Moving to Berlin? Don’t Overlook the West

Radical Living

🌏 Get Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/radicalliving It&#039;s risk-free with Nord&#039;s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌  Watch the first 2 parts: Part 1: https://youtu.be/JL0bSVPgWqg Part 2: https://youtu.be/LLxHs5Jk-WE  Thinking of moving to Berlin? Living in Berlin is amazing, but choosing the right district isn&#039;t. Get an overview over the outer districts of West Berlin. Berlin is a huge city and it&#039;s impossible to know where to settle down when you are not familiar with the German capital. This video series about the best Berlin neighborhoods is all you need to decide which area to move to. Berlin suburbs are beautiful, getting an apartment in the right area will make your life in Berlin so very different.  00:00 Living in Berlin 00:19 Wannsee 01:28 Zehlendorf &amp; Dahlem 03:23 Grunewald 04:24 Steglitz 05:23 Sponsor (NordVPN) 06:40 Mariendorf 07:11 Britz 08:38 Johannisthal 09:36 Wedding 11:01 Westend 12:04 Tegel 13:33 Spandau 15:38 Learn about life in Berlin  #berlin

Transcript

00:00Welcome back to part 3 of the series of exploring the best Berlin districts to live in.

00:05I hope you didn't decide where you buy your flat yet, because we still have to cover some

00:09of the most awesome districts here.

00:11In part 1 we covered everything inside the Ringbahn in the center of Berlin, in part

00:152 the Eastern block and now it's time for the West.

00:19We will be starting our journey at the very edge of Berlin, in one of Berlin's wealthiest

00:24neighborhoods, Wannsee.

00:26And now to you Mr. Magic Bean, how is the situation down there in Wannsee?

00:29Tell us more!

00:31Wannsee is lovely, as you can see.

00:33If you didn't know, it's named after this beautiful lake behind me.

00:37See means lake in German.

00:39It is one of the greenest districts in all of Berlin, with lots and lots of water.

00:43You can find forests for long walks, great lakeside access for swimming or taking your boat out.

00:50Maybe that's why it's also home to the second oldest yacht club in the whole of Germany,

00:55Verein Segelhaus am Wannsee.

00:56But it's also a very popular destination for day-trippers, who are mostly heading to

01:02the Pfaueninsel, an English-style country park of the Prussian royal family.

01:06And to the south there are a lot of historical buildings around Schloss Glinike, with beautiful

01:12surrounding gardens.

01:13buildings.

01:13It's also a great district if you want to be close to the beautiful city of Potsdam,

01:18which is just across the Glinike Bridge.

01:27Moving a bit closer to the centre, you can find some of the city's richest neighborhoods.

01:32Zehlendorf and Dahlem have the highest number of millionaires living in Berlin.

01:38The residential areas here are characterised by massive family estates.

01:43In Zehlendorf they usually look a bit more historic, whereas in Dahlem they are more modern.

01:48But there are also affordable corners to find.

01:50The area used to be a major hub for the military presence of the Allies after the war.

01:56And many of the old barracks have been converted into normal living spaces, which are very popular

02:02among the many students of the Freie Universität Berlin, one of Berlin's biggest universities

02:07that is located here.

02:09We asked some local residents to tell us more.

02:10It's a little bit more, but still you can do a lot of things.

02:14Yeah.

02:14It's just a lot of places you can look at.

02:17And you can actually look at everything here.

02:20Yeah.

02:20Egal ob Kaffee, Essen, Parks, Ruhe, Seen.

02:25Yeah.

02:25You have really nice things here.

02:27Yeah.

02:27Früher were we, I think, all.

02:28Yeah.

02:29Immer im Sommer.

02:29Immer.

02:30Jeder, der in Zehlendorf wohnt, geht immer an den Schlachtensee oder Krummelanke.

02:34Ja.

02:34Krummelanke.

02:35Oder dann halt Wannsee.

02:36Es ist hier wahrscheinlich nur so ein bisschen anders als in anderen Bezirken.

02:39Dass hier schon mehr ältere Leute halt auch sind.

02:42Ja.

02:42Aber auch viele junge Leute.

02:44Gerade durch die Schulen hier, ne?

02:45Durch die Schulen.

02:46Hier gibt es super viele Schulen und super viele Familien, die hier extra wohnen, weil

02:51es halt so ein bisschen ruhiger ist.

02:52Ja.

02:52Von daher ist hier eigentlich alles gemischt.

02:54Aber ich würde sagen, hier wohnen eher so die normaleren Menschen.

02:57Also es ist jetzt nicht so wie in Neukölln oder so, wo man doch so…

03:00Mehr hippe Leute.

03:01Ja, genau.

03:02Hier sind die Leute alle ein bisschen entspannter.

03:05Also die FU ist relativ nah.

03:07Wenn ich Leute kennengelernt habe von dort, die haben hier alle ihre WGs und wohnen dann

03:12hier auch.

03:13Aber ich glaube auch vor allem für junge Familien.

03:15Ich glaube unsere Eltern werden niemals mit uns irgendwie nach Kreuzberg oder so gezogen.

