Die Karl-Marx-Straße in Berlin

International & rich in contrast

Between listed buildings, hip cafés, exciting cultural venues and trendy bars, you will also find Turkish greengrocers and Arabic bakeries, shisha cafés, kebab stands, nut roasters, mobile phone repair shops and fashion boutiques with glittering evening gowns.

However, it is precisely this contrast that makes this lively, lively neighbourhood so special. Immerse yourself and join us on a discovery tour along Karl-Marx-Straße and its side streets.

Oldest street in Neukölln

The first horse-drawn railway line ran here back in 1875, and today the shopping street follows the U7 underground line from Grenzallee to Hermannplatz. At Neukölln station, Karl-Marx-Straße is also directly connected to the Ringbahn and therefore has excellent transport links. Here you will also find the Neuköllner Tor, a small shopping centre for your daily needs. 

Art & Culture around Neukölln underground station

From here, you can walk to Körnerpark in five minutes, an idyllic garden with orangery and small gallery. There are numerous pretty and hip cafés and bars in the neighbourhood, such as the Flaschenzug Bar at Emser Straße 16, the Café Augusta at Jonasstraße 22 or Berlin's first cat café at Thomasstraße 53. 

A few minutes' walk further and you are already on Herrmannstraße, which runs parallel to Karl-Marx-Straße. Here, an extraordinary brunch restaurant invites you to linger: The former funeral parlour with its beautiful domed ceiling has been lovingly restored for the 21Gramm at St. Thomas Churchyard. If you have the time, you can visit the Spore Initiative at Hermannstraße 86, an open, new cultural centre with an exciting approach and many events.

Art lovers will find plenty to enjoy in the small neighbourhood between Körnerpark and Karl-Marx-Allee. It is particularly worth a visit around the annual Art Festival 48 Stunden Neukölln. At Kunstsalon Posin at Wipperstraße 20, you can see 150 works by famous masters, not the originals of course. You can also commission a copy of your favourite painting.

Village idyll around the Karl-Marx Straße underground station

An excursion into the side streets takes you back to the neighbourhood's village past, to the bohemian village of Rixdorf. Past the idyllic Comenius-Garten takes you to Richardplatz and Berlin's oldest Schmiede. Knives, tools and jewellery have been made here over an open fire since 1624. You are welcome to watch. And you can even forge your own wedding rings in various workshops.

At Richardplatz 16, Mr Lindner mixes herbal cocktails. A visit to Café Botanico (Richardstraße 100) can be combined with a guided tour of the restaurant's permaculture garden.garden of the restaurant and the blood sausage factory at Karl-Marx-Platz 9-11 not only supplies Berlin's top chefs but has made a name for itself throughout Europe as a smoked meat and sausage specialist. 

Theatre, Opera and music around the Heimathafen

The Heimathafen Neukölln also offers a change from the hustle and bustle, a renowned event venue at Karl-Marx-Straße 141. Nearby is the Neuköllner Oper, the Passage cinema and the Puppet Theatre Museum with its own stage.

Stop by Wild Wood Wind, a master workshop for woodwind instruments with a shop at Richardstraße 9, or stroll on towards Rathaus Neukölln after this little excursion into Neukölln's cultural life. In Oriental Style you will find fragrances from all over the world, as well as henna products, prayer rugs and khussa, Indian shoes.

On Rollbergstraße, the legendary London record shop Rough Trade invites you to browse and listen to music. Rollbergstraße itself leads on to SchwuZ, Berlin's largest gay club, and the KINDL - Centre for Contemporary Art. Visit the Babette museum café, which also hosts regular events between the historic brewing kettles.

Another exciting project is located at Karl-Marx-Straße 101, directly opposite the historic Stadtbad. The former department store and multi-storey car park is currently undergoing transformation, but will in future house coworking units, offices, shops, restaurants and a large roof garden as KALLE Neukölln. 

In the next section of Karl-Marx-Straße, you will find several big brands, such as Nike, TK Maxx and H&M. The former C&A department stores' at Karl-Marx-Straße 95 has now become one of the most exciting off-locations in Berlin. In the Cank you can experience five floors and 10.000 square metres of changing performances, exhibitions and pop-up surprises, currently the Art of the Brick exhibition and, on the first weekend of Advent, Berlin's Design-Christmas market Holy Shit Shopping.

Beautiful views at the Rathaus Neukölln underground station

Finish your stroll along Karl-Marx-Straße at Klunkerkranich, a bar with a large roof terrace and a great view of the entire neighbourhood. The way there is a little adventurous and leads through the parking deck of the Neukölln Arcaden shopping centre, which is of course also worth a visit with its many shops and a large cinema.

If you're still in the mood for nightlife, the best place to start is Paolo Pinkel just opposite at Karl-Marx-Straße 55. In addition to three different international cuisines, you can also expect concerts here from time to time. There's even more music three minutes' walk away at Donau 115. The Reuterkiez neighbourhood and the nearby Weserstraße are also great places to go out in Neukölln.

At both ends of Karl-Marx-Alle: Around the underground stations Hermannplatz & Grenzalle 

The Hermannplatz connects Karl-Marx-Allee, Hermannstraße and Sonnenallee. It gets really lively here. In addition to a large department stores' and the Hugendubel bookshop, you will find changing markets on the square.

Lasertag & Dicke Linda

At the opposite end of Karl-Marx-Straße is the Grenzallee underground station, another place with very different offerings. Just a five-minute walk from here, you will find Laserstar, one of Berlin's largest high-tech lasertag arenas with space for up to 100 players. Right next door, at Karl-Marx-Straße 155, Smyth Toys has set up a large toy shop. Around the corner at Naumburgerstraße 4 is Communal Coffee, the largest communal coffee roastery in Germany. Essentially a production facility and network for coffee professionals, public events are also held here from time to time.

On Saturdays, it's also worth taking a short diversions to Kranoldplatz to Dicken Linda, the weekly market  with many regional products, which decorates itself during Advent as a Christmas market.