Neighbourhood Info
Mitte
Mitte (German for 'Middle') is the original heart of Berlin. What is now known as Mitte is an amalgamation of neighbourhoods some from West Berlin and others from what was formerly East Berlin - those areas being some of the most precious real-estate in Germany and, having undergone a spectacular renovation after having been allowed to fall to decrepitude in the DDR, it has attracted the most diverse, vibrant and exciting blend of born-and-bred Berliners, immigrants (German and foreign alike) and adventurous visitors one could hope to find. The unique circumstances of the wall restricting real estate in what would otherwise have been some of the most beautiful, desirable streets in the city suddenly coming available, sensible policies of urban renewal, selective price control and Berlin's unparalleled historical and cultural weight have filled this neighbourhood with a density of things-to-do, places to go, exploration and adventures around every corner; yet in a modern, every-convenience imaginable environment.
Cities like New York, London or Paris can be daunting to the visitor, unwelcoming and cliquey unless you wear a certain uniform. Berlin's long standing liberal tradition, exponentially boosted by the falling of the wall and its implications on the spread of cultural/sociological hotchpotch, make it increasingly a magnet for serious artists, writers, intellectuals and political activtists. It is alive in a way that is almost impossible to find in other North American and European counterparts - dynamic, full of opportunities, residents loquacious and challenging... and in Mitte is Berlin in microcosm, plus the traditional icons: the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Museum Island, Hackesche Markt, streetcars and twenty-four hour watering holes, arthouse cinemas, theatres galore, restaurants to suit every palette and every budget. Walk the winding streets of Chelsea, the West Village, the Fifth/Sixth Arrondisements: you will find the aesthetics of a substantial content but increasingly less true activity - alternative lifestyles cannot afford to hobnob with the well-heeled corporate high-flyer - and those cities are the poorer for this segregation. Mitte, with leafy-green streets and designer boutiques also boasts countercultural gatherings, non-conformists accepted rather than shunned. And this in turn attracts more for whom such unique lifestyle possibilities are the antidote to bland consumer-only-culture. Consume and glory in doing so, by all means, by let it not define you, let it not fetter imagination and intellect. Berlin, and Mitte especially, resists on; the battle not only continues here but as migrations increase, so does liberalism grow. These are thrilling times to be in Berlin and Mitte is the very epicentre of all this incredible conurbation has to offer.
