Friedrichstadt (Berlin)

Historic neighbourhood of Berlin, Germany
Coat of Arms Map Coat of arms Friedrichstadt within Berlin Basic Information City: Berlin Borough: Mitte (north) and Friedrichshain Kreuzberg (south) Locality: Mitte (north) and Kreuzberg (south) Area: 2.1 km2 (0.81 mi2) Population: 12,144 (in 1725) Coordinates: Elevation: 34 m (111 ft) above sea level

Friedrichstadt was an independent suburb of Berlin, and is now a historical neighbourhood of the city itself. The neighbourhood is named after the Prussian king Frederick I.

Friedrichstadt is located south of the Dorotheenstadt neighbourhood, and southwest of the historical suburb of Friedrichswerder. It is located south of the twin city zone of Berlin and Cölln. Today, the northern part of the neighbourhood is located in the borough of Berlin Mitte, while the southern part of the neighbourhood is located in borough of Friedrichshain Kreuzberg. The border between the two boroughs runs along the southern side of Niederkirchnerstraße and Zimmerstraße. The official boundaries of Friedrichstadt extend from the Spittelmarkt starting between northbound streets Niederwall and Oberwallstraße, along Behrenstraße west to Ebertstraße, and then south over the Potsdamer Platz, Stresemann and Gitschiner Straße, ending at the Hallesches Tor, and then again north over Linden and Axel Springer Straße, back to the Spittelmarkt. A large portion of the Spittelmarkt and adjoining Hausvogteiplatz were once part of a military installation associated with the historical suburb of Friedrichswerder.

The Gendarmenmarkt is considered to be among the most beautiful plazas in all of Europe. In the middle of the plaza is a major theater, flanked by two important churches, the Deutscher and Französischer Dom (English: German and French cathedrals). Many new buildings have been constructed in the area as well. Due to the destruction from World War II, the oldest building on the Gendarmenmarkt is the former Bank of Prussia, built in 1901. Other buildings on the square have been carefully reconstructed. The German and French cathedrals were built from 1701 to 1708, and the cupolaed towers were added by each church at the same time, over 100 years later. Between these, the twice destroyed Konzerthaus now seats 1,850. Because Berlin is an independent city state within Germany, Berlin has its own parliament at the state level. Berlin's Prussian parliament building, now housing the House of Representatives of Berlin, is located in Friedrichstadt, along Niederkirchnerstraße. The building has been in use since 1899, when the Prussian House of Commons used it. The neighbourhood is also host to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a large and sometimes controversial monument located one block south of the Brandenburg Gate. It is located in the northwest corner of the neighbourhood. Another famous landmark in Friedrichstadt is Checkpoint Charlie, the most infamous border crossing between East and West Berlin between 1945 and 1990.

Because of Friedrichstadt central location within Berlin, many government ministries and offices have their headquarters in the Friedrichstadt neighbourhood. Although many ministries occupy older buildings, many are opting for newer, more modern headquarters, and new construction to accommodate these departments is not uncommon. Seven government ministries have their headquarters in the neighbourhood, including the ministries of Finance, Scientific Research and Development, Family Services, Seniors', Women's, and Children's Services, Health, Justice, and Housing. Many of the German federal states have their liaison offices to the federal government in Friedrichstadt as well, including the states of Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Rhineland Palatinate, Saarland, Schleswig Holstein, and Thuringia. In addition to this, many foreign countries also have their embassies in the neighbourhood. These countries are: Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brunei, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, North Korea, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, and South Africa. In addition to all of this, one of Germany's major political parties, the Social Democratic Party, has its national headquarters at the southern end of this neighbourhood.