The East Side Gallery is the longest surviving piece of the Berlin Wall – a 1.3 kilometre long open-air artwork along the Spree. After the fall of the Wall in 1989, 118 artists from all over the world painted the former border wall with over 100 murals. Her works stand for freedom, political change and overcoming borders. The motif of the “brother kiss” between Honecker and Brezhnev is particularly well known. The gallery runs between Ostbahnhof and Oberbaumbrücke and attracts millions of visitors every year. It is not only a monument to reunification, but also a symbol of the power of art in public spaces. Here history meets creativity – in the middle of today’s Berlin.

Kreuzberg is one of Berlin’s most famous and versatile neighbourhoods – a melting pot of cultures, history, subculture and creative awakening. Once a working-class district directly on the Berlin Wall, Kreuzberg was long cut off from the rest of the city – today life is pulsating here. Between street art, alternative cafés, historic backyards and modern food spots, you will meet students, artists, activists and long-established Berliners. The neighbourhood is characterised by Turkish migration, the 80s squatter movement, political protest and multicultural everyday life. Places like Görlitzer Park, the Landwehrkanal or Kotti (Kottbusser Tor) are symbolic of Kreuzberg’s transformation – raw, direct, lively and full of stories. This is where Berlin shows its most intense side.

The Kottbusser Tor, often simply called “Kotti”, is one of the most intense and fascinating places in Berlin. Located in the heart of Kreuzberg, it is considered a hub of cultures and realities. Migrants, veterans, activists, creatives and neighbourhood initiatives meet here – loud, colourful, direct. In the 1970s, the large social housing project “Neues Kreuzberger Zentrum” was built here, which is still influential for the cityscape today. For decades, Kotti was seen as a social hotspot, but also a place of solidarity, resistance and cultural self-organization. Today he is in transition: New gastronomy, modern fast food concepts and start-ups meet traditional tea rooms and snack bars. Despite all the contrasts, the Kotti remains a microcosm of Berlin – raw, contradictory, alive.

Neukölln is now one of the most exciting and dynamic districts in Berlin – a place full of contrasts and stories. Once a working-class district and socially disadvantaged for decades, Neukölln had long disappeared from the radar of city politics and the creative scene. From the 1960s onwards, migration, especially from Turkey and Arab countries, shaped the character of the neighborhood. Over the last two decades Neukölln has changed rapidly: Cheap rents attracted artists, students and start-ups. Between Arab bakeries, hip cafés and old Berlin corner pubs, a culturally diverse, often tense coexistence has emerged. Especially in the Reuterkiez, around Sonnenallee and Weserstraße, Neukölln is now a place of urban experimentation – contradictory, creative, vibrant.

The Reuterkiez – also known as “Kreuzkölln” – is located in the north of Neukölln, directly on the border with Kreuzberg, and is considered one of the most exciting and changeable neighborhoods in Berlin. In the past, the neighborhood was a classic working-class and migrant district with narrow old buildings and a rough charm. Starting in the 2000s, more and more young people, artists and creatives moved here – rents were cheap, the location perfect. With this change came also cafes, galleries, bars and new gastronomy concepts. Today, the Reuterkiez is home to a mixture of Berlin's original rocks, migrant families and international immigrants. The atmosphere is lively, sometimes loud, but always inspiring. Between Weserstraße, Maybachufer and Sonnenallee, you can feel the pulse of a neighborhood that is constantly reinventing itself – without completely losing its roots.