The Boxhagener Kiez welcomes tourists as well as locals and newcomers from all over the world. What was still an insider tip a few years ago is no longer a secret. Everyone knows how hip the Boxhagener Kiez in the east of Friedrichshain is. Hardly any other district has such good connections to the other central districts of Berlin.
Leisure activities in the Boxhagener Kiez in Berlin are well balanced. After all, you can indulge in more than just consumption and gluttony. Joggers, walkers and picnickers are drawn not only to Boxhagener Platz directly in the neighborhood, but also to Annemirl-Bauer-Platz and Traveplatz, for example.
The district has developed considerably over the past decade. Where there used to be a few gaps, there are now chic new buildings that blend perfectly into the cityscape. Many of the old buildings that have been preserved date back to the Wilhelminian era and exude the typical Berlin charm. Whether you can still find affordable condominiums there today and how much you pay for rent each month are some of the exciting questions that are answered in this article. We take an in-depth look at the real estate market in the Boxhagener Kiez, particularly in Simon-Dach-Straße, and give you detailed insights. You can compare the results with the information on the Friedrichshain district as a whole.
Interesting facts about the Boxhagener Kiez
The district of Friedrichshain, and therefore also the Boxhagener Kiez, is known for its recent history. In GDR times, Friedrichshain belonged to the Soviet sector of Berlin. After the fall of the Wall, many buildings lay in ruins. They were empty and run-down. Numerous groups from the left-wing scene settled in the abandoned old buildings. In November 1990, the infamous street battles that resulted from the evacuation of Mainzer Strasse took place. The incident was one of the largest police operations in Berlin’s post-war history. The squatters’ presence gave rise to an interesting pub culture that still exists today. Even though the cityscape here has changed considerably in recent years, the alternative scene continues to play an important role.
Boxhagener Platz and the adjacent Simon-Dach-Straße are among the liveliest parts of the German capital. If you want to live here, you should have no fear of contact. In addition to the residents, tourists and other visitors stroll through the streets and sit down at the tables of the bars and restaurants. People like to meet here to have a drink after work, meet up with friends and take part in the lively life of East Berlin. You can stroll around the small shops and buy all kinds of unusual things. Berlin’s Boxhagener Kiez is one of the milieu protection areas, which brings with it some special features. Around 12,000 people live in the neighborhood, which is one of the most popular in Friedrichshain. It is also the second largest neighborhood in the district after the Samariterviertel in the north of Friedrichshain.
The area around Boxhagener Platz as a neighborhood conservation area
If you look at the map of Berlin, you will notice that the area around Boxhagener Platz is a protected neighborhood. The cityscape of Berlin is in danger of changing. Properties are becoming more and more expensive and prices are pushing out people who have lived there for many years. The designation of social conservation areas is intended to counteract the change in the cityscape. You can read about the special requirements for owners of apartments and houses in social conservation areas here.
The Boxhagener Kiez was designated a social conservation area in 2021. It is joined by the Samariterviertel, Stralauer Kiez, Petersburger Straße and Weberwiese neighborhoods as social conservation areas in Friedrichshain.
What is the real estate situation in the Boxhagener Kiez?
In the Boxhagener Kiez, most of the old buildings from the Wilhelminian era were spared during the Second World War. While the pretty facades of the original residential buildings in other parts of Berlin fell victim to the bombs, most of the buildings here were saved. After reunification, there were a few gaps between buildings in Boxhagener Strasse, but these have been filled with new construction projects in recent decades. Care was taken not to change the cityscape too much with the new projects. The turn of the millennium brought many changes for Friedrichshain and especially for the Boxhagener Kiez. The major wave of renovations meant that residential buildings, some of which had fallen into disrepair, could be rebuilt. Important living space was created, which helped the neighborhood to boom. The housing shortage in Berlin’s central districts is unmistakable. It is difficult to find affordable housing. Prices have been rising steadily for several years and demand remains high.
The purchase price trend for real estate in the Boxhagener Kiez
One of the central streets in the Boxhagener Kiez is Boxhagener Strasse. It is an excellent example of how real estate purchase prices have developed in recent years. If you want to buy a property in the Boxhagener Kiez, you need to be prepared for a high investment. The unique location and the excellent condition of the apartments justify the price increases and ensure a positive outlook.
