The Treptow district, which is part of the Treptow-Köpenick borough, is a very interesting part of Berlin for both young families and investors. It is home to one of the most important locations for business and science in Berlin and is therefore the basis for numerous projects. In recent years, many service providers have settled here and their modern buildings characterize the cityscape. But even though Treptow offers optimal connections to the center of Berlin, it is also located in a rural area. The detached houses and apartment buildings have gardens that are lovingly tended by the residents. If you move to Treptow, you can expect a quiet residential area in the middle of the city center. The nature reserve is just a few minutes’ bike ride away, where you can watch the cattle graze.
Find out here what life is like in Treptow. We answer questions like: Are there enough educational facilities? Where is the best place to park? Which doctors are represented in Treptow?
We also look at how you can spend your free time in this popular district of the German capital, which museums you should visit and which restaurants the locals like to eat in.
Would you like to find out more about price trends and popular districts in Berlin-Treptow? Read more in our article “Berlin-Treptow: Buying & selling a condominium – purchase price development, popular districts & information“.
Things to know about Treptow
Treptow is currently undergoing radical change. For a long time, the district was primarily regarded as an important industrial location and home to the largest tree nursery in the world. But Treptow is much more than that. Industry has now retreated to other parts of the republic and Treptow in the east of Berlin has the opportunity to reinvent itself.
The first traces of a permanent settlement in the area now known as Alt-Treptow date back to the sixth or seventh century. Later, a fishing village developed on the wooded site, which also had plenty of fish-rich water. The sources date back to the 16th century and show how the people here lived from beekeeping and fishing.
Today, the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick, into which the districts of Treptow and Köpenick were merged in the early 2000s, is home to around 280,360 inhabitants. The area is just over 168 km2, which corresponds to a population density of 1665 inhabitants per km2. The Niederschöneweide and Oberschöneweide districts used to be important industrial areas. Today, the buildings house various galleries and artists’ studios. The location for business and science in Adlershof is called WISTA and has a decisive influence on Treptow’s cityscape. In GDR times, important media houses were located here in Berlin Treptow. The Treptowers are an emblematic building complex in which the offices of important service providers are spread over 31 floors. The Berlin Wall once made Treptow a border area. On the Wall Trail in Berlin Treptow, residents had to show a special ticket to get to their homes.
The infrastructure in Treptow
Regardless of whether you want to move to Treptow yourself or are looking for an investment property in this part of Berlin, there are some important questions that need to be answered in advance. These include, for example, what transport links there are to the center of the German capital, what the parking situation is like in Treptow and what you can do in your free time.
The demographic situation
The district of Treptow has been part of the Treptow-Köpenick district since the early 2000s. It is made up of the districts of Alt-Treptow, Plänterwald, Baumschulenweg, Johannisthal, Niederschöneweide, Altglienicke, Adlershof and Bohnsdorf. In total, over 142,000 people live in these eight residential areas. (as of 2022)
The 27 to 45 age group comprises more than 42,000 people and therefore just under 30 percent of Treptow’s population. There are almost 24,000 children between the ages of zero and 18, with the age group between six and 15 being the most strongly represented with 11,750 children. This makes it clear that a large number of young families with children live in Treptow.
Around 26,700 people aged 65 and over live in Treptow. They appreciate the quiet residential area and tend their small gardens with great dedication.
The gender distribution is very even. 50.72 percent are women and 49.28 percent are men. When looking at the origin or cultural background of Treptow’s residents, it is noticeable that the percentage of people with a different cultural background is lower than in central areas of Berlin. 23.88 percent, or just under 33,400 people, are Germans with a migration background, while 15.1 percent are foreigners.
Schools, kindergartens and playgrounds in Treptow
The children of young families usually still go to kindergarten. In the Treptow district of Berlin, there are a total of 57 kindergartens and daycare centers for the youngest members of the family. The residents of the district are very close to nature. In the afternoons or at weekends, they are drawn to the numerous playgrounds. Those in search of nature are drawn to the Johannisthal waterworks nature reserve.
The children and young people who attend the school either find a suitable school in Treptow itself or move to the neighboring district of Köpenick. Well-known schools include the Schule an der Dahme, the Hans-Grade-Oberschule, the Isaac-Newton-Oberschule and the Anna-Seghers-Schule. The kindergarten of the Freie Waldorfschule and the Freie Interkulturelle Waldorfschule Berlin are located in the Niederschöneweide district of Treptow.
If you are looking for an adult education center in Berlin Treptow, you will find it in the Baumschulenweg district.
