The district of Neukölln is part of the inner city area of Berlin. It borders Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg to the north, Tempelhof-Schönenberg to the west and Treptow-Köpenick to the east. Neukölln covers an area of just under 45 square kilometers and currently has around 329,000 inhabitants. This makes Berlin’s 8th administrative district one of the inner city areas with the highest population density in Germany. There are around 7,300 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The location of the Neukölln district in Berlin
Neukölln was first mentioned in documents in 1360. At that time the village was still called Richardsdorp, later it was renamed Rieksdorf and finally Rixdorf. The center of the village was located on Richardplatz, which is still the center of Neukölln today. Neukölln was incorporated into Greater Berlin in 1920. In the post-war period, this district was in the American sector of West Berlin. In 2008, Neukölln was named a “place of diversity” by the German government. In the past, however, Neukölln has also repeatedly made negative headlines. The crime rate is conspicuously high in some of Neukölln’s neighborhoods, which has been actively tackled over the last 10 years.
But Neukölln also has many positive things to offer. The Hotel Estrel, which is located on Sonnenallee, is the largest and highest-turnover hotel in Germany. It has 1,125 rooms and recorded a turnover of 77.2 million euros in 2019. Although revenue slumped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Estrel is still one of the most important hotels in Germany.
In this article, we examine the housing market in Neukölln. We will look at price trends in recent years, inform you about the purchase prices for apartments and houses and the differences between old buildings and new-build projects in Neukölln. We will also look at the ownership rate in Neukölln, which is why we will also be interested in rental prices in the district.
We would like to provide you with important data, but also give you a feel for the district. What is life like in Neukölln? What is the gastronomic and cultural offer in the district for residents and tourists? Which sights should you definitely not miss when you are in Neukölln? These are some of the questions we will address in the second part of this article.
The purchase price trend for real estate in Neukölln
As in Berlin as a whole, there is also a clear upward trend in purchase prices in the Neukölln district over the 4-year period. The price increase for condominiums amounted to 46% between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2022. While the average price per square meter was around € 3,461/m² at the beginning of the period, it is currently around € 5,045/m². In recent years, the average apartment purchase price in Neukölln has been consistently higher than that of Berlin as a whole, which was €4,320/m² in the fourth quarter of 2022. Nevertheless, most apartments on offer in Neukölln are likely to be significantly cheaper than those in Tiergarten, Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, for example.
The situation is somewhat different for houseprices. Here, the increase between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2022is also significant at 50% but the price level is generally below that of Berlin as a whole. Specifically, the average purchase price for a house in Neukölln in the fourth quarter of 2022 is around € 4,133/m², while the average for Berlin as a whole is around € 5,061/m².
Buying a condominium in Neukölln
The housing market in Neukölln is comparatively large. In other districts of the German capital, there are significantly fewer properties on the housing market. The changes that Neukölln has undergone in recent years are particularly interesting when looking for the right property. The district is in the midst of change. Where once it was a working-class district and the Berlin Wall separated Neukölln from Treptow, younger and younger couples and families are now walking the streets. If you take a closer look around Neukölln, you will see that this district is far from having reached the peak of its development potential. Many of the existing apartments have been renovated in recent years, new construction projects are being planned and some are already under construction.
How much does a new-build apartment in Neukölln cost?
New-build apartments are significantly more expensive than existing apartments. There are many reasons for this. On the one hand, it is assumed that renovation work is less likely to be necessary in a new building. An apartment in an old building can always reveal surprises despite prompt renovation. If you buy the condominium directly from the developer, you generally have a high degree of freedom of choice. You can be involved in the process of furnishing the property and incorporate your own wishes. You don’t have this freedom with an old apartment; you have to accept the apartment in its current condition or carry out costly renovation work to replace the flooring, for example. Currently, the average purchase price for a new-build apartment is around €8,000/m² (approximate value).
What does an existing apartment in Neukölln cost?
As already mentioned Existing apartments generally offered at lower prices than new-build projects. The average purchase price here is in the region of €4,500 to €5,000/m² (approximate value). However, no generally valid conclusions can be drawn from this value, as many apartments in Neukölln have been refurbished or renovated in recent years. In these cases, the prices hardly lag behind those of new-build apartments.
How are rents developing in Neukölln?
For the Berlin district of Neukölln, the average net rent in the fourth quarter of 2022 was average net cold rent of 11.28 €/m² determined. Apartments in older buildings are regularly significantly cheaper on average than New-build apartments. Overall, prices for apartments range between €7.71/m² and €20.98/m².
The average net cold rent for houses in the fourth quarter of 2022 is € 13.61/m². The lowest rents are set at around €12.08/m² and range up to the highest price per square meter of €20.51/m².
The most expensive apartments are in Schillerkiez in the north of Neukölln. The neighborhood borders Tempelhofer Feld to the west and Volkspark Hasenheide to the north. Rents between Sonnenallee and Heidelberger Strasse are just as expensive. Here, numerous residential buildings are located directly on the banks of the Neukölln shipping canal. Although the view of the canal is obstructed by the dense tree population, the residential area is very popular with residents due to its idyllic atmosphere.
