Berlin by Foot: Marzahn, the Wild Wild East

What if Marzahn, despite its reputation, is actually beautiful? On this tour, guide Nathaniel Flakin will help skeptical Berliners find out.

Most Berliners have never been to Marzahn. People from inside the Ring picture a post-socialist hellhole: monotonous concrete housing projects filled with Nazis.

Starting in 1979, an entire neighborhood for 150.000 people was built in less than a decade, relying on the unparalleled efficiency of East Germany's planned economy. People moved into the new Plattenbau (pre-fab concrete) apartments in the 1980s, full of hope for their new lives — and soon witnessed their country, their neighborhood, and their careers collapse.

As Marzahn was left to decay in the 1990s, many residents left, while others turned to the Far Right. What if Marzahn, despite its reputation, is actually rather beautiful? On this tour, skeptical Berliners can explore this terra incognita and learn about the German Democratic Republic.

Our tour will be meeting at Helene-Weigel-Platz 1/2 (in front of the Sparkasse). We will meet at 14:00 and leave by 14:10. We will later take one quick trip on the tram. Please bring either a one-way travel ticket or a travel pass with you!

The tour will end roughly two hours later at S-Bhf. Marzahn (Eastgate Shopping Center).

Join us for the tour and get your free The Berliner magazine!