Tour 48 - Cycling Tour of Neukölln
The ride starts in front of the Cube Lodge Columbia Berlin, Columbiadamm 160. Head left onto Columbiadamm past the Sehitlik Mosque and the former Tempelhof Airport on your left until you come to the Berlin Airlift Monument on Platz der Luftbrücke.
Berlin Airlift Monument
This monument commemorates the airlift of supplies by the Western allies into Berlin in 1948–1949 when the Soviet occupiers blocked all land routes into western Berlin. A steady flow of planes called “raisin bombers” by the locals brought the supplies the people in the city’s western half needed to survive the blockade.
Tempelhofer Feld
Head south down Tempelhofer Damm until you come to the entrance to Tempelhofer Feld. Take a spin on 355-hectare former airfield, now used by Berliners as a recreational area. Return back to Tempelhofer Damm and head south.
Tempelhofer Damm
Follow Tempelhofer Damm to the south towards Mariendorf. For quite a while, you will still see Tempelhofer Feld to your left. Pass under the elevated rail lines of the S-Bahn and then under the A100 autobahn and stay on Tempelhofer Damm until you come to Tempelhofer Hafen.
Tempelhofer Hafen
Tempelhofer Hafen was an important inland port in Berlin for many years. Today the area’s called Neuer Tempelhofer Hafen and is home to a newly built shopping centre and renovated port and warehouse buildings used by commercial tenants. Cross the bridge over the canal to the Ullsteinhaus.
Ullsteinhaus
The Ullsteinhaus is a monumental red-brick hospital built in the 1920s in the style of “Brick Expressionism”, not unlike the more commonly known Art Deco of the same era. The building was named after the Ullstein publishing house which had its headquarters and print shop here until 1985. It became a hospital in 2001. Continue south on the same street as it changes its name to Mariendorfer Damm.
Alt Mariendorf
Ride along Mariendorfer Damm until you come to Alt Mariendorf, where you will take a left. After two blocks, continue straight onto Britzer Straße. In about a kilometre, the road will veer slightly to the left and be renamed Mohriner Allee. To your right is the Britzer Garten.
Insider Tip: Britzer Garten
The Britzer Garten is a worthwhile stop. There is an admission fee and you will not be able to ride your bike through the park. The 90-hectare park was created in 1985 for the Federal Garden Show and is now a popular recreation area with a rose garden, lawns, play areas and much more. The cosy Café am See is the perfect spot for a refreshment break.
Britzer Mühle
Return to Mohriner Allee and head right until you come to Buckower Damm in about 1.5 km. Take a right. In about 1.4 kilometres, you’ll come to Britzer Mühle on the right. This fully operational mill is open to visitors and the restaurant offers a fine place to eat and drink.
Tischlerzeile
Cross to the other side of Buckower Damm and ride onto Dachdeckerweg. Ride for two blocks until you come to Bauhüttenweg and take a left. In three blocks, you will come to Tischlerzeile, where you’ll take a right. Ride three blocks until you come upon the intersection of Johannisthaler Chaussee and Kölner Damm. Continue straight onto Kölner Damm.
Gropiusstadt
You’re now in the heart of Gropiusstadt. This Berlin district was designed by Walter Gropius and was completely restored until 1975. More than 35,000 people live in the 18,500 apartments here. After three long blocks, take a left onto Lippschitzallee.
Tour map
Wutzkyallee
Take an immediate right onto Sollmannweg, follow this through a small nature preserve until you come to Wutzkyallee, where you will turn right. Take an immediate left onto Joachim Gottschalk Weg. Ride past the shops and the park to your left onto the short bike path. You will come upon Theodor-Loos-Weg, where you’ll take a left. Go around the curve until you come to Zwickauer Damm.
Zwickauer Damm
Go straight across Zwickauer Damm onto Schiftsetzer Weg and ride for two long blocks until you come to a T-intersection, where you will take a left onto Bildhauerweg. In four blocks, you will cross Neuköllner Straße, ride for another block and then take a right onto Alt Rudow.
Rudow Village Church
Ride for 450 metres through the old village of Rudow until you come to Köpenicker Straße, where you will take a left. Immediately to the right is the Rudow village church, first mentioned in writing in 1375 and now home to a Protestant congregation. Ride back to Alt Rudow and take a right, back the way you just came.
