Around Karl-Marx-Allee

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  Karl-Marx-Allee

• Frankfurter Tor

• View of a newly built residential building on Stalinallee in the eastern sector of Berlin, taken in 1954.

• Volkspark Friedrichshain

• Volkspark Friedrichshain

• Volkspark Friedrichshain

• Karl-Marx-Allee

• Frankfurter Allee

• Near Ostbahnhof

Socialist neo-classicism and a certain Moscow flair characterize the monumental Karl-Marx-Allee between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor. The 90 meter wide boulevard was one of the most monumental building projects of the GDR and is considered the first socialist street on German soil.

Karl-Marx-Allee is a living and breathing cultural monument. Its so-called "Zuckerbäckerbauten" (Confectioner's Buildings) were built in the Stalinist architectural style, also called Socialist Classicism, and are up to 13 storeys high. The sidewalks are spacious and there is plenty of greenery as well as some shops and cafés. The immediate vicinity features mostly prefabricated concrete slab buildings.

Frankfurter Tor

The name Frankfurter Tor goes back to the old city gate of the same name, which was located a few hundred meters to the west but no longer exists. Instead, two high-rise buildings mark the beginning of Karl-Marx-Allee. The massive towers with their filigree domes are now privately owned and not accessible to the public. They house, among other things, an event location and an art studio. The Foundation for German Monument Conservation has its headquarters in the north tower.

Volkspark Friedrichshain

The Volkspark Friedrichshain forms the border between Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. It is the oldest park in Berlin and popular with young families. The Märchenbrunnen (Fairy Tale Fountain) on the western tip is a popular meeting place for walks along the long, winding paths. They lead past an old flak tower, various ponds, a paddling pool, a playground, and an open-air cinema.