily 10:00-17:00 | S+U Warschauer Straße, S Ostbahnhof |
| RAW-Gelände | Bars, clubs, concert hall, climbing, skate park, Sunday flea market | Varies by venue, mostly evenings and weekends | S+U Warschauer Straße |
| Volkspark Friedrichshain | Park, Märchenbrunnen, hills built over former bunkers, open-air cinema from May to September | Free access 24/7 | Bus 200 (Am Friedrichshain/Hufelandstr.) |
Hours checked in October 2026 with the market organiser, the Stiftung Berliner Mauer and visitBerlin. All these places are free.
The Saturday market has existed since the early 20th century. Come before noon to enjoy the stalls without the crowds. On Sundays the flea market fills the whole square: browse at your own pace, then have brunch in one of the nearby cafés.
West of the square, Simon-Dach-Straße and the neighbouring streets, such as Krossener Straße and Wühlischstraße, are packed with bars, cheap restaurants and terraces. They are quiet during the day and very lively in the evening, especially from Thursday to Saturday.
The East Side Gallery and the Oberbaumbrücke
Along Mühlenstraße, the East Side Gallery lines up around a hundred murals on the longest preserved stretch of the Wall. They were painted in 1990 by 118 artists from 21 countries, then restored in 2009. Highlights include Dmitri Vrubel's kiss between Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker, and Birgit Kinder's Trabant bursting through the Wall. Access is free at any time.
At the eastern end of the gallery, the Oberbaumbrücke crosses the Spree to Kreuzberg. This red-brick bridge with neo-Gothic turrets, completed in 1896, carries the U1 underground on its upper level. During the division of the city it served as a pedestrian crossing from 1972 to 1989. Today it is one of the best places to watch the sunset over the Spree, with the TV Tower on the horizon.
Cross the bridge and within minutes you reach the Wrangelkiez and the Schlesische Straße area, described in our guide to Kreuzberg.
The RAW-Gelände and nightlife
The RAW-Gelände, Revaler Straße 99, occupies a former railway repair works, the Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk, founded in 1867. After it closed in the 1990s, its graffiti-covered brick halls were taken over by associations, bars and clubs. Today you will find the Astra concert hall, the Cassiopeia and Urban Spree clubs, a climbing centre in a former tower, Der Kegel, an indoor skate park, an open-air cinema in summer and a flea market on Sundays.
The site is changing fast. Access works are under way on its eastern edge, near the Modersohnbrücke, and the future of the western part is under discussion between the owner and the borough. The open venues remain accessible during the works.
Friedrichshain is also known for its electronic music clubs. The most famous, Berghain, occupies a former heating plant near Ostbahnhof. It opens mainly at weekends; entry is subject to a strict door policy, with no guarantee even after hours of queuing, and photos are banned inside.
In the evening, the Warschauer Brücke and Revaler Straße are very busy. The police regularly report pickpocketing there: keep your phone and wallet in a closed pocket, and turn down insistent approaches.
The Volkspark Friedrichshain
In the north of the neighbourhood, on the edge of Prenzlauer Berg, the Volkspark Friedrichshain is Berlin's oldest public park, laid out from 1846. Its main entrance, at the corner of Friedenstraße and Am Friedrichshain, opens onto the Märchenbrunnen, the fairy-tale fountain inaugurated in 1913: more than 100 stone sculptures depict characters from Grimm's fairy tales.
The park has two artificial hills built after the war over the ruins of anti-aircraft bunkers, including Mont Klamott, which offers a clear view of the centre from its summit. An open-air cinema runs from May to September. The park is always open; bus 200 stops at Am Friedrichshain/Hufelandstr.
A half-day walk in Friedrichshain
This route of about 5 kilometres takes 3 to 4 hours with breaks. Plan it for a Saturday or Sunday to enjoy the markets.
- Start at Strausberger Platz station (U5) and walk east along Karl-Marx-Allee to Frankfurter Tor, about 25 minutes on foot.
- Head down Warschauer Straße, then turn left towards Boxhagener Platz: market on Saturday, flea market on Sunday.
- Take a break on Simon-Dach-Straße or Wühlischstraße.
- Make your way to Revaler Straße and take a look at the halls and graffiti of the RAW-Gelände.
- Cross the Warschauer Brücke and walk along the East Side Gallery from the Oberbaumbrücke to Ostbahnhof.
- Finish on the Oberbaumbrücke at sunset, or continue into Kreuzberg.
If you have more time, the Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a former Stasi prison, lies further east in the Lichtenberg borough. Treptower Park and its Soviet memorial are a few minutes away by S-Bahn from Warschauer Straße or Ostkreuz.
Getting there and staying in Friedrichshain
The neighbourhood is very well connected. Warschauer Straße station brings together S-Bahn lines S3, S5, S7, S75 and S9 and underground lines U1 and U3. Further east, Ostkreuz is one of the main S-Bahn hubs, served among others by the Ring. The U5 runs along Karl-Marx-Allee to Alexanderplatz, and trams M10 and M13 cross the neighbourhood. Our guide to public transport in Berlin explains tickets and zones.
Friedrichshain suits travellers who want to go out in the evening and stay at a reasonable price, with many hostels and hotels around Warschauer Straße and Ostbahnhof. If you are looking for peace and quiet, choose the streets near the Volkspark or Karl-Marx-Allee. Compare it with other areas in our guide to where to stay in Berlin.
Further reading
Friedrichshain pairs naturally with Kreuzberg, on the other side of the Oberbaumbrücke: read our guide to Kreuzberg to carry on. North of the Volkspark, Prenzlauer Berg has a calmer, family atmosphere. And to understand the history of the Wall beyond the East Side Gallery, plan a visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße.
