Westend: avenues, villas, allotments

At 13.53 square kilometres, Westend is the second largest borough in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and has just under 41,000 inhabitants. Locals describe Westend as a beautiful neighbourhood – a green and high quality environment in which to live. And that is no exaggeration. Let’s jump into its history and start at Theodor-Heuss-Platz, often perceived as the centre of the Westend.

Theodor-Heuss-Platz - Public and Political

‘Theo’, as the square is called by locals, isn’t very pretty. Surrounded by traffic, very noisy. Not a place to linger around for long. Or is it? The view down the Kaiserdamm from here is impressive. After all, Theo is situated on a small hill, 25 metres high. In good weather, the Rotes Rathaus (the seat of the Senate of Berlin) can be seen in the distance.
Originally envisioned to be of decorative design, the square was established in 1908 and given the name Reichskanzlerplatz (chancellor place). Initially, it remained undeveloped, barring two entrances to the underground railway. The square was renamed in 1933 and was known as Adolf-Hitler-Platz until 1945. The National Socialists had planned to remodel extensively. The square was to feature enormous colonnades ‘framing’ a central, colossal monument. Those plans never came to be. After the Second World War, the square was given back its old name, which it kept until December 1963. Shortly after the death of the first Federal President, it was renamed Theodor-Heuss-Platz.
It was Theodor Heuss himself who lit the ‘eternal flame’ in September 1955. The inscription on the plinth below calls for ‘Freedom – Justice – Peace’. Words as relevant today as they were almost seventy years ago. The memorial was founded by the Federation of German Expellees, and its flame was to only be alight until Germany’s reunification, before being extinguished. Which is what happened on October 3rd, 1990. In December of that same year, the flame was reignited, now serving as a reminder to implement human rights.
A few years ago, the police were called to the scene to deal with an unusual incident. A homeless man decided to cook his lunch over the eternal flame. He was allowed to ‘finish cooking’.

Haus des Rundfunks, Messegelände

Just around the corner from Theodor-Heuss-Platz, a few steps further down Masurenallee, we see the Haus des Rundfunks (broadcasting centre). It opened its doors in 1931 with the words, “The ship is ready to sail”. Media history was written here. Radio began its march of dominance because, “…with the help of radio, it has become possible to spread news across the whole world in a fraction of a second. The ethical tasks of radio are crowned by the guiding principle: create new paths for the human spirit,” as said radio pioneer Hans Bredow in 1924.
The Haus des Rundfunks has been listed as an architectural monument since 1958, and with good reason. At the time of its construction, the building complex was a milestone in the history of broadcasting centres in Europe. It was designed by the architect Hans Poelzig, a proponent of classical modernism. His idea: place three large broadcasting studios in the centre of the building, shielded from surrounding noise by office wings and production studios. Ideal conditions for radio broadcasters even today. The main façade of the Haus des Rundfunks is 156 metres long and is made of glazed ceramic panels. The two wings of the building curve convexly inwards to form an obtuse triangle. Viewed from directly above, the broadcasting centre is shaped like the bow of a ship.
By the time construction work began on Masurenallee, the huge radio tower across the road had already been built. It towers over the neighbouring exhibition centre (Messegelände), is 150 metres high and weighs 600 tonnes. Its steel construction was based on plans by architect Heinrich Straumer, who erected the tower upon a base measuring merely 20 by 20 metres. It went into operation as a transmission mast in 1926, at the same time as the third major radio exhibition took place. By then, the radio tower had already earned its nickname. Berliners called it the ‘Long Lulatsch’, which means: tall, long and lanky.

Reichsstrasse - Window shopping & Flair

Seven streets branch off from Theodor-Heuss-Platz. One of them is Reichsstrasse, the boulevard of Westend, and its central shopping mile. It was named in 1906 to commemorate the founding of the Reich (German Empire) in 1871. Before that, the street had only one number: 7a. Reichsstrasse is a good two kilometres long, beginning at Theodor-Heuss-Platz and reaching back to Spandauer Damm behind Brixplatz.
Shopping in Westend is more down-to-earth than on Kurfürstendamm, and more relaxed than in the bustling Wilmersdorfer Strasse in Charlottenburg. Many shops on Reichsstrasse are time-honoured, traditional businesses that have been there for half a century or more. Thus far, they have been able to stand strong in the face of rising rents and gentrification. This is thanks to the Reichstrasse initiative group, in which many local business owners are involved. The aim is to preserve the unique flair of this ‘ordinary’ street. It is here, after all, that one can find ‘the extraordinary within the ordinary’.

