The Boxhagener Kiez is characterized by its interesting mix of tourists and residents. While you see young families on their way to kindergarten in the morning, the pubs and restaurants fill up in the evening hours with people who want to dance the night away. The Boxhagener Kiez around Boxhagener Platz never seems to stand still. This is where life happens, because the metropolis of Berlin has a lot to offer its visitors.
In our article on the analysis of real estate price trends in the Boxhagener Kiez, we take an in-depth look at the current real estate market. How expensive is a condominium in this residential area on average and how easy is it to let? These are some of the key questions we analyze.
In this article, we take a look at everyday life in this special neighborhood in the center of Berlin. How good are the transport links, which parties do the residents vote for and how can you spend your free time? We immerse ourselves in this historic neighborhood in Friedrichshain.
The infrastructure in the Boxhagener Kiez
If you stroll through the Boxhagener Kiez, you will notice the pretty old apartments that are packed tightly together in the newly renovated residential buildings from the Wilhelminian era. Young fathers take their children to school and then cycle to work. The bars and cafés seem to be busy around the clock serving the large crowds that flock to them.
But what is life like with children, what exciting activities does the district have to offer and what cultural activities are there?
The transport links
The Boxhagener Kiez is located in the eastern center of Berlin. This part of the German capital used to belong to the GDR, but today the district is full of life. When it comes to public transport, you can choose between streetcar, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and buses. If you want to travel from Boxhagener Platz by subway, you have several options. For example, the U1 stops at Warschauer Straße. It connects the Boxhagener Kiez with Kurfürstendamm and is used by many residents and tourists.
The S-Bahn lines S3, S5, S7, S9 and S75 also stop at Warschauer Straße.
If you want to get to the Bundestag or the main underground and suburban train stations, you can get on the U5 at Samariterstraße or Frankfurter Tor. The M10, M13 and 21 cross the Boxhagener Kiez in various directions. If you like to travel by bus, you can take bus lines 240 and 347 in this residential area of Berlin.
No matter where you are in the neighborhood, a public transport stop is never far away.
Important streets in the Boxhagener Kiez include Grünberger Straße, Wühlischstraße and Boxhagener Straße. The neighborhood is located in parking zone 50, where parking space management is in place and people who visit the neighborhood have to pay for parking. Most people in this neighbourhood try to get around by public transport or bicycle. The costs are limited and you save yourself the time-consuming search for a parking space.
The parking lot situation
The center of Berlin is known for its chronic shortage of parking spaces. Residents apply for a permit to avoid having to pay parking fees in their neighborhood. The Boxhagener Kiez, including Boxhagener Platz, Boxhagener Straße and other important traffic arteries, is located in parking zone 50. Although residents can park their cars for free, finding a suitable parking space is usually difficult. For this reason, residents usually use public transport, including the underground and S-Bahn lines. Many people choose to cycle to work.
The demographic situation
The Friedrichshain district is made up of the residential areas Samariterkiez, Boxhagener Kiez, Rudolfkiez and the region around Karl-Marx-Allee. The Boxhagener Kiez is one of the milieu protection areas in Berlin. Efforts are being made to ensure that residents are not forced out of their residential area. In recent years, the real estate market in Berlin’s central locations has changed significantly. Prices have risen rapidly, prompting many people to leave their original residential areas. This development is to be actively counteracted with the help of social conservation areas.
Until the 19th century, Boxhagener Platz was considered a suburb of Berlin. At that time, there was already an urban garden here, which was used by Berliners as a place to relax.
The area around Boxhagener Platz is around 75 hectares in size. Around 18,500 people live here, but the age structure of the residents is in no way the average for Germany. The majority of residents are in the 18 to 35 age group. There are many young families with small children who use the playground on Boxhagener Platz. The residential buildings, which have only recently been renovated and mostly date back to the Wilhelminian era, house 1- or 2-room apartments. The influx is large, but many people are also moving back to other areas of Berlin.
Party shares
Boxhagener Kiez is part of the Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg-Prenzlauer Berg Ost constituency. The election results for the entire constituency are representative of the residential area Boxhagener Kiez.
In the 2021 federal election, the Greens came first with 37.9%. In second place was Die Linke with 17.7%, closely followed by the SPD with 17.4%. The CDU took fourth place with 7.6%.
In 2022, elections were held for the district council. Here too, the Greens took first place with 34.6%. In second place was Die Linke with 21.6% and in third place was the SPD with 14.8%.
Families with children
An above-average number of families with young children live in the Boxhagener Kiez. The average age of residents is 34 and the proportion of people with a migration background is around 30 percent. If you look at the map of the residential area, you will notice several daycare centers and kindergartens. For example, there is the Friedrichshain kindergarten, the BIK eV daycare center and Kinder im Kiez GmbH.
Primary school provision is guaranteed, because if the children don’t go to an elementary school in the Boxhagener Kiez, they go to one of the neighboring neighborhoods.
The Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gymnasium is located on Frankfurter Allee, not far from Boxhagener Platz. In the Samariterviertel district, young people can attend the Heinrich Hertz Gymnasium, while the Emanuel Lasker School is a public community school in Corinthstraße in the Rudolfkiez district, very close to the Boxhagener Kiez.
In the Boxhagener Kiez, there is above-average childcare for children under the age of seven. Older children and teenagers can let off steam in one of the numerous playgrounds or meet up in the green spaces at the weekends.
Bars, cafés and restaurants
The area around Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Straße is known for its extremely diverse gastronomy. It is a small world in the middle of Berlin. If you are looking for a restaurant on Boxhagener Platz, you will quickly find what you are looking for. It doesn’t matter which specialties you fancy.
