Kollwitzplatz, located in the middle of Prenzlauer Berg, still embodies the lively and creative scene of the old district – now part of the greater Pankow borough. As elsewhere in Prenzlauer Berg, readings, exhibitions, performances, and other diverse artistic, socio-educational, and cultural activities took place here in the surrounding houses and streets in the 1980s.
The square and its adjacent streets, as well as the vacant apartments, studios, and houses, offered ideal workshop and play spaces for artists and free spirits with alternative ideas.
Additionally, as a result of the search for alternatives to the GDR’s state guidelines regarding the education of children and young people, ideas and projects emerged at Kollwitzplatz and in its vicinity that broke new ground or sought to improve coexistence in the district.
After the Peaceful Revolution, the first years were characterized by an optimistic mood and plentiful free space. Artistic and pedagogical ideas and projects that were not possible in the GDR were realized, and others were further developed. Created as a counter-design to the reality of the GDR, these initiatives found their way into the sometimes critical examination of social reality in a unified Germany.
Only in exceptional cases were these projects and initiatives able to survive over the years in the rapidly changing neighborhood. With the visit of U.S. President Bill Clinton to the Gugelhof restaurant in 2000, Kollwitzplatz’s reputation became known beyond the borders of the country and attracted wealthy clientele and investors to the district.
