Gesundbrunnen
Encyclopedia
Gesundbrunnen is a locality (Ortsteil) of Berlin
in the borough
(Bezirk) of Mitte
. It was created as a separate entity by the 2001 administrative reform, formerly the eastern half of the former Wedding
district (merged into Mitte) and locality. Gesundbrunnen has the highest percentage of non-German residents of any Berlin locality, at 35.1% as of the end of 2008.
, at the north-eastern rim of the central Mitte borough. Bernauer Straße separates it from the locality of Mitte
in the south and Reinickendorfer Straße from Wedding
in the west. In the north Gesundbrunnen borders with Reinickendorf
(in the Reinickendorf
borough) while in the east the Mauerpark
and the Nordbahn railway line forms the border with Prenzlauer Berg
and Pankow
, both localities of the Pankow borough
.
first documented by chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf
about 1748, later site of the Luisenbad spa, named after Queen Louise of Prussia
. The area became a popular destination for day-trippers and, after its incorporation into the city of Berlin in 1861, a densely settled working-class district. From 1905 the sports field near the Berlin-Gesundbrunnen station, later Stadion am Gesundbrunnen
, was the home ground of the Hertha BSC Berlin
football club.
The Humboldthain urban park
, finished in 1876, from 1942 was the site of two large flak tower
s. The northern tower, due to its location near the Ringbahn tracks, was not blown up after World War II
. Partly interred by rubble it today serves as a viewpoint and climbing
wall with guidances through the interior available.
From 1949 Gesundbrunnen (as part of Wedding) belonged to the French
sector of West Berlin
, while the neighbouring localities of Mitte, Pankow and Prenzlauer Berg were parts of East Berlin
. The border between the sectors and, from 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall
ran along the Nordbahn railway and the divided Bernauer Straße
. This street became famous for tunnels dug under it as well as for daring escape jumps from windows of the apartment blocks in the eastern part of the city, down to the street which itself belonged to the French sector. On the evening of November 9, 1989 the border crossing at Bornholmer Straße station was the first to open, allowing East Berliners to pass freely toward the west.
served by tramways
(lines M10, M13 and 50). It is also served by many S-Bahn
lines (S1
, S2
, S25
, S4
, S8
and S85
) and U-Bahn
(U8
and U9
). Its main station is the eponymous one
, from 2006 upgraded for long distance trains. Other stations are Bornholmer Straße
, Humboldthain
, Nordbahnhof
(the former Stettiner Bahnhof), Wollankstraße
,
Bernauer Straße
, Nauener Platz
, Osloer Straße
, Pankstraße
and Voltastraße
.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in the borough
Boroughs and localities of Berlin
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states. It is made up of twelve boroughs , each with its own borough government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.-History:Each borough is made up of several officially recognized localities...
(Bezirk) of Mitte
Mitte
Mitte is the first and most central borough of Berlin. It was created in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by the merger of the former districts of Mitte proper, Tiergarten and Wedding; the resulting borough retained the name Mitte. It is one of the two boroughs which comprises former West and...
. It was created as a separate entity by the 2001 administrative reform, formerly the eastern half of the former Wedding
Wedding (Berlin)
Wedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
district (merged into Mitte) and locality. Gesundbrunnen has the highest percentage of non-German residents of any Berlin locality, at 35.1% as of the end of 2008.
Geography
The locality is situated in Berlin's inner cityInner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
, at the north-eastern rim of the central Mitte borough. Bernauer Straße separates it from the locality of Mitte
Mitte (locality)
Mitte is a central locality of Berlin in the homonymous district of Mitte. Until 2001 it was itself an autonomous district....
in the south and Reinickendorfer Straße from Wedding
Wedding (Berlin)
Wedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
in the west. In the north Gesundbrunnen borders with Reinickendorf
Reinickendorf (locality)
Reinickendorf is a locality of Berlin in the borough of Reinickendorf. It had a population of 72,859 in 2008.-Geography:...