Special residential areas in Berlin-Neukölln: we present the neighborhoods
In recent years, Neukölln has developed from a problem district to an absolutely trendy area. We would like to get to know the individual neighborhoods of the district better and go on a discovery tour in Neukölln in this section of our article.
Over the past few decades, Berlin has undergone a transformation that no other German city has come close to matching. Neukölln is no exception. In recent years, more and more young families, students and creative types have moved into the district. Neukölln has blossomed as a result, but at the same time, it has also displaced sections of the population that have long felt at home here.
The Reuterkiez
We are located in the north of Neukölln. To the west is Tempelhofer Feld, to the east Treptower Park. Most of the houses in Reuterkiez date back to the Wilhelminian era. The district is one of the most densely populated residential areas in the capital. A few years ago, many apartments were still empty here. Rents were relatively low, which attracted more and more people to the former problem neighborhood. Today, the district could well be described as the center of Neukölln’s creative scene. More and more young people and artists are moving to the so-called “Kreuzkölln”. The name suggests the immediate proximity to Kreuzberg, but housing prices are significantly lower in Neukölln.
The Schiller Neighborhood
The center of the Schiller district is the Schillerpromenade. Berlin’s well-heeled upper middle classes once lived here. This becomes clear when you look at the Schillerpromenade, as the wide street with its green central reservation looks more like a well-kept park. The Schillerkiez is bordered to the south by the S-Bahn ring road, to the north by Columbiadamm, to the east by Hermannstraße and to the west by the site of the former Tempelhof airport. The neighborhood is clearly dominated by old buildings from the Wilhelminian era, although there are also simple workers’ apartments built by architect Bruno Taut in the 1920s. Since Tempelhof Airport is no longer in operation, the Schillerkiez has become increasingly popular. The residential area is extremely quiet and residents love to stroll across Tempelhofer Feld after work or at the weekend. Even though many young families and couples have moved to Schillerkiez in recent years, you can still see a great deal of cultural diversity on the streets. Spanish, Arabic, English and Turkish are just some of the languages that you can hear in scraps as you walk through the Schillerkiez. The diversity is also noticeable when you look at the restaurants and snack bars that advertise culinary specialties from all over the world.
The Flughafenstraßenkiez with the Boddinplatz
Flughafenstraße emerges from Columbiadamm and runs from west to east, where it meets Karl-Marx-Straße. We are in the north of the district, near Neukölln town hall. The neighborhood around Flughafenstraße is densely built-up. Most of the buildings date back to the Wilhelminian era and feature Art Nouveau decorations. Boddinplatz is very popular with residents. It has small green spaces and invites you to linger. If you want to go shopping, you can do so in the Neukölln Arcaden or in one of the charismatic second-hand stores located directly on Flughafenstraße. The old churchyard of the St. Jacobi parish is located on Hermannstraße and is also worth a visit.
The Rollbergsiedlung
We are located in the center of Neukölln, not far from the cemetery of the Luisenstadt community, a beautiful old cemetery with meadows and trees. The Rollbergsiedlung is located in Falkstraße and has been a typical working-class neighborhood in Berlin for decades. In the 1960s, the old buildings of the Rollbergsiedlung were demolished and replaced by new buildings. Most of the residents did not return to the estate after this construction work. Today, some of the blocks contain social housing. If you approach the estate via Hermannstraße, you will notice 5 buildings at first glance, which were built in an octagonal shape. Each of the apartments has at least one room that opens onto the pretty, planted inner courtyard.
The Körnerkiez and the Körnerpark
To the south of the Luisenstadt cemetery is the Körnerkiez. Its center is the baroque Körnerpark, which lies a few meters below the level of the surrounding streets. There is a fountain in the middle and visitors and residents alike relax on the extensive lawns in the warm summer months. When the weather is good, Körnerpark hosts a wide variety of events, giving you the feeling of standing in an oasis and escaping the hustle and bustle of Berlin for a few minutes. The building fabric of the Körnerkiez is relatively well preserved, with most of the buildings dating back to the Wilhelminian era.
Böhmisch-Rixdorf and Richardplatz
The southern Richardplatz and the associated Böhmisch-Rixdorf are located in the east of Neukölln. To the south, the district is bordered by the Ringbahn and Saalestraße. Sonnenallee is to the east and Karl-Marx-Allee to the west. The Bohemian Village is a listed building and for good reason. Strolling through the small alleyways with their ancient trees gives you the feeling of traveling back in time. The atmosphere is idyllic and a historic Christmas market is held here in winter. The smithy is still in use and there is now a snack bar in the drinking hall.
Conclusion
Neukölln is a district of Berlin that is undergoing major change. We are located in the southern center of Berlin and, as in other districts of the German capital, apartments here are becoming increasingly expensive. In our article “Buying a condominium in Neukölln: Districts, infrastructure, facts & more” we go into interesting information about the popular district. Among other things, we look at Neukölln’s gastronomic and cultural offerings. We also look into the question of how good medical care is in the district. Which parties did Neukölln residents vote for in the last general election? How many kindergartens and schools are there in Neukölln? How good is the infrastructure and which roads are used by residents to get around by private transport?
These are some of the questions we are going to get to the bottom of in order to fully examine the Neukölln district.
