Nikolaiviertel

The idyllic Nikolai quarter dates back to the 13thcentury. Because the area around the Nikolaikirche was largely destroyed in 1944, the GDR leadership decided to rebuild the ruins on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the city from 1981-1987. In a kind of open-air museum, historical buildings were rebuilt and convey the illusion of a piece of old Berlin. The nostalgic district on the Spree is thus one of Berlin's most popular sights.

A stroll through the historic Berlin in Nikolaiviertel

The small district with its historical town houses and buildings worth seeing stretches between the banks of the Spree and the Red Town Hall. The heart of Nikolaivierte is Nikolai Church, Berlin's oldest sacral building, which was consecrated around 1230. The western part of the Romanesque basilica has been preserved and the late Gothic brick hall and the twin towers of the church façade, which are visible from afar, date from the 15thcentury. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's former house in which he wrote Minna von Barnhelm from 1752-1755 and the baroque Knoblauchhaus harmoniously adjoin the church. Nadlermeister Johann Christian Knoblauch had the manorial private house built from 1754-1760. The Ephraim Palace, a four-storey bourgeois palace with a gently curved rococo façade and magnificent balconies, built between 1763 and 1774 for Veitel Heine Ephraim, the coin tenant of Frederick the Great, bears witness to the splendour of a bygone era.

Berlin milieu and old Berlin hospitality

A visit to the Heinrich Zille Museum in the middle of Nikolaiviertel gives detailed insight into the life and work of the artist. As a contemporary witness of the Berlin lower class, Zille was able to depict the grievances of the imperial era in an inimitable brush manner. With his socially critical milieu studies, portrait sketches, and nude drawings, "Pinselheinrich" is as much a part of "Berliner Milljöh" as the hearty Berlin cuisine. In the immediate vicinity is the historical inn Zum Nußbaum, where Heinrich Zille is said to have enjoyed knuckle of pork with sauerkraut. In around 1570 on the nearby fishing island, the inn was moved next to the Nikolai church during reconstruction. Right next door you will find another restaurant that moved into the re-erected courtyard of the medieval town hall. Originally located 200m northeast of the town hall, it was demolished in 1870 and reconstructed in Babelsberg castle park. A copy of the copy was thus made for the development of the "Old Berlin Milieu Island", as Nikolaiviertel was affectionately called during planning.

Relaxed sightseeing with the Berlin WelcomeCard

Nikolaiviertel is easy to reach by subway or suburban train via the nearby Alexanderplatz. With the Berlin WelcomeCard, you not only have free use of all public transport, you also benefit from over 200 discount offers with up to 50% savings. Book Berlin's most popular tourist ticket online before you start your journey and enjoy the benefits of the official tourist ticket that has already been sold over 12 million times.