Mitte (locality)

Mitte
Panoramic view
Panoramic view
Coat of arms of Mitte
Location of Mitte in Mitte district and Berlin
Mitte is located in Germany
Mitte
Mitte
Mitte is located in Berlin
Mitte
Mitte
Coordinates: 52°31′10″N 13°24′24″E / 52.51944°N 13.40667°E / 52.51944; 13.40667
CountryGermany
StateBerlin
CityBerlin
BoroughMitte
Founded1920
Subdivisions13 zones
Area
 • Total10.7 km2 (4.1 sq mi)
Elevation
52 m (171 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[1]
 • Total107,875
 • Density10,000/km2 (26,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
10115, 10117, 10119, 10178, 10179, 10435
Vehicle registrationB
Zones of Mitte
Map
Mitte on a city map of Berlin's center

Mitte (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪtə] ; German for "middle" or "center") is a central section (Ortsteil) of Berlin, Germany, in the eponymous borough (Bezirk) of Mitte. Until 2001, it was itself an autonomous district.

Mitte proper comprises the historic center of Old Berlin, with the medieval churches of St. Nicholas and St. Mary, the Museum Island, city buildings (Rotes Rathaus and Altes Stadthaus), the Fernsehturm, and the Brandenburg Gate, along the central boulevard of Unter den Linden. For these reasons, Mitte is considered the "heart" of Berlin.

History

[edit]
Map of 1688

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.[2]

Geography

[edit]

Position

[edit]

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

Subdivision

[edit]

Mitte is subdivided into 13 zones or neighborhoods (Stadtviertel) (the numbers refer to the map above right):

Sister cities

[edit]

Main sights

[edit]

Buildings and structures

[edit]

Places, squares and streets

[edit]

Photogallery

[edit]

Transportation

[edit]
Berlin Alexanderplatz railway station

Mitte 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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner im Land Berlin am 31. Dezember 2023". Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg. February 2024.
  2. ^ (in German) Historical infos about Mitte
[edit]

Media related to Berlin-Mitte at Wikimedia Commons