The districts and neighbourhoods of Berlin
The 12 Berlin Bezirke (districts) - following the 2001 district reform

Berlin is both a city and one of Germany's federated states (city state). Since the 2001 administrative reform, it has been made up of twelve districts (German: Bezirke, pronounced [bəˈtsɪʁkə]), each with its own administrative body. However, unlike the municipalities and counties of other German states, the Berlin districts are not territorial corporations of public law (Gebietskörperschaften) with autonomous competencies and property, but simple administrative agencies of Berlin's state and city government, the City of Berlin forming a single municipality (Einheitsgemeinde) since the Greater Berlin Act of 1920. Thus they cannot be equated to US or UK boroughs in the traditional meaning of the term.

Each district possesses a district representatives' assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung) directly elected by proportional representation and an administrative body called district board (Bezirksamt). The district board, comprising since October 2021 six (until then five) members - a district mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister) as head and five (earlier four) district councillors (Bezirksstadträte) - is elected by the district representatives' assembly, proportionally reflecting its party composition according to popular vote. The district board is in charge of most local administrative matters directly relevant to local citizens; however, all of its decisions can at any moment be revoked by the Berlin Senate. Furthermore, the districts are financially completely dependent on state donations, as they neither possess any taxation power nor own any property. The district mayors form a council of mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister, led by the city's governing mayor), which advises the Senate.

History

Twenty-three former boroughs (1990–2000)

Each borough is made up of several officially recognized subdistricts or neighborhoods (Ortsteile in German, sometimes called quarters in English). The exact amount of neighborhoods that form a borough varies considerably, ranging from two (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg) to fifteen (Treptow-Köpenick). These neighborhoods typically have a historical identity as former independent cities, villages, or rural municipalities that were united in 1920 as part of the Greater Berlin Act, forming the basis for the present-day city and state. The neighborhoods do not have their own governmental bodies but are recognized by the city and the boroughs for planning and statistical purposes. Berliners often identify more with the neighborhood where they live than with the borough that governs them. The neighborhoods are further subdivided into statistical tracts, which are mainly used for planning and statistical purposes. The statistical tracts correspond roughly but not exactly with neighborhoods recognized by residents.

When Greater Berlin was established in 1920, the city was organized into twenty boroughs, most of which were named after their largest component neighborhood, often a former city or municipality; others, such as Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, were named for geographic features. Minor changes to borough boundaries were made in 1938. After World War II, Berlin was divided into four sectors, with the Western sectors controlled by the United States, Britain, and France, and the Eastern sector controlled by the Soviet Union.

In 1961, the SED built the Berlin Wall to divide the city, effectively separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany. Three new boroughs were created in East Berlin: Marzahn was split off from Lichtenberg in 1979, Hohenschönhausen from Weissensee in 1985, and Hellersdorf from Marzahn in 1986. In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, and the city was reunified. This marked the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era in Berlin's history.

After reunification, Berlin underwent a process of rapid transformation, as the city worked to rebuild and modernize its infrastructure and economy. Many new businesses and cultural institutions were established, and the city became a center of creativity and innovation.

By 2000, Berlin comprised twenty-three boroughs, as three new boroughs had been created in East Berlin. Today Berlin is divided into twelve boroughs (Bezirke), reduced from twenty-three boroughs before Berlin's 2001 administrative reform.

Boroughs

An administrative reform in 2001 merged all but three of the existing boroughs into the current 12 boroughs, as listed below.[1] The three boroughs that were not affected were Spandau, Reinickendorf and Neukölln, as the population of each was already exceeding 200,000.

Borough Bundestag constituency Population
31 March 2010		 Area
in km2		 Density
per km2		 Map
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Berlin-Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
(excluding Charlottenburg-Nord and the neighbourhood of Kalowswerder)		 319,628 64.72 4,878 The 12 Bezirke of Berlin
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – Prenzlauer Berg East 268,225 20.16 13,187
Lichtenberg Berlin-Lichtenberg 259,881 52.29 4,952
Marzahn-Hellersdorf Berlin-Marzahn-Hellersdorf 248,264 61.74 4,046
Mitte Berlin-Mitte 332,919 39.47 8,272
Neukölln Berlin-Neukölln 310,283 44.93 6,804
Pankow Berlin-Pankow
(excluding Prenzlauer Berg east of Prenzlauer Allee)		 366,441 103.01 3,476
Reinickendorf Berlin-Reinickendorf 240,454 89.46 2,712
Spandau Berlin-Spandau – Charlottenburg North 223,962 91.91 2,441
Steglitz-Zehlendorf Berlin-Steglitz-Zehlendorf 293,989 102.50 2,818
Tempelhof-Schöneberg Berlin-Tempelhof-Schöneberg 335,060 53.09 6,256
Treptow-Köpenick Berlin-Treptow-Köpenick 241,335 168.42 1,406

