Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin

Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states (city state). Since the 2001 administrative reform, it has been made up of twelve boroughs or districts (German: Bezirke, pronounced [bəˈtsɪʁkə]), each with its own local government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.

The boroughs and neighbourhoods of Berlin

Each borough is governed by a council (Bezirksamt) with five councillors (Bezirksstadträte) and a borough mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The borough council is elected by the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung). The borough governments' power is limited, and subordinate to the Berlin Senate. The borough mayors form a council of mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister, led by the city's governing mayor), which advises the Senate.

History
Main article: Greater Berlin Act
Twenty-three former boroughs (1990–2000)

Each borough is made up of several officially recognized subdistricts or neighborhoods (Ortsteile in German, sometimes called quarters in English). These neighborhoods typically have a historical identity as former independent cities, villages, or rural municipalities that were united in 1920 as part of the Greater Berlin Act, forming the basis for the present-day city and state. The neighborhoods do not have their own governmental bodies, but are recognized by the city and the boroughs for planning and statistical purposes. Berliners often identify more with the neighborhood where they live than with the borough that governs them. The neighborhoods are further subdivided into statistical tracts, which are mainly used for planning and statistical purposes. The statistical tracts correspond roughly but not exactly with neighbourhoods recognized by residents.

When Greater Berlin was established in 1920, the city was organized into twenty boroughs, most of which were named after their largest component neighborhood, often a former city or municipality; others, such as Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, were named for geographic features.

By 2000, Berlin comprised twenty-three boroughs, as three new boroughs had been created in East Berlin. Today Berlin is divided into twelve boroughs (Bezirke), reduced from twenty-three boroughs before Berlin's 2001 administrative reform.

Boroughs

An administrative reform in 2001 merged the existing boroughs into the current 12 boroughs, as listed below.[1]

Borough Population
31 March 2010		 Area
in km²		 Density
per km²		 Map
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf 319,628 64.72 4,878
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 268,225 20.16 13,187
Lichtenberg 259,881 52.29 4,952
Marzahn-Hellersdorf 248,264 61.74 4,046
Mitte 332,919 39.47 8,272
Neukölln 310,283 44.93 6,804
Pankow 366,441 103.01 3,476
Reinickendorf 240,454 89.46 2,712
Spandau 223,962 91.91 2,441
Steglitz-Zehlendorf 293,989 102.50 2,818
Tempelhof-Schöneberg 335,060 53.09 6,256
Treptow-Köpenick 241,335 168.42 1,406

Administration

The borough government is part of the two-stage administration of the Berlin city-state, whereby the Senate and its affiliated agencies, institutions and municipal enterprises form the first stage of the so-called Hauptverwaltung (central administration). On second position, the boroughs enjoy a certain grade of autonomy—though in no way comparable to the German Landkreise districts or independent cities, nor even to the local government of a common municipality as a legal entity, as according to the Berlin Constitution the legal status of the city as a German state itself is that of a unified municipality (Einheitsgemeinde). The power of the borough governments is limited and their performance of assigned tasks is subject to a regulatory supervision by the Senate.

Nevertheless, the twelve self-governing boroughs have constitutional status and are themselves subdivided into two administrative bodies: each is governed by the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung, BVV) and a full-time borough council (Bezirksamt), consisting of four councilors (Bezirksstadträte) and headed by a borough mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The BVV assembly is directly elected by the borough's population and therefore acts as a borough parliament, though it is officially part of the executive. It elects the members of the borough council, checks its daily administration and is able to make applications and recommendations. The twelve borough mayors regularly meet in the Council of Mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister), led by the city's Governing Mayor; the council answers to and advises the Senate.

The localities have no local government bodies, and the administrative duties of the former locality representative, the Ortsvorsteher, were taken over by the borough mayors.

Coats of arms
The mural crown of the coats of arms of Berliner Bezirke

All the coats of arms of Berliner boroughs (the current as the ones in the period 1990-2001) have some common points: The shield has a Spanish form and the coronet is represented by a mural crown: 3 towers in red bricks with the coat of arms of Berlin in the middle.

Most of the coats of arms of current boroughs [2] have changed some elements in their field: Some of them have created a "fusion" of themes of the merged Bezirke (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Lichtenberg, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Tempelhof-Schöneberg); others have modified their themes taken from one of the two (or more) former merged boroughs (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Mitte and Treptow-Köpenick). Only the unchanged boroughs of Neukölln, Reinickendorf and Spandau haven't changed their field. The coat of arms of Pankow was created with a new design in 2008, having been the only district without an emblem for 7 years.


Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Lichtenberg
Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Mitte
Neukölln
Pankow
Reinickendorf
Spandau
Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Tempelhof-Schöneberg
Treptow-Köpenick

Localities

As of 2012, the twelve boroughs are made up of a total of 96 officially recognized localities (Ortsteile). Almost all of them are further subdivided into several other zones (defined in German as Ortslagen, Teile, Stadtviertel, Orte etc.). The largest Ortsteil is Köpenick (34.9 km2 or 13.5 sq mi), the smallest one is Hansaviertel (53 ha or 130 acres). The most populated is Neukölln (154,127 inhabitants in 2009), the least populated is Malchow (450 inhabitants in 2008).[3]

