Nikolai Quarter

image author: Gisela Pape


The Nikolai Quarter is Berlin's cradle. Berlin emerged here, around the Nikolai Church, Berlin's oldest church. A walk through the town's early history. Charming urban landscapes with alleys and quiet corners on one hand, the views of the Berlin's cathedral, the town hall tower and the television tower on the other creating unique sights. A big bronze tablet with the town's oldest seal shows that urban privileges were given here around 1230 to the margraves Johann l and Otto III for an existing commercial settlement. Settler from the Lower Rhine economic area founded at the same time the important parish church. The original three-nave Romanesque pillar basilica was rebuilt in 1378/79 respectively in 1460 to a Gothic hall church after a fire.

This urbanite ensemble around the Nikolai was rebuilt in honour of the 750-year celebration of the first documented mention of Berlin/Cöllns. It shows how the historical city centre developed in small steps. Today this historic quarter possesses again a valuable lively regional planning that embodies an early development step of Berliner town history.

image author: Gisela Pape

The Nikolai Quarter is situated between the Berliner Town Hall and the Spree river, encompasses around 800 apartments, has more than 30 shops and many restaurants and bars as well as cultural facilities in an area of around 50.000qm. It is a good address in top city location with spectacular ideas, concepts and planning by well-known architects. Houses, roads and places down to old paving have been accurate in every detail reconstructed after historical town blueprints. Through the recovery of traditional town structures one was able to revive the urban city feeling. The Gerichtslaube (court house), council seat and building symbol of free jurisdiction was at a new place re-integrated into the development. The Gerichtslaube's vault was turned into a restaurant. The inn 'Zum Nußbaum' at the Fischerstraße 21 was one of Berlin's oldest gable houses. The inn became known through Otto Nagel, Heinrich Zille and Claire Waldoff.

image author: Gisela Pape

Interesting houses of Berlin building culture like the Ephraimpalais, the Gerichtslaube, the Knoblauch-house with the historic wine cellar as well as several town houses, which were repaired or rebuilt can be found at the Nikolai Quarter. The town house of the Knoblauch family at the Poststraße 23, was extended for exhibitions about family history and culture-historical valuable exhibits from the possessions of the descendent. Carl Friedrich Knoblauch's son was especially outstanding as city council and Member of Parliament of the Kurmärkischen Parliament with a memorandum about the amendment to trade regulations in the course of the Stein-Hardenbergschen reforms. His grandson Eduard founded the Berliner Architect Club, built the Russian Embassy and the Berlin Synagogue. Personalities like Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Alexander von Humboldt, Adelbert von Chamisso, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Moses Mendelssohn, Heinrich Heine and Theodor Fontane strolled once through the Nikolai Quarter. Otto Nagel painted here before the 2nd World War his pictures and showed us so the then colouring of the houses.