Mauerpark Berlin: Adventure Playground in the Capital

Where the Berlin Wall once divided East and West, today lies one of the most popular parks and an essential attraction in Berlin, Mauerpark. Every Sunday, tourists flock in droves to the park area for the flea market or the karaoke stage. However, long-time Berliners also succumb to the charm of the vibrant, creative park scene. Here, not only hobby singers perform but also well-known artists, bands, and those aspiring to make it big. Meanwhile, the park serves as a grilling area and is an ideal spot to enjoy the Berlin sun. We present to you Mauerpark with its flea market and all its unique features, and we will tell you what you absolutely cannot miss during your visit.

Not only the location along the former death strip between the districts of Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte, and Wedding makes Mauerpark a special attraction. Anyone spending their Sunday afternoon in the seven-hectare open area encounters new and longtime Berliners, vacationers, creatives, and people from all over the world. The cultural and linguistic mix is characteristic of the park on Bernauer Straße.

The history of this open space goes back even further than the time of the German division. In 1825, the foundation stone for today's Mauerpark was laid. Back then, a military drill ground for the Prussian army was established here, earning the nickname 'Drill Ground by the Lonely Poplar' due to a single poplar tree that grew there. Even Hertha BSC trained here for a long time. In 1951, in connection with the World Youth Festivals, the current Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sports Park was created, where, among others, the handball team Berliner Füchse trains.

The period from 1961 to 1989 was marked by the division of Berlin, and traces of it can still be found on the grounds of Mauerpark today. The 300-meter-long Hinterlandmauer is now a popular photo motif and open space for graffiti artists from around the world. The transformation from death strip to a popular recreational destination occurred relatively quickly after the fall of the wall.

Before the last remnants of the watchtowers were fully dismantled, residents and visitors to Berlin had already begun to use the area on Schwedter Straße for walking and relaxing. During this time, the first plans emerged for designing the seven-hectare section into today's Mauerpark. Since the park opened in 1994, the mix of flea market, recreational area, and experience space has attracted numerous tourists, long-term Berliners, and newcomers every weekend to this historically significant park.

After expansions in 2005 and 2013, the two-hectare section between the park and Gleimstraße, primarily used as a bike and pedestrian path, also belongs to Mauerpark. A third planned expansion of the recreational area, set to begin in 2016, envisions even more extensive changes. While the flea market area will be reduced, a weekday market is set to be introduced. Grill pavilions are intended to limit grilling in the open space. However, even here, residents and users of Mauerpark will likely have the final say. Despite all the changes, Mauerpark remains a lively gathering place, a stage for artists and creatives, and a memorial to German history.

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