Westend Villa Colony - a Sophisticated Neighbourhood

“There was no transport connection to get there. The forest was opposite our house, and the evening sun set above the pine trees, a burning red.” This is how the famous Berlin painter Sabine Lepsius described her new home in Westend in 1900. She moved into Ahornallee 30 in the villa colony with her family.

The history of Westend began in May 1866, when entrepreneur Albert Werkmeister founded the ‘Commandit-Gesellschaft auf Aktien’ (limited partnership on shares) to acquire an area of around 100 hectares on the edge of the Grunewald forest. Inspired by London’s West End, the neighbourhood was to cater to “wealthy citizens”, who would appreciate living to the west of the metropolis of Berlin, where the air was clean. Westend “breathes well…,” Kaiser Wilhelm I is quoted. This was indeed correct, as the prevailing wind in Berlin was westerly. The smog from the factory chimneys of the 19th century was blown eastwards over the city. The Westend neighbourhood was to boast upper-class villas, well-tended gardens and its own sewage system. The waterworks at Teufelssee, the oldest waterworks in Berlin still in existence today, was built especially for the villa colony.

The terrain was divided into 400 plots of land with an average size of 800 square metres. Twelve avenues stretch along through the villa colony in a chequered pattern, all named after types of trees, such as Chestnut Avenue, Elm Avenue, Maple Avenue or Oak Avenue.
The initial enthusiasm of the developers quickly faded, however. The start of construction was delayed by the German-Austrian War. The stock market crash of 1873 saw the ‘Commandit-Gesellschaft’ faced with financial difficulties. Less than half of the 400 plots of land had been sold.
Construction began again following the opening of Westend’s circle line railway station in 1877. It took being connected to the underground rail system in 1908, however, for Westend to emerge as a popular residential neighbourhood.

After the Second World War, many plots were sub-divided and the villas demolished. The appearance of the Westend has changed, and with it, its residents. Yet ‘Old-Westend’, or ‘the avenues’, as the villa colony is also known, still remains a respectable address. Numerous embassies, consulates and residences are situated here, earning the area the nickname ‘Diplomatic Quarter Westend’. This lends the neighbourhood an international flair.

Ahornallee - Unique Urban Character

‘Old-Westend’ is one of Berlin’s oldest villa colonies. A preservation order has been in force since 1985 in order to ‘protect its unique urban character’. Many villas, Art Nouveau houses and half-timbered buildings in the area bear special architectural features. The country house at Ahornallee 33 is a fine example of this, and one of the best-preserved villas in Westend. The façade is particularly decorative and visually striking. The Berlin lawyer J. Kallmann had it built shortly before the outbreak of the First World War. Carl Stahl-Urach was the project’s architect, who also designed the Haus Vaterland at Potsdamer Platz – a famous, superlative entertainment complex of the 1920s.
Today, the Villa Kallmann is home to the Liebfrauen Catholic School, founded in 1926 by Bernhard Lichtenberg. He was the parish priest of the Sacred Heart Church in Charlottenburg at that time. Lichtenberg was one of the Catholic clergymen who openly opposed the Nationals Socialists. The school was forced to close in 1941 and Bernhard Lichtenberg was arrested and sentenced to prison. He protested against the systematic murder of mentally and physically disabled people and prayed publicly on Sundays for the persecuted, regardless of their faith. Lichtenberg died whilst being transported to the Dachau concentration camp. He was beatified in 1996.

