Berlin neighbourhoods: around the Oranienburger Tor

In the description below, the names of the routes and main sites are written in German – that is, as they appear on the ground – and in italics. The letter ß, specific to the German alphabet, is pronounced like a double ‘s’ in French. See the section on place names under ‘Practical information’.

Starting point: Friedrichstraße Station.

Access:
- S-Bahn – Lines 1, 2, 25, 5, 7 and 75.
- U-Bahn – Line 6.
- Tram – Lines M1 and 12.

(S) From the station, take one of the Friedrichstraße exits (Ausgang). Follow this street northwards, cross the Reichtagufer and cross the Spree via the Weidendammer Brücke. Turn left immediately as you leave the bridge and walk along the river on Schiffbauerdamm. Pass Bertold-Brecht-Platz on your right and, at the next junction, turn right into Albrechtstraße. Ignore Marienstraße on your left.

(1) At the next junction (with a monumental bunker opposite on the right), cross Reinhardtstraße and continue straight on. Then turn left into Schumannstraße. Walk past the Deutsches Theater and continue alongside the pastel-coloured, rendered buildings on the right-hand side. At the next junction (statue of Albrecht von Graefe), turn right onto Luisenstraße. Walk past the Charité Hospital (a large brick complex) on your left and continue straight ahead. Cross Robert-Koch-Platz and, continuing straight on, the Platz vor dem Neuen Tor. This will take you onto a wide avenue, Invalidenstraße.

(2) Follow the avenue to the left, cross the Spree and reach the entrance to the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum on the right-hand side.

(3) Retrace your steps.

(2) Continue along Invalidenstraße and walk past the Museum für Naturkunde on your left. At the next junction ( U-Bahn station), turn right onto Chausseestraße. At No. 125, note the Brecht Haus. Immediately afterwards, leave the street and turn right into a small lane leading to two cemeteries (Dorotheenstadtisch and Französicher). When you reach a small square (information board), turn sharply left and enter the Französicher Friedhof. Cross the cemetery diagonally to the right and take the exit leading back to Chausseestraße. Follow this avenue again to the right.

(4) At the next junction (traffic lights), first cross Chausseestraße to the left, then Torstraße to the right. Continue along Chausseestraße and, at the next junction, turn left onto Oranienburger Straße. Immediately ignore a side street on the left and note an imposing building on the right-hand side, which was undergoing major renovation work in November 2016 (a former artists’ ‘loft’ or ‘squat’). Then ignore Auguststraße, pass the Oranienburger Straße S-Bahn station (on the left-hand corner, the monumental former central post office building) and you will arrive at the Neue Synagoge.

(5) Continue along Oranienburger Straße and take the first left, into Krausnickstraße. At the end of the street, turn right into Große Hamburger Straße. Walk alongside the old Jewish cemetery on your left, then rejoin Oranienburger Straße at the end and follow it to the left. At the junction, veer right and cross Große Präsidentenstraße. Stroll through Hackescher Markt along the Neue Promenade and you’ll immediately reach the S-Bahn station (E).

To get back home:
- S-Bahn – Lines 5, 7 and 75.
- U-Bahn – Line 6.
- Tram – Lines M1, M4, M5, M6 and M8.

Place names:
- The word most commonly used to refer to a road in a town or city is Straße (street), regardless of its length or width. This word is most often combined with the street’s name, as in Friedrichstraße. It may also appear separately, with hyphens, as in Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße, or without, as in Spandauer Straße.
- Other terms to help you find your way around: Allee (avenue), Damm (quay), Gasse (alley), Weg (path), Platz (square), Markt (market place), Brücke (bridge), Bahnhof (railway station), Station (station).
- Buildings: Kirche (church), Dom or Kathedrale (cathedral), Synagoge (synagogue), Moschee (mosque), Museum (museum), Schloß (castle), Haus (house).

Public transport:
Public transport is very well developed and proves very convenient when visiting Berlin (and no doubt when living there too). There are four main types of public transport:
- S-Bahn (commuter train)
- U-Bahn (underground)
- Straßenbahn (tram, found only in the former East Berlin)
- Bus (bus)
Tickets are valid on any of these modes of transport and must be validated. Tickets can be bought on the spot from ticket machines. Tickets valid for 1, 2 or 3 days can also be bought on the spot, or online and printed at home. For full details, see the City of Berlin’s website.

Traffic:
- Given the space available and the city’s layout, car traffic – whilst heavy in places – rarely feels as congested as it might in a major French city.
- Berliners strictly observe green and red pedestrian lights and do not take kindly to others failing to do the same… However, there are many junctions without traffic lights or pedestrian crossings.
- Pavements are sometimes shared between pedestrian paths and cycle lanes, although this division is not always clearly marked.

Equipment:
- Opt for low-cut trainers or walking shoes rather than smart shoes.
- From November to March, it is generally cold in Berlin; it can get extremely cold. During this period, make sure you wear plenty of warm clothing.

Times, resources and alternatives:
- The times given are walking times, not taking into account the numerous stops and visits you may wish to make. Depending on the number of these visits and their duration, the time taken for this walk can vary from a few hours to a full day.
- The route alternates between busy areas and quieter stretches. Given the nature of Berlin’s urban layout, there is plenty of space available even in the busiest areas.
- In churches, appropriate dress and behaviour are required (see the signs at the entrance). Churches may not be visited during services.
- Along the way, there are bars and restaurants where you can have a drink or a bite to eat. The toilets in these establishments are for customers only. There are also a few public toilets that require a fee.
- The route naturally lends itself to various alternatives, depending on the sites you wish to visit or your own whims, provided you have a detailed map (see below). In particular, it can be extended by the ‘Berlin Neighbourhoods: Scheunenviertel and Prenzlauer Berg’ walk, which starts at Hackescher Markt station.

Maps:
It is essential to have a detailed map showing street names in German (at the very least, the one accompanying this description). City maps can be purchased on site at the main tourist attractions. They can also be obtained in France from specialist bookshops (for example, the IGN offers a very handy 1:15,000 scale map).

Walk undertaken by the author on 12 November 2016.

This walk forms part of a series of walking routes dedicated to Berlin, none of which claims to be exhaustive in terms of places to see or visit. In addition to the city’s unique urban layout, characterised first and foremost by its open spaces, the following sites are worth noting:
- Weidendammer Brücke shortly afterwards (S). A lovely view over the River Spree and Museum Island.
- Bunker (1). This imposing concrete building, erected in 1943, housed the NKVD (Soviet political police) after the war. Of dubious aesthetic merit but apparently indestructible, it has now been converted into a performance venue.
- Hamburger Bahnhof Museum für Gegenwart (3). A museum of modern art housed in a disused railway station.
- Museum für Naturkunde, between (2) and (4): a natural history museum.
- Brecht Haus, before (4). The house where Bertolt Brecht (1886–1956) and his wife Helene Weigel (1900–1971) lived from 1953 onwards, now converted into a museum.
- Dorotheenstadt and French cemeteries, before (4). Open from 08:00 to 17:00 from November to February, and from 08:00 to 20:00 from March to October. Visitors are expected to behave appropriately (see the sign at the entrance).
- Neue Synagoge (5). Built between 1859 and 1866, it was vandalised by the Nazis in November 1938 during Kristallnacht. Damaged by Allied bombing in 1943, it was restored from 1988 onwards. Guided tours are available daily (except Saturdays) for a fee.
- Former Jewish cemetery along Große Hamburger Straße, previously (E).
- Hackescher Markt (E), a bustling square.