The Wilmersdorf district in the south-west of Berlin is one of the most elegant and traditional residential areas in the German capital. Some of the streets are still cobbled and lined with ancient trees. In addition to walkers and onlookers, Wilmersdorf also attracts new residents and investors. In our other article on Berlin Wilmersdorf, we took a closer look at the real estate market in this interesting district. We answer questions about rental and purchase prices in the exclusive residential areas and also look at developments in recent years.
In this article, we will look at what it’s like to live in Wilmersdorf. What infrastructure does the district have, how good are the transport connections and what shopping facilities are there? These are some of the key questions that will be addressed in this article.
Things to know about Wilmersdorf
Wilmersdorf is now part of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. Until 2001, however, the district was known as a separate borough. A lot has changed since the district reform and the merger of the two districts. However, other things, such as the high reputation of the exclusive residential areas in Wilmersdorf, have remained the same. Wilmersdorf is part of West Berlin and is located in the southwest of the German capital. The emblematic buildings, stately villas and low-rise apartment buildings still give you an idea of the history of the Wilmersdorf district of Berlin.
Almost half of the district’s area is taken up by the Grunewald forest. The villas in the immediate vicinity of the forest are inhabited by ambassadors, diplomats in general and famous personalities. Property prices are high, but this is due to the first-class quality of the old buildings and the upmarket residential area. Even if the district with its so-called Wilmersdorf widows stands for a politically conservative social class, you will look in vain for stuffiness here. Noble city villas, large detached houses and old buildings in the Wilhelminian style are not uncommon in Wilmersdorf. The district of Berlin Wilmersdorf is undoubtedly considered a good area and is therefore also very interesting for investors looking for suitable condominiums or houses.
The former district of Wilmersdorf is now part of the greater Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district and is divided into the districts of Halensee, Grunewald, Schmargendorf and Wilmersdorf.
The infrastructure of Wilmersdorf
If you want to move to Wilmersdorf, you can expect large villas, extensive forests and old trees. But what else does the district have to offer besides quiet residential areas? Are there enough educational facilities for children, what is the demographic make-up of the population and where is it easy to park? These are some of the key questions that we would like to address in more detail here.
The demographic situation in Wilmersdorf
Around 151,130 people live in the Wilmersdorf district, which is made up of Schmargendorf, Grunewald, Halensee and Wilmersdorf. (as of 2022) Most of the people who live here are either in the 27 to 45 age group or 65 and older. These two groups make up just under half of all residents in the district.
Male and female residents are fairly evenly represented in Berlin Wilmersdorf. The population consists of 52.44 percent women and 47.56 percent men. 41.72 percent of the residents have a migration background, 23.93 percent of the residents are of foreign origin.
The population of the Wilmersdorf district peaked in the 1930s with a population of over 200,000 people. In 1946 it was just over 126,000, but the numbers recovered evenly. Today, Wilmersdorf is home to roughly the same number of people as Kreuzberg, Pankow or Schöneberg.
Schools, kindergartens and playgrounds
The approximately 7,400 children under the age of six who are growing up in Wilmersdorf in their families can find the 102 kindergartens and daycare centers in the district of Berlin Wilmersdorf a childcare place. When the children reach primary school age, they can be accommodated at the Catholic school Sankt Ludwig, the Protestant elementary school Wilmersdorf, the Birger-Forell elementary school, the Johann-Peter-Hebel school or the Katharina-Heinroth elementary school, for example. The district Berlin Wilmersdorf has seven elementary schools and numerous secondary schools. The Goethe-Gymnasium is one of the most popular grammar schools in the Wilmersdorf in Berlin.
Transport connections
If you are traveling by private vehicle in Wilmersdorf, the Bundesallee, Wiesbadener Straße, Mecklenburgische Straße and Hohenzollerndamm are undoubtedly among the most important arteries. The AVUS is the main connection for commuting between the villa suburbs in Potsdam and Berlin city center. It was the first highway in the world to go into operation in 1921 and is still an important traffic artery for the Wilmersdorf district today. However, the city highway also causes heavy through traffic in certain streets in Grunewald, which is particularly dense at peak times.
Wilmersdorf is easy to reach by public transport. The S41, S42 and S46 Ringbahn lines stop at Halensee and Hohenzollerndamm stations. Bus lines X10, M19 and M29 run along Kurfürstendamm, while lines N42 and 143 run along Westfälische Straße to Halensee station.
Grunewald station in Wilmersdorf is served by the S-Bahn line S7. The S-Bahn line connects Potsdam with City West in Berlin and Ahrensfelde.