Branitzer Platz - A Celebrity Place

Round. Diameter: 100 metres. Mature trees. Tall chestnut trees surround. Attributes which characterise Branitzer Platz, situated almost in the middle of the villa colony. A central square already featured in the initial plans for Westend. It was supposed to be much larger. Oval instead of round, featuring a church and a school. It was to be named: Kirchplatz.
Those plans were scrapped, and a ‘decorative square’ was created instead. Lilacs and hawthorns were planted centrally, bordered by beds of roses. Sadly, it doesn’t look as beautiful as it did over a hundred years ago.
Kirchplatz became Branitzer Platz, named after an area near Cottbus. The Prussian landscape architect Prince Pückler established a famous park in Branitz, along with a palace.
Branitzer Platz is a small oasis. Barely any cars, no cafés or restaurants. Undisturbed peace and quiet. Celebrities once lived in the immediate neighbourhood: Bruno Cassirer, a famous Berlin publisher and gallery owner, lived in Branitzer Platz 1. Alfred Braun, Germany’s first radio announcer, lived in Kastanienallee 34. Marlene Dietrich lived around the corner in Akazienallee for several years. The actor Curd Jürgens grew up in the neighbourhood. Posh houses frame the square – it’s well worth taking a peek over the garden fence here. Only the house at Branitzerplatz 3 doesn’t fit in this upper class neighbourhood. It has been empty for years. In April 2020, youths occupied the building, insisting it should become a youth centre. And yet, the future fate of this villa is still unclear.

Ulmenallee 35 – A Special Community Centre

“Projects. Emotions. People. Politics. Every time I’m here in this house, I learn something new.” These are just some of the statements made by volunteers, staff and visitors to ‘Ulme 35’, an intercultural centre in Westend, named after its house number in Ulmenallee.
Being proactive is held in high regard at ‘Ulme 35’. Many new projects are initiated in the open atmosphere that prevails here: for women, for children and especially for refugee families in need of help.
‘Ulme 35’ is housed in an inviting old villa, set in the middle of a large, beautiful garden. People from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq or the Ukraine meet with people from Westend and elsewhere. There is an open studio and a choir; exhibitions and readings are held. “Only when we talk to each other, listen to each other, do we understand each other.” This is a sentence often heard in ‘Ulme 35’.
The villa was built in 1896 to house the ‘Weilersche Kuranstalt für Nervenleidende und Morphinisten’ (a sanatorium for individuals suffering from morphine addiction or mental disorders). Air ‘baths’ (Luftbad) and hypnosis were on offer, and the location of the sanatorium was praised at the time with the words, “It is a very favourable location in terms of landscape, climate and hygiene”. The Charlottenburg psychiatric hospital, which was founded as a ‘private lunatic asylum’, later becoming the ‘Kuranstalten Westend’, was also located on the site.
At the beginning of the 1950s, the Freie Universität took over the sanatorium at Westend, which then became a psychiatric clinic. It moved to the Benjamin Franklin Campus in 2015. What was the clinic ward block has now become accommodation for refugees.
Upon finding flyers in their letterboxes, which called on locals to oppose the accommodation of refugees in their area, neighbours and volunteers from the ‘Welcome to Westend’ initiative group took action. They developed a new concept for the old villa at Ulmenallee 35, which had been in disuse for 15 years. In November 2015, the ‘Kuranstalten Westend’ became the ‘Interkulturanstalten Westend e. V.’ (intercultural association). The keys were handed over in March 2017: ‘Ulme 35’ received funding from the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district authority. It has been a district community centre since 2023.

U-Bahn Stations Westend and Neu-Westend

If you continue straight along Ulmenallee from the ‘Ulme 35’ centre, then cross Kirschenallee and turn left into Bolivarallee, you have left Alt-Westend (Old-Westend) behind you. Upon reaching Steubenplatz, you notice the streetscape is very different in comparison to the previous area, with its villas on avenues laid out in a chequerboard pattern. Here, four-storey buildings dominate one’s view. Terraced houses in the style of the New Objectivity can be found in Westendallee, very close to Steubenplatz.

