Afrikanisches Viertel

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  Crowds of people at the street renaming ceremony in the African Quarter. Nachtigalplatz" was renamed "Manga-Bell-Platz". This honours the resistance fighters Rudolf and Emily Duala Manga Bell during the German colonial period in Cameroon.

• A man reads a book in a clearing in Volkspark Rehberge.

• A wild boar roams through its enclosure in Volkspark Rehberge.

• Allotments in Rehberge

• Street renaming in the African Quarter. Lüderitzstraße" was renamed "Cornelius-Fredericks-Straße". During the Nama uprising in Namibia, Fredericks was one of the indigenous leaders who actively waged guerrilla warfare against the German colonialists.

• Playground in Volkspark Rehberge

In the Afrikanisches Viertel (African Quarter) in the north of Wedding, modern housing estates alternate with detached houses and allotment gardens. And right next door, the Plötzensee glistens in the sun.

The African Quarter is comparatively green and quiet with an almost suburban flair. In contrast to the Kieze (neighborhoods) in the south of the Wedding district, residential streets with modern architecture and green spaces dominate here.

Location of the Afrikanisches Viertel in Wedding

The name of the African Quarter stems from Germany's colonial past. The neighborhood is located in the north-western part of Wedding and nestles up against the Volkspark Rehberge like a mirror-inverted "L". In addition to the park, the neighborhood is bordered by Müllerstraße and Seestraße as well as the Schwarzer Graben and an allotment garden area. To the east of the African Quarter is the English Quarter, which also belongs to Wedding.

Living and Going out in the African Quarter

At Goethepark there are detached houses and semi-detached houses. At Rehberge underground station there are the arbours of an allotment garden colony. The rest of the Afrikanisches Viertel is characterised by apartment blocks. There are only a few old buildings. Most of the houses were built in the 1920s and 1930s, partly in the Neues Bauen style with clear lines and cubic forms. The two best-known examples are the apartment blocks designed by Mies van der Rohe on Afrikanische Straße and the Friedrich-Ebert-Siedlung at the north-western tip of the Kiez.

The streets in the neighborhood are wide, the street trees numerous and magnificent. More and more creative people and families are joining the long-established residents of the neighborhood. The outdoor cinema Freiluftkino Rehberge, the City Kino Wedding, the stadium in Volkspark and Plötzensee are popular for leisure activities. There are only a few shops, restaurants, cafés and pubs so far. But there will be more. And if you can't find what you're looking for, just stroll into the next Kiez.

Street renaming in the Afrikanisches Viertel

The naming of the streets in the Afrikanisches Viertel had long been criticised. Those named after colonialists were particularly problematic. There are historical reasons why they are called that at all. Before the First World War, animal dealer and zoo director Carl Hagenbeck planned a facility on the site of today's Volskpark Rehberge in which animals and people from the then German colonies in Africa were to be exhibited. Although the war prevented these plans, the street names were already taken and still existed until very recently.

Initiatives for renaming have been partially successful. Lüderitzstraße is now named after Cornelius Fredericks, Petersallee after Anna Mungunda and the Maji Maji Uprising respectively. Nachtigalplatz, named after Gustav Nachtigal, a key figure in German colonial propaganda, has been renamed Manga-Bell-Platz. Today, many Africans and their families actually live in the African Quarter. Many of them moved here in the 1990s. Others have lived in this beautiful corner of Berlin for much, much longer.

Urban Greenery and Places of Interest

The African Quarter is not only green because of the lushly planted courtyards, street trees, gardens and allotments, but also thanks to the churchyards on Seestrasse and Goethepark. The park offers a large lawn for sunbathing, walking paths, old trees, benches and a small children's playground. The large Volkspark Rehberge and the Plötzensee with its outdoor pool and promenade are just a stone's throw away from the Kiez. Also nearby, to the east, is the spacious Schillerpark with walking paths, meadows, playgrounds, paddling pool, toboggan run, rose garden and chestnut grove.