(in the Reinickendorf
Reinickendorf
Reinickendorf is the twelfth borough of Berlin. It encompasses the northwest of the city area, including the Berlin-Tegel Airport, Lake Tegel, spacious settlements of detached houses as well as housing estates like Märkisches Viertel.-Subdivision:...
borough) while in the east the Mauerpark
Mauerpark
Mauerpark is a public park in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district. The name translates to "Wall Park", referring to its status as a former part of the Berlin Wall and its Death Strip...
and the Nordbahn railway line forms the border with Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg is a locality of Berlin, in the borough of Pankow.Until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a borough of Berlin; in that year it was included in the borough of Pankow....
and Pankow
Pankow (locality)
Pankow is a locality of Berlin in the district of Pankow. Until 2001 it was an autonomous district with the localities of Niederschönhausen, Wilhelmsruh, Rosenthal, Blankenfelde, Buch and Französisch Buchholz.-History:...
, both localities of the Pankow borough
Pankow
Pankow is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.- Overview :...
.
History
The locality adopted its name from a mineral springMineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
first documented by chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf
Andreas Sigismund Marggraf
Andreas Sigismund Marggraf was a German chemist and pioneer of analytical chemistry from Berlin, which was then the capital of Brandenburg, a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire. He isolated zinc in 1746 by heating calamine and carbon...
about 1748, later site of the Luisenbad spa, named after Queen Louise of Prussia
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
. The area became a popular destination for day-trippers and, after its incorporation into the city of Berlin in 1861, a densely settled working-class district. From 1905 the sports field near the Berlin-Gesundbrunnen station, later Stadion am Gesundbrunnen
Stadion am Gesundbrunnen
Stadion am Gesundbrunnen was a multi-use stadium in Berlin, Germany. It was initially used as the stadium of Hertha BSC matches. During the 1936 Summer Olympics, it hosted some of the football matches. It was replaced by the current Olympic Stadium when Hertha joined the Bundesliga in 1963. In...
, was the home ground of the Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hertha Berliner Sport-Club von 1892, commonly known as Hertha BSC or Hertha Berlin, is a German association football club based in Berlin. A founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900, the club has a long history as Berlin's best-supported side...
football club.
Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
, finished in 1876, from 1942 was the site of two large flak tower
Flak tower
Flak towers were 8 complexes of large, above-ground, anti-aircraft gun blockhouse towers constructed in the cities of Berlin , Hamburg , and Vienna from 1940 onwards....
s. The northern tower, due to its location near the Ringbahn tracks, was not blown up after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Partly interred by rubble it today serves as a viewpoint and climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
wall with guidances through the interior available.
From 1949 Gesundbrunnen (as part of Wedding) belonged to the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sector of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, while the neighbouring localities of Mitte, Pankow and Prenzlauer Berg were parts of East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. The border between the sectors and, from 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
ran along the Nordbahn railway and the divided Bernauer Straße
Bernauer Straße
Bernauer Straße is a street of Berlin situated between the localities of Gesundbrunnen and Mitte, today both belonging to the Mitte borough. It runs from the Mauerpark at the corner of Prenzlauer Berg to the Nordbahnhof...
. This street became famous for tunnels dug under it as well as for daring escape jumps from windows of the apartment blocks in the eastern part of the city, down to the street which itself belonged to the French sector. On the evening of November 9, 1989 the border crossing at Bornholmer Straße station was the first to open, allowing East Berliners to pass freely toward the west.
Transportation
Gesundbrunnen is one of the few localities of the former western sectorWest Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
served by tramways
Berlin Straßenbahn
The Berlin tram network is the main tram system in Berlin, Germany. It is one of the oldest tram networks in the world having its origins in 1865 and is operated by , which was founded in 1929. It is notable for being one of the largest tram systems; there are 22 tram lines operate across a...