Transport links
The German capital is known far beyond its borders for its first-class transportation infrastructure. Berlin residents can easily get to their workplaces, even during rush hour. Many Berliners opt for public transportation or the bicycle. But of course you also have the option of reaching your destination by private vehicle. The main roads in the Treptow district include Schönefelder Chaussee, Baumschulenstraße, Dörpfeldstraße, Sterndamm, B96a (Adlergestell), Waltersdorfer Straße and Schnellerstraße.
The Görlitzer Bahn runs through Treptow and is one of the district’s most important means of public transport. But the S-Bahn also runs through Berlin Treptow. There are lines S8, S9, S45, S46, S47 and S85.
The parking situation in Treptow
There are currently no parking space management zones in the Treptow district of Berlin. However, discussions have resumed in this regard because the parking situation in this district has become much tighter in recent years. This is partly due to the locations for science, business and media, which bring thousands of people from other districts of Berlin to Treptow every day. In the less central residential areas, residents usually have no problem finding a parking space. In 2014, the introduction of parking management zones was rejected in a referendum. Due to the current situation, however, such zones are once again being considered.
Party shares
It is always interesting to take a closer look at who the residents of a district vote for in elections. The Treptow-Köpenick district is constituency 84 in Berlin. The election results refer to the entire district, but are therefore no less representative of the Treptow district.
In the 2021 election to the district council, voter turnout was 73.7%. The SPD took first place with a total of 25.2% of the vote. In second place was the Left Party with 17.7% and in third place the Greens with 13.7%. The CDU achieved 13.2% and was therefore only just ahead of the AfD with 11.9% of the vote.
The election results for the district of Berlin Treptow-Köpenick from 2021 show that the residents of the district are politically engaged.
Doctors, clinics and hospitals
The Treptow district has the Hedwigshöhe hospital, which is located at Höhenstieg No. 1. Pediatricians, rheumatologists, dentists, urologists, pulmonologists, family doctors, dermatologists and ophthalmologists are spread throughout the entire district of Berlin Treptow and treat the residents with great care.
The DRK clinics are located just a few minutes away in the Köpenick district on Salvador-Allende-Straße.
Art, culture, shopping and gastronomy in Treptow
Treptow is primarily known for the locations of important service providers and quiet residential areas. But the district has a lot more to offer besides work and living. Find out here which museums you should definitely visit and which restaurants are particularly popular with Treptow residents. One highlight, for example, is the shopping center in Berlin Treptow.
Museums
The Treptow Museum in the Treptow district of Berlin is home to various exhibitions that change at regular intervals. They are all dedicated to the history of the district and show how Treptow has changed over the centuries.
At first glance, Schöneweide is a normal residential area in the east of Berlin. But if you take a closer look, you will discover a Nazi forced labor camp on Britzer Strasse in this part of the city, which has been largely preserved to this day. During the Second World War, there were around 3,000 such forced labor camps in this area alone. The people who were housed here were forced to work every day in full view of the local population. The Nazi regime forced around 26 million people into forced labor, around 400 of whom were housed in the camp in Schöneweide. In 2006, the documentation center opened its doors and has since provided information about the everyday life of the forced laborers who were held captive in the camp between 1938 and 1945.
Restaurants, cafés and bars
If you live in Berlin Treptow, you don’t have to travel long distances to find a good restaurant. No matter what you feel like, there is plenty of choice. If you want to try Argentinian cuisine, go to “El Ganado” on Sterndamm. El Dorado” is a typical steakhouse and is also located on Sterndamm. Italian cuisine is particularly delicious at “Antica Roma” in Treptower Park and if you are looking for German home cooking, head to Restaurant Zenner in Treptower Park in Berlin Treptow. Here you can round off the evening with a beer in the beer garden and watch the small boats sail across the Spree. Delicacies from India await you at Tandoor House in Spreestraße and customers are welcomed with specialties from Greece at Restaurant Athen in Radickestraße.
Fast food restaurants such as Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Subway and McDonald’s are also represented. Eating out in Treptow is a great pleasure.
Things to do, activities and places to visit in Treptow
In addition to quiet residential areas, important business and science locations and plenty of nature, the Treptow district in Berlin also offers residents and tourists a number of important sights. At weekends, people are drawn to Treptower Park, which is located directly on the River Spree. The garden city of Falkenberg was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its special residential buildings and the Treptowers are impressive proof of the economic importance of the Treptow district.