03:19Nee.

03:19Ich glaube das hätten sie niemals gemacht.

03:20Ist ein schöner Bezug.

03:22Ja.

03:22Richtig.

03:23Moving on to Grunewald.

03:25The district with the biggest patch of forest in West Berlin.

03:28Grunewald has only a small residential area with mostly large family houses that have

03:34often stayed in the families for generations.

03:36So it can be difficult to find places to live here.

03:39But if you can, it is certainly worth it because you will be surrounded by 3000 hectares

03:45of forest with several lakes to choose from, which is perfect if you have a dog.

03:50They even have their own beach here.

03:51Next to the Grunewaldsee is also the Jagdschloss Grunewald, a hunting lodge which is Berlin's

03:57oldest preserved castle.

03:58And we cannot forget the infamous Teufelsberg in the middle of the forest, home to an old

04:03US spy station.

04:04Over the years it has become a popular hiking destination.

04:08People love just strolling around here and taking pictures with the art that has been

04:12created there over the years.

04:15Grunewald is the perfect getaway from the busy city, but still close enough to Kudamm

04:19and generally well connected, in case you do need to go shopping or have a drink.

04:24A stone's throw away to the south east is Steglitz.

04:28Steglitz represents both picturesque bourgeois town and big city flair in equal measure.

04:34The heart of the district is the famous Schlossstraße, a bustling high street that runs down the

04:39middle and is one of the best places to go shopping in the whole of Berlin.

04:43The Das Schloss shopping mall for example is definitely the fanciest mall in the city with

04:49old clocks, marble floors, chandeliers and even a fountain.

04:54In the area is also the botanical garden, one of the largest and most diverse in the entire

05:00world.

05:00During Christmas, the garden even transforms into a winter wonderland.

05:05You can also find the Schlosspark Theatre, an early 1900s theatre, staging concerts, plays,

05:12readings and other performing arts events.

05:16Before we move on to the next district, let me tell you about our partner who made this

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06:37Just try it out, and now to the next district.

06:41Right next to Steglitz we find Mariendorf, which feels much less busy and built up in comparison.

06:47It is not quite into the small village feel, but instead somewhere in the middle, more like

06:52a suburb.

06:53Most of the district consists of single standing houses, low rise apartment complexes, parks

06:58and an unusually high amount of cemeteries.

07:01But the most prominent part is the 100 year old horse racing track to the south, which

07:07still hosts 100 harness races each year.

07:12A bit further east is Brits, which has a similar suburb feeling to Mariendorf, but with a few

07:18interesting additional features.

07:20I'd even dare to say it is one of Berlin's most underrated districts.

07:24The wonderful Britzer Garten is located here.

07:27A massive landscape park constructed for the Bundesgartenschau in 1985, in order to provide

07:34a new landscape park to the citizens in the south east of West Berlin, who were at that

07:39time cut off from the surrounding countryside.

07:42Here you can find beautiful multicolour flower patches, different lakes and plenty of playgrounds.

07:48Another gem in the area is the Schloss Brits, a former manor house of the historical Rittergut

07:54Brits, used today for exhibitions and concerts.

07:58One of Berlin's best Christmas markets also takes place here.

08:02Another unique place to be found here is the Huf-Eisen-Siedlung, a well designed residential

08:08housing estate, built in the late 1920s.

08:11The core of the settlement consists of residential blocks, arranged in a horseshoe shape.

08:17With its distinctive architecture, it was one of the first social housing projects, and

08:22is considered an icon of modern urban development and new building styles.

08:27The southern part of Brits stands in contrast to the rest of the district.

08:31As you head north, the streets start to feel more like neighbouring Neukölln, with diverse

08:37cultures and graffiti.

08:39More to the east, we find the district of Johannestahl, which feels like a quiet little village, more

08:45than a suburb of Berlin.

08:47But since it's just next to the up and coming Niederschöneweide, the action is just around

08:52the corner.

08:53Johannestahl is a place with a rich history.

08:56It was formerly home to Germany's first commercial airfield, opening in 1909.

09:01For the last decades, it has been abandoned, and became a popular spot for abandoned building

09:07explorers.

09:08Part of the old airfield is still there, but it is slowly being redeveloped.

09:12One part into a wide and open landscape park, and another part into apartment buildings.

09:18By 2025, over 1800 new apartments will be ready to move in here.

09:25This could be your chance to finally find a flat in Berlin.

09:29Johannestahl is a particularly great place to live if you are a frequent traveller, since

09:33you need just 20 minutes to get to the Berlin airport.

09:36Jumping up to the northwest lies one of Berlin's most controversial districts, Wedding.

09:42For the longest time, people have called Wedding the secret underdog, the new hip district to

09:48be.

09:48It's been 20 years, and it's still trying.

09:51At this point, it's become a running gag among many Berliners.

10:00Wedding has a bustling heart with lots of cool bars and cafes, though it's still less

10:07busy than Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg.

10:09It's a pretty popular district for students, since it's still quite affordable and well-connected.