Around 1900, the development of Alt-Westend was largely complete. New Westend emerged. The Neu-Westend Aktiengesellschaft für Grundstücksverwertung, a real-estate development corporation, played a major role in founding this new residential area. It purchased 134 hectares of land upon which, amongst other things, the Westend horse harness racing track was located. Not only horses raced there, however, car races were held too! The track was closed when the Grunewald racecourse opened.

It was several years before a new residential area was built to the right and left of Reichsstrasse, between Theodor-Heussplatz and Brixplatz. The new underground railway played a vital role in this. The Neu-Westend-AG signed a contract with a railway company (Hochbahngesellschaft), which required them to build a subway station.
On May 20th, 1922, the first passengers were able to board trains at Neu-Westend. It is a rather plain station. The walls are clad with green ceramic panels. The station entrance is made of shell limestone, featuring columns and lanterns — a real eye-catcher. It was originally built for the Nollendorfplatz underground station, which was then completely renovated in 1926. The old entrance was dismantled, ‘recycled’ and found a new home at Neu-Westend.

History and Stories of Steubenplatz

Steubenplatz marks the centre of Reichsstrasse. It was created around 1930 and named after the Prussian General von Steuben. He joined the American Continental Army in 1777 following the outbreak of the American War of Independence, and participated in the American fight for freedom against the British.
Near forgotten is the cinema on Steubenplatz: the Puck cinema, at the crossing of Ebereschenallee and Steubenplatz. It opened in 1939. Following the Second World War, British troops used the cinema, and it showed mainly English-language films until 1952. The building has housed a supermarket since the 1960s.
Another fading memory is a cult television series that was produced here in the 1980s, achieving fantastic viewing figures: Three Ladies from the Grill. Their food truck stood on the corner of Steubenplatz and Bolivarallee. Scenes for the series were filmed there as well as across the road in a well-known bar, called the Westend-Klause.
You can’t miss Der Sieger (The Winner), the equestrian sculpture on the central traffic island. The sculptor Louis Tuaillon created it for Berlin banker Hans Arnhold, who had the sculpture erected in the garden of his Wannsee villa in 1902. It has stood at Steubenplatz since 1961. And where might the naked youth be riding? In the direction of Olympische Strasse – which leads directly to the Olympic Stadium.

The Olympic Stadium - a Landmark with History

The area around today’s stadium had already hosted sporting events during the imperial era. The Grunewald Racecourse was built here in 1909. Four years later, the ‘Deutsche Stadion’ was erected to host the 1916 Olympics. The Olympic Games were cancelled, however. The reason: the outbreak of the First World War.
The International Olympic Committee chose Berlin as the venue for the 1936 Summer Olympics. The Post Stadium in Berlin-Moabit was to be expanded and renovated to host the games. Adolf Hitler, however, decided to have a new stadium built with a capacity of 100,000 spectators. The Olympic Stadium was opened for the competition in 1936, which became a huge propaganda spectacle. The stadium was renovated and modernised for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, for which the roof was extended. The football final was held here that year, which Italy won. And since 1985, this has been a resounding call of football fans, “Berlin, Berlin, we’re going to Berlin.” Going to win the German knockout football cup final, that is: the DFB Cup final at the Olympic Stadium.

Brixplatz No. 11 - the Nightingale of Sachsenplatz

Joachim Ringelnatz lived in this house, an author of bizarre, droll, comical poetry, oft verging on the nonsensical. Ringelnatz was his pseudonym. He was born Hans Bötticher in Wurzen, Saxony. A Ringelnatz was the sailor’s nautical slang for the seahorse. Travelling the seas as a sailor was Joachim Ringelnatz’ dream in life. His reality differed greatly. However, he did become a celebrated star of cabaret, thanks to his fictional character Kuddel Daddeldu, the grumpy sailor. His performances were wild. He shouted, sang and sometimes smashed chairs. His audience was thrilled. One critic wrote in November 1930, “Every evening near the Gedächtniskirche [Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church] you can experience, see and hear a miracle, the rarest and most precious species of the human kind: a poet, a very great poet.”
In February 1930, Ringelnatz moved to Neu-Westend and wrote: “Moving to Berlin, to Berlin – how it entices! – I am stumped, I, am adamant and blunted, have finally turned myself upside down.” He lived on the top floor with his wife Leonarda, whom he lovingly called ‘Muschelkalk’(shell lime). He liked Sachsenplatz, as Brixplatz was called back then. Ringelnatz loved the melodic song of nightingales, about which he wrote a poem. It is commemorated today by a plaque on the wall of Brixplatz.
In 1933, the National Socialists placed Ringelnatz on their so-called ‘black list of most-hated writers.’ His performances were banned in the name of ‘defence against communist acts of violence which endanger the state’. This spelled the end of his professional career. Ringelnatz fell into bitter financial hardship. He became terminally ill and died here at home on November 17th, 1935, aged 51. He is buried in the cemetery on Heerstrasse.