Papaya Thai Cuisine is a Thai restaurant right on Boxhagener Platz. The milkshakes made from mango, coconut, lychee or pineapple are known far beyond the borders of the neighborhood. The dishes with fried rice are particularly popular, and the vegetarian menu includes several delicacies.
Alongside Boxhagener Platz, Simon-Dach-Straße is the central location for bars and cafés. Some of the best in the neighborhood include the Primitiv Bar, Blechbilderbar and ROCKZ. Café Aprilkind serves delicious coffees and teas as well as breakfast dishes and cakes.
Lagom is known for its beautiful ambience and varied menu. Here you can have a wonderful breakfast or a cocktail in the evening. Vegan delicacies and hearty dishes with different types of meat are available throughout the day.
Culture and entertainment
The Intimes cinema is located on the corner of Boxhagener Straße and Niederbanimstraße. It is an arthouse cinema with a pub right in the heart of the neighborhood. The cinema opened back in 1909 with a single auditorium, making it one of the oldest cinemas in the capital. After renovation, the Intimes cinema was reopened in 2021 and now has two screens. After going to the cinema, you can sit down in the pub to discuss the movie over a cold beer.
The “Freiraum in der Box” museum is also located here. The former stables were built in 1893 for Otto Pohl, who was generally known as the “Carriage King of Berlin”. In GDR times, the stables were used as warehouses, but since 2008, architect Carolina Mojto, together with cooperation partners and fellow campaigners, has been working to preserve the special atmosphere of the former stables and make the building accessible to the public. The site is seen as an open space for nature and culture. Panel discussions and artistic festivals take place in the garden.
On Sundays, residents and tourists from the Boxhagener Kiez are drawn to the flea market, where you can always find a treasure or two among saucers from the 1960s, coats and other quirky items.
Leisure activities in the Boxhagener Kiez
The residential area around Boxhagener Kiez offers its residents so much more than good food and a lively atmosphere in the pubs. You can lead a fulfilling life if you organize your leisure time in a varied way. This includes sport, for example:
“Der Kegel” is a climbing center near the Warschauer Straße S-Bahn and U-Bahn station on the border with Rudolfkiez. Here, boulderers and climbers get their money’s worth on the huge climbing walls. In the yoga studios Lotos Yoga or Yogibar, you can take part in one of the many courses and order a healthy drink afterwards.
Traveplatz, Boxhagener Platz and Annemirl-Bauer-Platz are particularly popular at weekends with people looking forward to a nice picnic or a jog. Both in the warm summer months and in winter, people come together here to go for a walk and get some fresh air. The squares are small, idyllic oases in the middle of the metropolis.
Our tips for things to do and activities in Boxhagener Kiez
If you want to take a closer look at the Boxhagener Kiez and are thinking about moving here or investing in the area, you should add the following activities to your bucket list:
1st tip: Going out in Simon-Dach-Straße
If you are looking for a quiet residential area, Boxhagener Kiez is not the place for you. The neighborhood is ideal for people who love the nightlife, who want to interact with other residents or tourists and are looking forward to new adventures. Going out in the evening in Simon-Dach-Straße and exploring Berlin’s best clubs is a must for all party lovers. Make a date with friends and drift from bar to bar. Try different cocktails and dance to the different styles of music played in the bars.
2nd tip: Unusual shopping around Boxhagener Platz
If you are looking for unusual items and individual stores, then you should definitely arrange a shopping tour around Boxhagener Platz.
At Wollen Berlin, you quickly realize that wool is by no means something for grandmothers. Homemade garments and unique pieces are currently very much in vogue. In this pretty store, you will find everything to make the wool-loving heart happy.
The Loveco concept store sells fairly produced, vegan clothing. The store is located on Sonntagstraße and is a great place to browse and store. And if you’re already in Sonntagstraße, you can go straight to Glory Duck, a restaurant serving exquisite Vietnamese specialties.
The Fussgarage is located in Simon-Dach-Straße, a store where you can find the right shoe for every occasion. In addition to renowned brands, there are also beautiful unique pieces here. The furnishings and advice provide a special ambience.
The selection of stores shows that you can store very well around Boxhagener Platz in Berlin.
3rd tip: Flea and weekly market on Boxhagener Platz
The flea market takes place every Sunday at Boxhagener Platz in Berlin. People from all of Berlin’s neighboring districts flock here to take a closer look at what the stalls have to offer. In addition to second-hand fashion, books, bags, art and all kinds of household goods, there are stalls selling snacks and cool drinks. Visitors to the flea market are therefore well catered for. While the adults search for unrecognized treasures, the children of the families romp around the public playground. The perfect end to a successful weekend.
The weekly market on Boxhagener Platz in Berlin has been taking place for more than 100 years. To this day, the old cobblestones are a reminder of the foundations of the former market. Today, you can buy berries, flatbread, baked goods, fresh fish and many other products here every week on Saturdays.
Conclusion - living in beautiful old buildings & many leisure activities
The Boxhagener Kiez in Berlin is known for its great diversity. While you can find beautiful apartments with stucco decorations, high ceilings and wooden floors in renovated old buildings, life takes place on the streets. People are out and about on foot, by bike or on e-scooters, meet up for a picnic on Boxhagener Platz or go to one of the many bars to drink a Späti beer. The gastronomic offer is enormous and there is something new to discover on every street corner.
In addition to restaurants, Simon-Dach-Straße is also home to boutiques and other stores that make a shopping trip an unforgettable event. Life in the Boxhagener Kiez is colorful, varied and lively. If you are looking for a quiet residential area with large villas, you should definitely look elsewhere in the capital. But if you want to meet young families, enjoy going out in the evening and love the buzzing life of the metropolis, then Boxhagener Kiez in the Friedrichshain district is the place for you.