10:16The Plötzensee is also nice to have for any summer afternoon.

10:20We asked the local resident to tell us more about what kind of people live here.

10:25I think it's a mix, kind of everybody, you find everything.

10:29You find young people, artists, you know, you find your average 40-year-old German, as

10:34well as your African mom, as well as your Turkish guy, as well as people like me, I guess.

10:41That's what I like about it.

10:42I have dogs, I like the close proximity of, you know, nature or nature in Berlin and how

10:48far that goes, but, you know, I have something like water and I can go to the Rehberger and

10:53then it takes me 10 minutes to be downtown.

11:02Next up, we have Vestend.

11:05Vestend is split three ways.

11:07You have the residential area on the east side, the Olympia Park and Stadium to the west, and

11:13to the south, you can find the Messe Gelände.

11:16Messe means trade fair in German.

11:18So this large collection of buildings and warehouses is home to the corporate and business exhibitions

11:25that are hosted in Berlin.

11:27If your work involves trade fairs, this could be a great option for you.

11:30The Olympia Stadium and Park is home to large sporting activities, attracting huge crowds on

11:37a regular basis.

11:38Plus, here you can find the Waldbühne, a famous venue that hosts outdoor concerts and events.

11:45Vestend is a transport hub and is very well connected.

11:49You have Westkreuz Station, the Berlin central bus station with different buses and regional

11:55coaches leaving from here, and it's the meeting point of three major highways going in all directions.

12:01Vestend seems to have a little bit of everything.

12:05Moving on to Tegel, most people connect Tegel with the recently closed Tegeler Airport,

12:11and it does make up a big part of the district.

12:14The good news is that the city is transforming the whole area.

12:18The plan is to build a massive research and industrial park called Urban Tech Republic

12:23that will host more than a thousand companies and startups.

12:27Additionally, 5,000 apartments are in development to give a new home to more than 10,000 citizens.

12:33But Tegel has more to offer than just the airport area.

12:37We asked a local resident to tell us what's special about this district.

12:41Oh, a lot.

12:42It's completely different if you compare it to Prenzlauer Berg or something like this.

12:47It's completely different.

12:48It does not really feel like Berlin.

12:50It's a little bit like a little place outside of Berlin, but you can move quickly into Berlin.

12:55Tegel is a little bit older, I would say, definitely.

12:59But it's beautiful.

13:00You just have this awesome sea, which I just look on.

13:04That's really just awesome.

13:05It's like 200 meters from our flat, and you're just in an awesome paradise,

13:11at least for me.

13:12I love the water.

13:13And the nature here is just awesome.

13:15It really just makes fun to live here, yeah.

13:17And even if you're a little bit more shy and just want to know the city, start here.

13:23It's awesome.

13:24You can then go into the next step of Berlin.

13:27That's definitely a way to do it.

13:34In the far west lies our last district, Spandau.

13:38The district that even predates Berlin.

13:41Most people don't view Spandau as part of Berlin,

13:43but rather as its own little town next to Berlin.

13:47Spandau itself has many districts, but the most interesting ones are

13:51Old Spandau, Siemensstadt and Wilhelmstadt.

13:55Right now I'm in the old city of Spandau,

13:57which as you can see has a traditional German flair.

14:01The special thing about Spandau in general is that it's completely surrounded by water,

14:07giving it a pretty serene vibe.

14:09There's lots of shops and cafes and plenty of space to walk with no cars.

14:14At every turn you encounter historic buildings from times long past,

14:19while the charming old-fashioned street lamps and signs effortlessly transport you

14:23to an earlier era of Germany.

14:26It's as if time itself stands still here.

14:29One of Berlin's oldest structures can also be found here, the Citadel,

14:33being one of the most well-preserved Renaissance military structures in the whole of Europe.

14:39Spandau has something for everybody.

14:41In the sub-district of Wilhelmstadt you can find beautiful forest areas, yacht sailing clubs,

14:48and even a second little Venice.

14:50If you love to be around water and nature, it doesn't get much better than this.

14:55Much in contrast to Wilhelmstadt is Siemensstadt, one of the oldest industrial locations in Germany,

15:02being closely linked to the history of one of Germany's biggest companies, Siemens.

15:06Siemens was founded here in 1847, and once they got bigger, they acquired the barely developed area

15:13between Charlottenburg and Spandau. In just under two decades, residential areas and social institutions

15:20were created for workers, in addition to numerous industrial and factory buildings.

15:26Today, a new forward-looking district, Siemensstadt square, is being created,

15:30a modern smart campus that combines work, production, and research.

15:35That's it from me. Back to you, Radical Living.

15:38All right, that were the most special districts in West Berlin.

15:42I hope this video series gave you a little overview over Berlin.

15:46And if you want to know more about life in Berlin, just have a look at my other videos.

15:50I made like 60 videos dedicated to Berlin. I think I covered almost every aspect of living here.

15:56And thanks Mr. Magic Bean to jump in for me in this video while I'm driving around Sri Lanka in

16:01a rickshaw.

16:01But more about that in a different video. See ya!

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