Administration

The borough government is part of the two-stage administration of the Berlin city-state, whereby the Senate and its affiliated agencies, institutions, and municipal enterprises form the first stage of the so-called Hauptverwaltung (central administration). On the second position, the boroughs enjoy a certain grade of autonomy—though in no way comparable to the German Landkreise districts or independent cities, nor even to the local government of a common municipality as a legal entity, as according to the Berlin Constitution the legal status of the city as a German state itself is that of a unified municipality (Einheitsgemeinde). The power of the borough governments is limited and their performance of assigned tasks is subject to regulatory supervision by the Senate.

Nevertheless, the twelve self-governing boroughs have constitutional status and are themselves subdivided into two administrative bodies: each is governed by the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung, BVV) and a full-time borough council (Bezirksamt), consisting of four councilors (Bezirksstadträte) and headed by a borough mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The BVV assembly is directly elected by the borough's population and therefore acts as a borough parliament, though it is officially part of the executive. It elects the members of the borough council, checks its daily administration, and is able to make applications and recommendations. The twelve borough mayors regularly meet in the Council of Mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister), led by the city's Governing Mayor; the council answers to and advises the Senate.

The localities have no local government bodies, and the administrative duties of the former locality representative, the Ortsvorsteher, were taken over by the borough mayors.

Coats of arms

The mural crown of the coats of arms of Berliner Bezirke

All the coats of arms of Berliner boroughs (the current as of the ones in the period 1990 to 2001) have some common points: The shield has a Spanish form and the coronet is represented by a mural crown: 3 towers in red bricks with the coat of arms of Berlin in the middle.

Most of the coats of arms of current boroughs [2] have changed some elements in their field: Some of them have created a "fusion" of themes of the merged Bezirke (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Lichtenberg, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Tempelhof-Schöneberg); others have modified their themes taken from one of the two (or more) former merged boroughs (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Mitte and Treptow-Köpenick). Only the unchanged boroughs of Neukölln, Reinickendorf and Spandau have not changed their field. The coat of arms of Pankow was created with a new design in 2008, having been the only district without an emblem for 7 years.


Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Lichtenberg
Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Mitte
Neukölln
Pankow
Reinickendorf
Spandau
Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Tempelhof-Schöneberg
Treptow-Köpenick

Localities

As of 2012, the twelve boroughs are made up of a total of 97 officially recognized localities (Ortsteile). Almost all of them are further subdivided into several other zones (defined in German as Ortslagen, Teile, Stadtviertel, Orte etc.). The largest Ortsteil is Köpenick (34.9 km2 or 13.5 sq mi), the smallest one is Hansaviertel (53 ha or 130 acres). The most populated is Neukölln (154,127 inhabitants in 2009), the least populated is Malchow (450 inhabitants in 2008).[3]

The coats of arms of the Localitys lost their validity with the incorporation into Greater Berlin/in new districts and thus disappeared from official use. The coats of arms listed here are the historically used signs.

