Berlin Guide
Treptow und Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick is the largest and also easternmost district of Berlin in terms of area. However, even twenty years after the district reform, the double designation has not really come into use. This is probably due to the fact that Köpenick, with its long and eventful history, is world-famous, while Treptow is not. The entire district of Treptow-Köpenick covers an area of about 170 square kilometres and consists of a great deal of greenery. With 280,000 inhabitants, the district therefore only has a population density of about 1,600 people per square kilometre. In comparison, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg has around 14,000 people per square kilometre.
Köpenick: Middle ages and panel buildings
If you think of Köpenick, you probably can't get past the story of the infamous Hauptmann or captain. When the shoemaker Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt robbed the town treasury of the then still independent Köpenick on 16 October 1906 with a self-tailored captain's uniform and a troop of gullible soldiers, the event made international headlines. Even Kaiser Wilhelm II is said to have laughed at the "ingenious fellow". The so-called Köpenickiade is still commemorated today by a statue of the cunning long-fingered man in front of the town hall, and Carl Zuckmayer created a literary monument to him.
But of course Köpenick also has an exciting history besides the legendary raid and is also older than Berlin. In the middle of the 12th century, a tribe of Slavs settled here. Jax Fürst von Copnic owes the district its name. As early as the 13th century Köpenick had city rights.
The well-preserved, medieval old town between the Dahme and Müggelspree rivers is a recurring attraction for tourists, but also for locals. Similarly, the Köpenick Palace has been repeatedly rebuilt and extended. Towards the end of the Second World War, Köpenick was one of the first districts that the Red Army had brought completely under its control. In the following decades, particularly interesting GDR architecture was built here. Above all, the Allende district, built in the 1970s and 1980s with its prefabricated buildings, stands in stark contrast to the old town.
Berlin's recreation area
Treptow is also a fascinating district. Mondane old buildings and extensive green spaces characterise the district. Besides the extensive Soviet memorial commemorating those who died in the Battle of Berlin, there are not only meadows here, but also - as is actually the case everywhere in Berlin - sights. For example, the fountain in the Rose Garden with its jet of water up to ten metres high. There are also modern sculptures from the GDR era. Well-known among amateur photographers is the abandoned Spreepark. There was an amusement park here until 2001, but it is gradually falling into disrepair. With its decaying attractions and dystopian atmosphere, it is also used for film productions.
The Plänterwald, where this lost place is located, is also popular with amateur athletes. A five-kilometre-long path leads around the protected forest area and is popular with joggers. Part of the R1 European cycle route also passes through.
What the Wannsee is in the west of the city, the large Müggelsee is in the east - the largest lake in the capital. With its more than seven km² of water surface, it spreads over the districts of Köpenick, Rahnsdorf and Friedrichshagen. The lido there was already popular at the beginning of the 20th century . On hot summer days there is room for up to 25,000 bathers. But Müggelsee is also worth a visit in the colder seasons - the picturesque shore with its well-developed hiking trails regularly attracts walkers from all over Berlin.
Technology Centre Adlershof
Few people realise that Treptow-Köpenick is home to Germany's largest business and science centre and Berlin's largest media location. 25,000 employees from currently about 2,000 companies as well as over 7,000 students and trainees come together here every day - when they are not in their home offices - on an area of 4.6 km². Entrepreneurs and scientists develop new technologies in the fields of IT, renewable energies and biotechnology, among others, and numerous film and television productions are also made here. More than 1,600 owner-occupied and rented flats as well as townhouses have already been built at this future location. And construction is still going on. But there are also interesting properties in the rest of the district. Since a large part of Adlershof's residential buildings were built on wetlands, most of the properties are two to four storeys high. The gives the location a special campus flair.