Neuköllner Straße
Take an immediate left onto Am Hanffgraben and ride a block until you come to Neuköllner Straße, where you will take a right. Ride for 1.8 km until the street is renamed Rudower Straße. Continue heading straight for a further 2 km until the street is once again renamed into Buschkrugallee. In about two blocks, hang a left onto Parchimer Allee.
Hufeisensiedlung
In four blocks, take a right onto Jochen-Nüßler-Straße and continue until you come to the Lowise-Reuter-Ring. This horseshoe-shaped building here that gives the district its name was built in the mid-1920s by Bruno Taut and Martin Wagner. Leave the ring road at Hüsing.
Fulhamer Allee
In a block, hang a left onto Paster-Behrens-Straße and continue for another long block until you come back to Parchimer Chaussee, where you will take a right. Just after a block, the road will fork; take a right onto Fulhamer Allee until you can make a left into Gutspark Britz in about 300 m.
Gutspark Britz
The Britz manor is over 300 years old and is 1.8 hectares in size. Cycle along the winding paths until you come to Britz Palace, passing by flower beds, exotic potted plants, a fountain and a copy of the famous milkmaid bronze by Pavel Petrovich Sokolov.
Schloss Britz
Schloss Britz Palace is a beautiful manor house built in the early eighteenth century. Today it houses a museum dedicated to nineteenth-century interior design and special exhibitions. As you leave the park, head right onto Alt Britz.
Britz Village Church
Take a quick left onto Backbergstraße, where you will see the village church to your left in about a block. This fieldstone church dates from the turn of the fourteenth century. The original chapel only measured 9 x 7 m and is now the chancel of the extended church. Ride to the end of the block and take a left onto Fulhamer Allee.
Hannemannstraße
In a block, take a right onto Britzer Damm and ride for 600 metres across Blaschkoallee until you come to Hannemannstraße. Take a right. Ride for two blocks until you come to Rungiusstraße and take a left.
Teltow Canal
In about 450 metres, you will cross the Teltow Canal, built in 1906. This shipping channel is 38.39 km long and is used as a southern bypass around Berlin. Ride for three more blocks until you come to Bürgerstraße, where you will take a right. In about half a block, you’ll be at Rixdorfer Schmiede.
Rixdorfer Schmiede
This forge was first mentioned in writing in 1624. Farm implements, tools and horseshoes were made and repaired here for centuries. To this day, the public can watch a blacksmith wield his trade here. Ride for another block until the street runs into Karl-Marx-Straße.
Karl-Marx-Straße
Karl-Marx-Straße is lined with restaurants, cafés and snack bars. It’s the perfect spot for a break for some shopping or food and drink from around the world. Ride for two kilometres, passing under the elevated S-Bahn tracks, until you come to Schierkerstraße, where you will take a left.
Körnerpark
In a block, you will come upon Körnerpark on your right. Here you can relax in the greenery and visit the Orangerie for a coffee and delicious snacks. Then head back to Karl-Marx-Straße.
Richardplatz
Retrace your route back to Karl-Marx-Straße, cross to the other side, and then veer off to the right onto Kirchhofstraße. In two blocks you will come to the oblong Richardplatz, where you will take a right. At the next corner, take a left onto Richardstraße, where just to the left you will come to the Comenius Garten.
Comenius Garten
The Comenius Garten is one of the most unique parks in Berlin. It was opened in 1995 and reflects the ideas of Czech philosopher and theologian Jan Amos Komenský. It shows the path that all people must walk in their life’s journey. Cross over to the other side of Richardstraße and take a right onto Kirchgasse.
Böhmisches Dorf
Kirchgasse is home to Böhmisch Rixdorf, where Protestant refugees from Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) settled in 1737 after the forced recatholicisation in their home. Follow Kirchgasse as it curves to the left and becomes Jan-Han-Weg.
Karl-Marx-Straße
Take a right back onto Richardstraße and ride for two long blocks until you come to Ganghoferstraße. Take a left and then an immediate right back onto Karl-Marx-Straße. Ride for about 450 metres, past Neukölln district court until you see the Neukölln Arkaden shopping centre on your left.
Insider Tip: Klunkerkranich
On the roof of the Neukölln Arkaden car park is Klunkerkranich, a bar, restaurant and playground offering food, drink and fantastic views of the city.
Columbiadamm
Head west from the shopping centre onto Flughafenstraße. Ride for 850 metres until the street is renamed Columbiadamm. In a few metres, you will reach Columbiadamm 160, back where you started your journey.