(01) Mitte
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0101) Mitte 10.70 79,582 7,445
(0102) Moabit 7.72 69,425 8,993
(0103) Hansaviertel 0.53 5,889 11,111
(0104) Tiergarten 5.17 12,486 2,415
(0105) Wedding 9.23 76,363 8,273
(0106) Gesundbrunnen                                 6.13 82,729 13,496
(02) Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0201) Friedrichshain                                   9.78 114,050 11,662
(0202) Kreuzberg 10.40 147,227 14,184
(03) Pankow
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0301) Prenzlauer Berg 11.00 142,319 12,991
(0302) Weißensee 7.93 45,485 5,736
(0303) Blankenburg 6.03 6,550 1,086
(0304) Heinersdorf 3.95 6,580 1,666
(0305) Karow 6.65 18,258 2,746
(0306) Stadtrandsiedlung Malchow             5.68 1,166 205
(0307) Pankow 5.66 55,854 9,868
(0308) Blankenfelde 13.40 1,917 144
(0309) Buch 18.20 13,188 727
(0310) Französisch Buchholz 12.00 18,766 1,560
(0311) Niederschönhausen 6.49 26,903 4,145
(0312) Rosenthal 4.90 8,933 1,823
(0313) Wilhelmsruh 1.37 7,216 5,267
(04) Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0401) Charlottenburg 10.60 118,704 11,198
(0402) Wilmersdorf 7.16 92,815 12,963
(0403) Schmargendorf 3.59 19,750 5,501
(0404) Grunewald 22.30 10,014 448
(0405) Westend 13.50 37,883 2,800
(0406) Charlottenburg-Nord                         6.20 17,327 2,795
(0407) Halensee 1.27 13,966 10,997
(05) Spandau
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0501) Spandau 8.03 33,433 4,164 District map of Spandau
(0502) Haselhorst 4.73 13,668 2,891
(0503) Siemensstadt 5.66 11,388 2,012
(0504) Staaken 10.90 41,470 3,810
(0505) Gatow 10.10 3,908 386
(0506) Kladow 14.80 13,628 922
(0507) Hakenfelde 20.40 26,337 1,292
(0508) Falkenhagener Feld                         6.88 34,778 5,056
(0509) Wilhelmstadt 10.40 37,080 3,558
(06) Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0601) Steglitz 6.79 70,555 10,391
(0602) Lichterfelde                                       18.20 78,338 4,300
(0603) Lankwitz 6.99 40,385 5,778
(0604) Zehlendorf 18.80 57,902 3,075
(0605) Dahlem 8.36 14,966 1,784
(0606) Nikolassee 19.61 15,899 811
(0607) Wannsee 23.68 9,044 382
(0608) Schlachtensee 4.05 10,573 2,611
(07) Tempelhof-Schöneberg
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0701) Schöneberg                                       10.60 116,743 11,003 District map of Tempelhof-Schöneberg
(0702) Friedenau 1.65 26,736 16,204
(0703) Tempelhof 12.20 54,382 4,458
(0704) Mariendorf 9.38 48,882 5,211
(0705) Marienfelde 9.15 30,151 3,295
(0706) Lichtenrade 10.10 49,451 4,896
(08) Neukölln
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0801) Neukölln 11.70 154,127 13,173 District map of Neukölln
(0802) Britz 12.40 38,334 3,091
(0803) Buckow 6.35 38,018 5,987
(0804) Rudow 11.80 41,040 3,478
(0805) Gropiusstadt                                       2.66 35,844 13,475
(09) Treptow-Köpenick
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(0901) Alt-Treptow 2.31 10,426 4,513 District map of Treptow-Köpenick
(0902) Plänterwald 3.01 10,618 3,528
(0903) Baumschulenweg 4.82 16,780 3,481
(0904) Johannisthal 6.54 17,650 2,699
(0905) Niederschöneweide                           3.49 10,043 2,878
(0906) Altglienicke 7.89 26,101 3,308
(0907) Adlershof 6.11 15,112 2,473
(0908) Bohnsdorf 6.52 10,751 1,649
(0909) Oberschöneweide 6.18 17,094 2,766
(0910) Köpenick 34.90 59,201 1,695
(0911) Friedrichshagen 14.00 17,285 1,233
(0912) Rahnsdorf 21.50 8,891 414
(0913) Grünau 9.13 5,482 600
(0914) Müggelheim 22.20 6,350 286
(0915) Schmöckwitz 17.10 4,117 240
(10) Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(1001) Marzahn 19.50 102,398 5,240 District map of Marzahn-Hellersdorf
(1002) Biesdorf 12.40 24,543 1,973
(1003) Kaulsdorf 8.81 18,732 2,126
(1004) Mahlsdorf 12.90 26,852 2,075
(1005) Hellersdorf                                         8.10 72,602 8,963
(11) Lichtenberg
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(1101) Friedrichsfelde 5.55 50,010 9,011 District map of Lichtenberg
(1102) Karlshorst 6.60 21,329 3,232
(1103) Lichtenberg 7.22 32,295 4,473
(1104) Falkenberg 3.06 1,164 380
(1106) Malchow 1.54 450 292
(1107) Wartenberg 6.92 2,433 352
(1109) Neu-Hohenschönhausen                   5.16 53,698 10,407
(1110) Alt-Hohenschönhausen 9.33 41,780 4,478
(1111) Fennpfuhl 2.12 30,932 14,591
(1112) Rummelsburg 4.52 17,567 3,887
(12) Reinickendorf
Locality Area
in km2		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km2		 Map
(1201) Reinickendorf 10.50 72,859 6,939 District map of Reinickendorf
(1202) Tegel 33.70 33,417 992
(1203) Konradshöhe 2.20 5,997 2,726
(1204) Heiligensee 10.70 17,641 1,649
(1205) Frohnau 7.80 17,025 2,183
(1206) Hermsdorf 6.10 16,503 2,705
(1207) Waidmannslust 2.30 10,022 4,357
(1208) Lübars 5.00 4,915 983
(1209) Wittenau 5.87 22,696 3,866
(1210) Märkisches Viertel                             3.20 35,206 11,002
(1211) Borsigwalde                             2.03 6,432 3,168

See also

References

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