Berlin - Nicolai Quarter

(Local Name: Nikolaiviertel) The Nikolaiviertel in Berlin's Mitte district has grown up within that area southwest of the Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall), which is bounded by Spandauer Strasse, Molkenmarkt (Whey Market), Mühlendamm, Spreeufer and Rathausstrasse. It is the very core of old Berlin or, strictly speaking, of the eastern half of Cölln-Berlin, on the site of the oldest known settlement on a ford around the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas' Church).

The Nikolaiviertel presents a stark contrast to the open spaces on its northern side between the Palace of the Republic and the Television Tower. Since 1981 this quarter has been developed in accordance with the ideas expressed by the leading architect Günter Stahn, with the emphasis on small compact units, narrow streets full of nooks and crannies and an air of intimate tranquillity. However, very few of the existing old buildings were incorporated into the new. On the contrary, plans for an "Old Berlin Milieu Island" were drawn up with new site patterns and using many parts of historical buildings taken from elsewhere. There are several hundred new dwellings as well as countless restaurants, cafes, shops, tea rooms, workrooms selling basketry and wooden crafts, as well as souvenir and gift shops. The entire center of the quarter is a pedestrian precinct. Special mention should be made of a gabled house with the "Zum Nussbaum" ("The Nut Tree") restaurant, which once stood on the nearby Fischerinsel, where Heinrich Zille and Otto Nagel made it well known. Also worth seeing are the old fountains, lanterns and lattice- windows belonging to a number of the houses. The long side of the square adjoining Rathausstrasse is screened by tall walls with arcades. Compact new buildings are to be found along Spandauer Strasse, the Mühlendamm and the Spreeufer, interspersed with large, multi-storied villas with hipped roofs and narrower gabled houses.