(01) Mitte
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0101) Mitte 10.70 79,582 7,445
(0102) Moabit 7.72 69,425 8,993
(0103) Hansaviertel 0.53 5,889 11,111
(0104) Tiergarten 5.17 12,486 2,415
(0105) Wedding 9.23 76,363 8,273
(0106) Gesundbrunnen                                 6.13 82,729 13,496
(02) Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0201) Friedrichshain                                   9.78 114,050 11,662
(0202) Kreuzberg 10.40 147,227 14,184
(03) Pankow
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0301) Prenzlauer Berg 11.00 142,319 12,991
(0302) Weißensee 7.93 45,485 5,736
(0303) Blankenburg 6.03 6,550 1,086
(0304) Heinersdorf 3.95 6,580 1,666
(0305) Karow 6.65 18,258 2,746
(0306) Stadtrandsiedlung Malchow             5.68 1,166 205
(0307) Pankow 5.66 55,854 9,868
(0308) Blankenfelde 13.40 1,917 144
(0309) Buch 18.20 13,188 727
(0310) Französisch Buchholz 12.00 18,766 1,560
(0311) Niederschönhausen 6.49 26,903 4,145
(0312) Rosenthal 4.90 8,933 1,823
(0313) Wilhelmsruh 1.37 7,216 5,267
(04) Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0401) Charlottenburg 10.60 118,704 11,198
(0402) Wilmersdorf 7.16 92,815 12,963
(0403) Schmargendorf 3.59 19,750 5,501
(0404) Grunewald 22.30 10,014 448
(0405) Westend 13.50 37,883 2,800
(0406) Charlottenburg-Nord                         6.20 17,327 2,795
(0407) Halensee 1.27 13,966 10,997
(05) Spandau
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0501) Spandau 8.03 33,433 4,164
(0502) Haselhorst 4.73 13,668 2,891
(0503) Siemensstadt 5.66 11,388 2,012
(0504) Staaken 10.90 41,470 3,810
(0505) Gatow 10.10 3,908 386
(0506) Kladow 14.80 13,628 922
(0507) Hakenfelde 20.40 26,337 1,292
(0508) Falkenhagener Feld                         6.88 34,778 5,056
(0509) Wilhelmstadt 10.40 37,080 3,558
(06) Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0601) Steglitz 6.79 70,555 10,391
(0602) Lichterfelde                                       18.20 78,338 4,300
(0603) Lankwitz 6.99 40,385 5,778
(0604) Zehlendorf 18.80 57,902 3,075
(0605) Dahlem 8.39 14,966 1,784
(0606) Nikolassee 19.60 15,899 811
(0607) Wannsee 23.70 9,044 382
(07) Tempelhof-Schöneberg
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0701) Schöneberg                                       10.60 116,743 11,003
(0702) Friedenau 1.65 26,736 16,204
(0703) Tempelhof 12.20 54,382 4,458
(0704) Mariendorf 9.38 48,882 5,211
(0705) Marienfelde 9.15 30,151 3,295
(0706) Lichtenrade 10.10 49,451 4,896
(08) Neukölln
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0801) Neukölln 11.70 154,127 13,173
(0802) Britz 12.40 38,334 3,091
(0803) Buckow 6.35 38,018 5,987
(0804) Rudow 11.80 41,040 3,478
(0805) Gropiusstadt                                       2.66 35,844 13,475
(09) Treptow-Köpenick
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(0901) Alt-Treptow 2.31 10,426 4,513
(0902) Plänterwald 3.01 10,618 3,528
(0903) Baumschulenweg 4.82 16,780 3,481
(0904) Johannisthal 6.54 17,650 2,699
(0905) Niederschöneweide                           3.49 10,043 2,878
(0906) Altglienicke 7.89 26,101 3,308
(0907) Adlershof 6.11 15,112 2,473
(0908) Bohnsdorf 6.52 10,751 1,649
(0909) Oberschöneweide 6.18 17,094 2,766
(0910) Köpenick 34.90 59,201 1,695
(0911) Friedrichshagen 14.00 17,285 1,233
(0912) Rahnsdorf 21.50 8,891 414
(0913) Grünau 9.13 5,482 600
(0914) Müggelheim 22.20 6,350 286
(0915) Schmöckwitz 17.10 4,117 240
(10) Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(1001) Marzahn 19.50 102,398 5,240
(1002) Biesdorf 12.40 24,543 1,973
(1003) Kaulsdorf 8.81 18,732 2,126
(1004) Mahlsdorf 12.90 26,852 2,075
(1005) Hellersdorf                                         8.10 72,602 8,963
(11) Lichtenberg
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(1101) Friedrichsfelde 5.55 50,010 9,011
(1102) Karlshorst 6.60 21,329 3,232
(1103) Lichtenberg 7.22 32,295 4,473
(1104) Falkenberg 3.06 1,164 380
(1106) Malchow 1.54 450 292
(1107) Wartenberg 6.92 2,433 352
(1109) Neu-Hohenschönhausen                   5.16 53,698 10,407
(1110) Alt-Hohenschönhausen 9.33 41,780 4,478
(1111) Fennpfuhl 2.12 30,932 14,591
(1112) Rummelsburg 4.52 17,567 3,887
(12) Reinickendorf
Locality Area
in km²		 Population
as of 2008		 Density
inhabitants per km²		 Map
(1201) Reinickendorf 10.50 72,859 6,939
(1202) Tegel 33.70 33,417 992
(1203) Konradshöhe 2.20 5,997 2,726
(1204) Heiligensee 10.70 17,641 1,649
(1205) Frohnau 7.80 17,025 2,183
(1206) Hermsdorf 6.10 16,503 2,705
(1207) Waidmannslust 2.30 10,022 4,357
(1208) Lübars 5.00 4,915 983
(1209) Wittenau 5.87 22,696 3,866
(1210) Märkisches Viertel                             3.20 35,206 11,002
(1211) Borsigwalde                             2.03 6,432 3,168
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See also

References
  1. (in German) Boroughs, Localities, and Statistical Tracts from Berlin's Statistical Office Archived January 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  2. (in German) Coats of arms of Berliner boroughs on www.berlin.de Archived April 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. (in German) Statistics for Berliner Ortsteile
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