We take an in-depth look at the average prices of the past quarters and show the percentage increase in prices.
How much does a condominium in the Boxhagener Kiez cost?
The purchase price for a condominium in the area around Boxhagener Strasse was € 5,607/m2 in the second quarter of 2023. This represents a price reduction of 0.2 percent compared to the first quarter of 2023. Over the past year, the purchase price for properties in this location has risen by 3.1 percent. The price is therefore around €1,400 above the average for Berlin as a whole, but prices have risen in parallel.
In Boxhagener Strasse and the surrounding area, an increase of around € 1,200/m2 was observed in the period between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2023. This corresponds to a price increase of 31% within the last four years.
How much does a house in the Boxhagener Kiez cost?
At first glance, it is noticeable that the purchase prices for houses in the Boxhagener Kiez are in line with those for Berlin as a whole. Only minor deviations can be found.
In the second quarter of the year, a house in the Boxhagener Strasse area cost an average of € 4,653/m2. In the second quarter of 2019, the purchase price was €3,482/m2. This represents an increase of 34 percent within four years. In the Boxhagener Kiez, however, there are mainly residential buildings with several condominiums. Single-family homes are very difficult to find. The centrally located Boxhagener Platz is known for its chronic housing shortage. Nevertheless, it is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Berlin.
The rental price trend for real estate in the Boxhagener Kiez
The average family settling in Friedrichshain chooses to rent a property in the Boxhagener Kiez. Purchase prices are high, but as the area around Boxhagener Platz has been designated a protected neighborhood, rental apartments here can still be afforded well. If you buy a condominium in the Boxhagener Kiez, you will never have to search long for suitable tenants. The neighborhood is just as popular with single people as it is with families. Small and large apartments are rented out without any problems.
Rental prices have risen continuously in recent years and there is no sign of stagnation.
How high is the net rent for an apartment in the Boxhagener Kiez?
In the area around Boxhagener Strasse, the average net rent for an apartment in the second quarter of 2023 was € 15.58/m2. A direct comparison with the second quarter of 2022 shows an increase of 16.5 percent. Over the last four years, the net rent has risen by around 33%.
If one compares the average net cold rents to Berlin as a whole, it is noticeable that rents in the Boxhagener Kiez are around €3.50 higher than in Berlin as a whole.
How high is the net rent for a house in the Boxhagener Kiez?
The net rent for a house in Boxhagener Kiez averaged €17.72/m2 in the second quarter of 2023. Prices have risen sharply, by a full 11.9% in the past year alone. The increase runs parallel to net rents in Berlin as a whole. However, prices in the Boxhagener Kiez are significantly higher.
However, it should be emphasized at this point that the housing in the Boxhagener Kiez consists mainly of owner-occupied or rented apartments.
Special streets and locations in Boxhagener Kiez
The Boxhagener Kiez is located in the eastern center of the capital and is primarily popular with students, tourists, young couples and international investors. The area is flanked by the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations Frankfurter Tor, Warschauer Straße, Ostkreuz and Frankfurter Allee. You can get anywhere within a very short time by public transport. The streets are also used by people who cycle to work.
Anyone who lives in the Boxhagener Kiez loves a varied, lively everyday life. Until late at night, the main streets of the neighborhood are crowded with people making themselves comfortable in a café or meeting friends for a cocktail in a bar. The center of Berlin never seems to stand still. The choice of bars, restaurants and clubs is huge. Nevertheless, it is anything but easy to find a free seat, especially at weekends. Residents of the often meet on the street to drink a Späti beer with friends.
But you can do much more than just party. It’s amazing what a wide range of culinary delights the district has to offer. It seems as if the Kiez is a small country of its own, where the delicacies of different regions around the world come together. Many restaurants are rather unconventional, there are interesting fusions and inexpensive dishes.
Boxhagener Platz and Boxhagener Strasse
Boxhagener Platz was completed in 1903 and has been a popular meeting place for residents and visitors to the district ever since. It is framed by Grünberger Straße, Gärtnerstraße, Krossener Straße and Gabriel-Max-Straße.
