Since Jan 01, 2000: District Lichtenberg
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With U5, S5 and S7, Friedrichsain and Mitte are comfortably to reach, while S3 city-train connects Karlshorst to the city centre. Lichtenberg station is an important long-distance train station.
Further information: Bezirksamt Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg is situated in the heart of the former east Berlin. It pleases residents with the advantages of both, its geographical position close to the city centre and the spacious atmosphere of a suburban area. The zoological park Friedrichsfelde with its 160 hectare ranks among Germany's biggest ones; the neighbouring castle is designed in the style of a Dutch mansion. The park area was originally designed by Lenné in 1816 and is home to the Tierpark since 1955. To the northwest of the Tierpark the Zentralfriedhof (central cemetery) Friedrichsfelde is situated, on which Käthe Kollwitz rests in peace. On this cemetery there are many interesting and sometimes pompous graves, that remind of well-to-do Berliners of the past.
Likewise in Friedrichsfelde you will find a special monument: Mies van der Rohe created for the 1919 murdered Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht on a part of the central cemetary the Gedenkstätte der Sozialisten (Socialist Memorial), which was destroyed by the Nazis and resurrected by the GDR. The mundane Karlshorst, traditionally a neighbourhood for the wealthy, is well known for its harness racing track. Worth seeing is also the museum in the former Soviet army headquarter in Germany, where the t ended the war in 1945 with the unconditional capitulation of German Wehrmacht.