Since Jan 01, 2000: District Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
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Berlin's west-east city-train axis (S3, S5, S7, S9) crosses Friedrichshain coming from Mitte, while ring train (S41/42) and S8 provide the contacts in north-south direction (Prenzlauer Berg, Neukölln, Schönefeld airport). U5 underground goes alongside Karl-Marx-Allee, U1 heads to the West via Kreuzberg. Ostbahnhof station, East Berlins former central station, is Berlin's most important long-distance station besides Zoo station.
Further information: Tourismusförderverein Multi-Kult-Tour e.V.
Driving east from Alexanderplatz takes you along an impressive boulevard: Karl Marx Allee, Friedrichshain's main artery. Conceptualised in the early years of the DDR and originally called Stalinallee, this avenue lined with Soviet "wedding-cake style" architecture was the focal point of a working-class uprising on 17 June 1953 which threatened the very existence of the fledgling state and could only be subdued by military force.
Similar to the bordering districts Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg Friedrichshain has very few classical attractions but is brimming with urban culture. Around Simon-Dach-Straße in particular a dynamic area loaded with pubs, lounge bars and restaurants has sprung up practically overnight. The alternative scene is at home on both sides of Karl Marx Allee and is especially concentrated around Rigaer Straße, while the pubs in the direction of Ostkreuz are more peaceful and refined. No visit to Berlin is complete without a stop at the East Side Gallery. At 1.3km it is the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall still standing today. Various graffiti artists painted it shortly after the fall of the Wall. On the east end of the East Side Gallery the reconstructed Oberbaumbrücke impressively spans the Spree, linking Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg and providing a view from Mitte to Treptow. The Gothic Revival bridge has two levels: The elevated tracks of the U1 train line run across the top level, while the bottom level accommodates street traffic.
The Warschauer Straße station, which has nearly been restored to its original appearance, and "Oberbaum-City", the adapted Narva light bulb company factory complex, are both worth a trip. The large park that gave Friedrichshain its name is a great place for adults to take five and for the little ones to visit the Märchenbrunnen (fairy tale fountain) and to dip into the world of the Brothers Grimm. The Stralau peninsula is the oldest part of the district. Located on the premises of a former industrial park, this area has developed into an eclectic ensemble of historic industrial ruins, modern housing, the core of an old village and idyllic parks.