The Treptower Park
Berlin shows its most beautiful side in Treptower Park. It is one of the most popular excursion destinations for residents of the German capital. Characterized by river landscapes, extensive meadows and ancient trees, Treptower Park is one of the district’s landmarks. Residents of Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain are drawn to the Volkspark on sunny weekends in summer. Here you can sit down on one of the huge meadows to have a picnic and use the paths for a jog or a long walk.
The park was designed by Gustav Meyer, who lived from 1816 to 1877 and also designed Humboldthain and Friedrichshain in Berlin in addition to Treptower Park. Unfortunately, the latter were destroyed during the Second World War. The carp pond, the plane tree avenue, the round square and the hippodrome all bear the unmistakable signature of the city’s garden director Meyer.
The project was started in 1876 and covers a total of 84 hectares. Around 90,000 trees and other plants were planted in the park and the lawns cover over 300,000 m2. The Gasthaus Zenner is located in the middle of Treptower Park. It is an institution steeped in tradition, having been in operation since the 1820s. The building, which was used as an excursion restaurant at the time, was unfortunately destroyed during the Second World War. Hermann Henselmann set himself the task of rebuilding the building in the 1950s and adding a beer garden, which is now very popular with Berlin residents and visitors.
The island of Berlin Treptow can be reached on foot from the S-Bahn station via a promenade along the Spree. The Treptow harbor is a landing place for excursion steamers, paddle boats and pedal boats. If you want to go pedal boating in Berlin, Treptow is definitely the right place for you.
Running in Treptower Park
Treptower Park is not only a popular excursion destination for families, it is also a popular sporting destination. A circular route through Treptower Park is just over nine kilometers long. People who have not yet reached their desired fitness level are also drawn to Treptower Park in Berlin. The paths are even and there is no incline, so you can enjoy nature while jogging and meeting like-minded people.
The grounds of the Spreepark
The Spreepark was once one of the most visited amusement parks in the GDR, but today the site is being renovated and contains abandoned attractions and fallen dinosaurs.
The park was opened in 1969 and attracted thousands of visitors to the Spree every year in the decades that followed. The Spreepark has been closed since 2002, although there are already plans to reopen it. Nature has reclaimed most of the rides and most of the buildings are in danger of collapsing. For this reason, the site can only be entered as part of an official guided tour.
The Industriesalon Schöneweide
During the GDR era, Schöneweide was one of the most important industrial sites in Berlin. Up to 25,000 people worked on the site in five different factories that belonged to the people. The VEB Elektro-Apparate-Werk in Berlin Treptow, for example, was important at the time. In the Schöneweide Industrial Salon, you can relive times long gone and marvel at the workbenches, electric tubes and television equipment from the second half of the last century.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site: the garden city of Falkenberg
The Treptow district of Berlin has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The Tuschkastensiedlung, as it is popularly known due to its playful design and striking color scheme, impresses with its beautiful residential buildings. It is definitely worth a visit and makes a great location for colorful photos.
The Treptowers, Molecule Man and the Elsen Bridge
Admittedly, the Elsen Bridge is loud and very busy. But it is still worth walking on it, as you can enjoy a unique view from here. The Spree is just below you and a few meters away, the water statue “Molecule Man” rises 30 meters into the sky.
The Treptowers consist of four buildings with a height of 125 meters, which were completed in a record-breaking construction time of just three years in 1998. The skyscrapers are visible from afar and are among the emblematic buildings of the German capital. In addition to exhibitions, they also house numerous offices of companies from the service sector.
The Johannisthal Landscape Park
Treptow is one of Berlin’s districts with a close connection to nature. The district borders on Brandenburg and is characterized by parks and water landscapes. There used to be an airfield in what is now the Johannisthal Landscape Park. Today, cows and sheep graze here. The first propeller planes took off from the airfield in 1909. The era of the airships was very important for the airfield, but after the Second World War the airfield was only used by the military. Nature has now completely reclaimed the runways. Paths made of wooden planks lead through the extensive meadows and visitors to the Johannisthal Landscape Park can find out about the flora and fauna on the information boards.
Conclusion
The Treptow district in the Treptow-Köpenick borough is very interesting for investors and potential residents due to the current situation on the real estate market. It is a part of Berlin that is a quiet place to live. Although the gardens of the detached houses and apartment buildings are not particularly large, they are tended with great care. The district is characterized by nature and tranquillity, but its center is also home to an important location for media, business and science. The HTW, Berlin’s most important university of applied sciences, offers more than 70 degree courses for a total of over 14,000 students. The condominiums in apartment buildings are very attractive for young families. Investors, on the other hand, are rushing into the student apartments, which can be successfully rented out within a very short time.
The properties in Berlin Treptow are diverse and can offer investors or future owners the best conditions.