Brixplatz - Mondays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon

Bus route 143 terminates on Reichsstrasse at one of the entrances to Brixplatz, which is actually a park. “An idyllic spot,” enthused a bus driver recently. In 1947, the square was renamed from Sachsenplatz to Brixplatz, commemorating Josef Brix, an urban planner and rector of Charlottenburg Technical University.
“Come with us!” Silke Klasen calls you to join her a tour of the park. She is a garden and landscape architect, and one of ten volunteers from the ‘Brixplatz Park Initiative’, who have been tending the park for 20 years. Not an easy task. Dog faeces in the middle of paths, uprooted flowers, plastic waste in the bushes, graffiti on old walls. “Sometimes we’re kept busy simply clearing away the waste,” says Silke Klasen.
In 1909, the development plan for Neu-Westend included a gravel pit between Reichsstrasse and Westendalle, which was to be converted into a green space. Charlottenburg’s director of parklands, Erwin Barth, took on the design. He created a species-rich, landscape park inspired by Brandenburg’s natural features. It had three ponds and a botanical teaching garden. Barth also had a boulder of Rüdersdorf limestone installed, from which a waterfall flowed. A pavilion and a playground were built. According to Barth, visitors should refrain from entering the lower part of the park, so as not to disturb the ecosystem. In 1960, however, this lower ground was opened to the public. “And this caused a serious disturbance to the inner area,” Silke Klasen says.
The district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf had to cease the maintenance of the teaching garden in 2003 due to financial and staffing shortages, which led to the Brixplatz Park Initiative being founded. “We meet at the teaching garden every Monday from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon.”

Spandauer Damm - Gardens instead Development

Active citizenship and volunteering is held in high regard in Westend. Without the ‘InterKulturanstalten Westend e. V.’, the community centre ‘Ulme 35’ would not exist. Without the volunteers of the ‘Parkinitiative Brixplatz’, the park would gradually lose its special charm.
And without the ‘Bürgerinitiative Ruhwald e. V.’? First chairman of the initiative, Sven Born, warns “… an important fresh air corridor, which improves the city climate, would be irretrievably destroyed.”
You don’t have to walk far from Brixplatz to get to the large allotment site on Spandauer Damm. Just go straight ahead along Meinigenallee.
The Ruhwald garden colonies stretch from Ruhwaldpark to Westend hospital, and from Spandauer Damm down to the river Spree: 1500 allotment gardens in 10 colonies called Birkenwäldchen (birch forest), Sonntagsfrieden (Sunday peace), or Wasserturm (water tower).
There were only a few windmills here around 1800. The area was pasture land. From 1911, gardens were created for working class citizens. “Even my grandparents had a garden. This shaped them and made them aware of nature and the environment,” says Sven Born to Hartmut Matthei, one of the co-founders of the citizens initiative. In 1972, 1,400 allotment gardeners were given notice to vacate their plots. Over 4,000 flats were to be built on the site. “In 1973, we founded a citizens initiative to preserve this space of rest and relaxation.The urban climatic and ecological importance of the site were verified by experts. And we managed to get more than 40,000 Berliners to sign a petition in favour of preserving the colonies,” says Helmut Matthei. “We negotiated for years and ultimately succeeded in ensuring that the whole of Ruhwald will not be developed.”

Route Westend

The city walk is also available on komoot. Further information can be found on the komoot website.