Mauerpark

Where the death strip ran until 1989, today lie almost 15 hectares of Mauerpark between Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding. Behind the Jahn Sport Park, there are still around 300 meters of the inner wall, officially approved for graffiti, plus the Sunday flea market and the Bearpit Karaoke in the amphitheater. Among Berlin's parks, this is the loudest and most vibrant.

Mauerpark: History, Greenery, and Graffiti in Prenzlauer Berg

The Mauerpark is located on the former death strip of the Berlin Wall, between Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding. Before that, the area was a freight station for over a century, and from 1961, a border facility. The current park was designed by landscape architect Gustav Lange, who won the competition in 1992, and the eastern part was inaugurated in 1994. Since the western expansion in June 2020, the facility measures almost 15 hectares, nearly twice as much as before. Behind the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, there are still about 300 meters of the inner wall, which is officially approved for spraying on the park side. Thus, the former restricted area has become an open-air artwork that changes every week. Additionally, there are birch groves, a climbing rock, a sunken garden, several playgrounds, and the Moritzhof youth farm. By 2027, approximately 135,000 square meters of the older park section will be gradually renovated, and the park will remain open throughout this time.

Flea Market and Bearpit Karaoke: Mauerpark on Sunday

On Sundays, Mauerpark truly shows what it can do. The flea market has been around since 2004, and today it spreads across the large multifunctional area in the new western part, with predominantly private stalls full of vintage fashion, records, jewelry, GDR memorabilia, and antiques. Admission is free, and those who come early find the best pieces. Throughout the day, the entire area transforms: food stalls serve falafel and currywurst, live music comes from all corners, and breakdancers show off their routines between the lawns.

The actual highlight is the Bearpit Karaoke in the amphitheater, a semi-circular stone arena with a stage that Gustav Lange carved out of the slope towards the Jahn Sport Park. Since 2009, bicycle courier Joe Hatchiban has been rolling up his battery-powered sound system in good weather, and from then on, anyone can step into the ring and sing in front of the audience. Some are magnificent, others wonderfully bad, and often over a thousand people sit in the stands cheering for both. There is no admission fee, and no rehearsals. In short: Mauerpark is the park that best explains Berlin.