(lines M10, M13 and 50). It is also served by many S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
lines (S1
S1 (Berlin)
The S1 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates over:*the Prussian Northern Railway, opened on 10 July 1877 and electrified in 1925,*a short section of the Berlin-Szczecin railway, opened on 1 August 1842 and electrified in 1924,...
, S2
S2 (Berlin)
S2 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates from Bernau to Blankenfelde over:*the Berlin-Szczecin railway, opened on 1 August 1842 and electrified on 8 August 1924,...
, S25
S25 (Berlin)
S25 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates from Teltow Stadt to Hennigsdorf over:*the Anhalt Suburban Line, opened on 1 December 1901, electrified in 1929 and extended to Lichterfelde Süd in 1943 and Teltow Stadt in February 2005,...
, S4
S4X (Berlin)
S41 and S42 operate a circular service on the Ringbahn section of the Berlin S-Bahn. The S41 operates clockwise around the circle, the S42 operates counter-clockwise....
, S8
S8 (Berlin)
S8 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates from Zeuthen to Hohen Neuendorf over:*the Görlitz line, opened in 1866 and electrified in 1929,*the Ring line, completed in 1877 and electrified in 1926,...
and S85
S85 (Berlin)
S85 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates from Grünau to Waidmannslust over:*the Berlin–Görlitz railway, opened on 13 September 1866 and electrified on 4 January 1929,*the Ringbahn, opened on 17 July 1871 and electrified in 1926 and...
) and U-Bahn
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...
(U8
U8 (Berlin U-Bahn)
U8 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It has 24 stations and is 18.1 km long. The U8 is one of two north–south Berlin U-Bahn lines, and runs from Wittenau to Neukölln via Gesundbrunnen...
and U9
U9 (Berlin U-Bahn)
U9 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. The line was opened on 28 August 1961 as Line G.-References:...
). Its main station is the eponymous one
Berlin-Gesundbrunnen railway station
Berlin-Gesundbrunnen is a railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is situated in the eponymous district in the former Wedding borough as an interconnection point between the northern Ringbahn and Nord-Süd-Tunnel lines of the Berlin S-Bahn, as well as a regional and long distance station of the...
, from 2006 upgraded for long distance trains. Other stations are Bornholmer Straße
Berlin Bornholmer Straße railway station
Berlin Bornholmer Straße is a railway station in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and the M13 line of the Berlin Straßenbahn.-History:...
, Humboldthain
Berlin Humboldthain railway station
Berlin Humboldthain is a railway station in the city of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and a local bus line.-External links:*...
, Nordbahnhof
Berlin Nordbahnhof
Berlin Nordbahnhof is a railway station in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and local bus and tram lines.-History:...
(the former Stettiner Bahnhof), Wollankstraße
Berlin Wollankstraße railway station
Berlin Wollankstraße is a railway station in the Pankow district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and several local buses.-History:...
,
Bernauer Straße
Bernauer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Bernauer Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Build by the great subway architect A. Grenander in 1930 this station was a station of the GN Bahn of line D. In April 1945 it was closed due to the war. Opened again in May 1945 until building of the Berlin wall on Aug 13, 1961.The...
, Nauener Platz
Nauener Platz (Berlin U-Bahn)
Nauener Platz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the . The square that gives it its name is named after the city of Nauen.It was opened in 1976 by Rümmler. The colors of the station are a reference to the french tricolore as the part of Berlin where the station is, was a part of the french...
, Osloer Straße
Osloer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Osloer Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station in the Gesundbrunnen district, located on the and . Like the eponymous street it is named after the City of Oslo....
, Pankstraße
Pankstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Pankstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the U8. It was opened on October 5, 1977 with the line's extension from Gesundbrunnen to Osloer Straße. The station's name derives from its location: It sits under the intersection of Pankstraße and Badstraße.The actual spelling of the station's...
and Voltastraße
Voltastraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Voltastraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Built in 1914 but opened in 1930 it has granite columns and is built only 4,5m beyond the street. During the first world war the station could not be finished, so it was opened 1930....
.