It was once the site of the Boxhagen Vorwerk, after which Boxhagener Platz, Boxhagener Straße and the entire Boxhagener Kiez were named. Today, Boxhagener Platz is considered a garden monument in Berlin. The meadow is used for picnics and children romp around on the adjacent playground. The weekly market, which takes place on the square every Saturday, has been an integral part of the week since 1905. In addition to meat, vegetables, fruit and baked goods, specialties from all over the world are also sold here.
Boxhagener Straße runs from Warschauer Straße to the Ringbahn through the Friedrichshain district of Berlin. The district of Rummelsberg, which belongs to the borough of Lichtenberg, begins at the corner of Kynast-/Hirschberger Straße. This is where Boxhagener Straße becomes Marktstraße.
If you look at the course of Boxhagener Straße on a map of Berlin, you will notice its unusual diagonal shape. This is due to the origin of the street. It was a country lane that once ran from today’s Karl-Marx-Allee via Rummelsberg to Köpenick. Boxhagener Straße officially appeared on city maps as early as the end of the 1870s. At the beginning of the 18th century, the colony of Boxhagen was founded in the region, which initially consisted of a few settlement houses.
Boxhagener Strasse is home to numerous residential buildings from the last century. Most of the elegant old buildings have now been completely renovated and shine in new splendor. During the renovation work, meticulous care was taken to retain the old wooden floors, doors and stucco decorations. Former gaps between buildings were filled with interesting new buildings. During the construction of the projects, the focus was on maintaining the original style.
The Simon-Dach-Straße
Simon-Dach-Straße is without doubt one of the landmarks of the Boxhagener Kiez in Berlin. This is where life takes place and the bars are busy late into the night. The Simon-Dach-Kiez is bordered by Wühlischstraße, Krossener Straße, Boxhagener Straße and Gabriel-Max-Straße. The area has been known as the center of nightlife since the early 2000s. There are numerous hotels, clubs, restaurants and trendy pubs here, where residents and tourists alike go in and out. In the warm summer months, store owners move their seating outside. People sit on the chairs of the restaurants and pubs into the evening hours, drinking and enjoying the culinary delights.
The entire Friedrichshain district, including of course Simon-Dach-Strasse, is undergoing increasing gentrification. The socio-economic structural change is unmistakable. The social conservation areas in the Boxhagener Kiez and other parts of the German capital are intended to counteract this change.
The Knorr Promenade
The entrepreneur and engineer Georg Knorr, founder of today’s public limited company Knorr-Bremse, gave his name to the Knorrpromenade in the Boxhagener Kiez. Today, the entire ensemble is a listed building. It is part of Berlin’s history and gives an idea of how people lived here around 100 years ago. The Knorrpromenade was laid out as a small avenue by the Friedrichsberger Bank and was primarily used by wealthy citizens.
What immediately catches the eye and is actually unusual for the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district are the small front gardens that lie between the residential buildings and the street in Knorrpromenade. In summer, they are adorned with various flowers. Some of the four decorative sandstone gates were destroyed during the Second World War. Others were spared during the war but fell into disrepair over the decades. In 2011, an association was formed by residents of the neighborhood. They campaigned for the restoration of the decorative gates, which now adorn the entrances to Knorrpromenade once again.
Conclusion - sought-after living space in a central residential location
The Boxhagener Kiez is one of the central residential areas in Berlin Friedrichshain. The general development of the Berlin real estate market can also be observed very well in this neighborhood. Prices for condominiums and rental apartments have risen continuously in recent years and are not expected to fall in the near future.
Housing is in high demand here and a large proportion of the residential buildings date back to the Wilhelminian era, but fell into disrepair after the Second World War. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Boxhagener Kiez also saw new movement. The apartments have now been completely renovated and the old wooden floors, high ceilings and stucco decorations have been restored to their former glory.
If you want to find out what life is like in the Boxhagener Kiez, where the children go to school and what there is to do at the weekends, then be sure to read the next installment in our series on real estate in the Boxhagener Kiez.