The parking situation in Wilmersdorf
Wilmersdorf is located in the center of Berlin, which is why the parking situation is tricky. However, it is still possible to park for free in Berlin Wilmersdorf. There are currently zones with parking space management in the Wilmersdorf district of Berlin. Visitors and commuters have to pay a fee to park in these zones. Residents, on the other hand, have the right to apply for a resident permit and can then park free of charge in the zones with parking space management.
The districts of Grunewald, Halensee and Schmargendorf do not yet have parking space management, but this is to be introduced in the future.
Party shares in Wilmersdorf
Constituency 80 stands for the district of Berlin Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The data is collected exclusively for the entire constituency, but is just as meaningful for the Wilmersdorf district. In the 2021 Bundestag elections, the SPD came first in constituency 80 with 27.9% of the first votes. The Greens came second with 24.4%, while the CDU came third with 22.3% of the first votes.
Voter turnout in the election for the district council was 70.1%. The Greens came first with 24.8%, followed by the SPD in second place with 22.2%, closely followed by the CDU with 21.9%.
Doctors, clinics and hospitals
As the district of Berlin Wilmersdorf is located in the central south-west of the German capital, the district is served by a sophisticated network of doctors and hospitals.
The Sankt Gertrauden Hospital is located in Paretzer Straße, the Avicenna Clinic in Paulsborner Straße. The Westklinik Dahlem is also located in Wilmersdorf, on Clayallee, one of the district’s most important streets.
The medical practices in Berlin Wilmersdorf are home to neurologists, orthopaedists, chiropractors, urologists, pediatricians and dentists. If you live in Wilmersdorf, you will quickly find the right doctor. The residents of the district are very happy about the large selection of practices where they can receive expert treatment.
Art, culture and gastronomy in Wilmersdorf
The district of Wilmersdorf is home to well-heeled people who stroll to Kurfürstendamm to go shopping and return to their old apartments after a slice of cake in a classy café. Of course, this preconception is not entirely true. Even though Wilmersdorf is one of Berlin’s middle-class districts, it is not short of good restaurants and cultural attractions.
Find out here which cinemas there are in Wilmersdorf and where you should definitely go for a meal:
Galleries, clubs and cinemas
Over a hundred years ago, artists and creative people came together in the Wilmersdorf district to exchange ideas and exhibit their works in galleries.
Art enthusiasts should definitely visit one of the many galleries that offer exhibitions in Wilmersdorf. These include, for example, the Klaus Gerrit Friese Gallery, the Neue Galerie Berlin, the Galerie Weiss or the Köppe Contemporary Gallery.
The Liquor Store is an important venue for people who want to party into the early hours and drink delicious cocktails. If you want to listen to jazz, head to the A-Trane jazz club in neighboring Charlottenburg.
Cinemas are of course a must in the culture segment. A popular movie theater is located on Bundesplatz in Wilmersdorf in Berlin. The Eva-Lichtspiele was opened in 1912 under the name “Roland Lichtspiele”. The cinema has been attracting numerous visitors to its auditoriums in Berlin Wilmersdorf under the name “Eva-Lichtspiele” since the 1920s. The cinema is located in Blissestraße.
Restaurants, cafés and bars
The quality of the restaurants and cafés reflects the trendy residential area of Wilmersdorf. If you are looking for a good breakfast in Berlin Wilmersdorf, you should definitely try Benedict. A restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious breakfast well into the afternoon. If you like sweet dishes, then the blueberry pancakes might be just the thing for you. Others will enjoy the brunch burger. The creations are creative and turn a traditional breakfast into a delicious, multi-course meal.
At Bahadur, you can eat dishes from authentic Indian cuisine in Berlin Wilmersdorf. The menu focuses on tandoori specialties and serves customers curries with chicken or lamb. The spices are used generously and the dishes melt in the mouth.
The Thaipark with its many small food vendors is the largest restaurant in Berlin. A multifunctional building is planned to house the food stalls in the future. Since the 2022 season, the stalls can be set up in a designated area to the north of the Thaiwiese. If you’re looking for typical street food and cold Tiger beer, this is the place for you.
Shopping and shopping in Wilmersdorf
If you want to go on an extended shopping tour, then Berlin Wilmersdorf with its shopping center is the right location. KaDeWe, the most famous department store in the German capital, is located just outside the Wilmersdorf district. The shopping opportunities on the six floors are almost endless. In addition to delicacies, you can find stores selling a wide range of brands here.
However, the Prager Passage is also extremely popular with the district’s residents. It offers shopping opportunities for everyday life and, in addition to delicatessens, organic food stores and supermarkets, also has a specialist shop for baby clothes.
The Kurfürstendamm – Berlin’s most famous shopping street – is also located directly in the Wilmersdorf district and can be reached quickly.
Things to do, activities and places to visit in Wilmersdorf
The district of Wilmersdorf is primarily known for its beautiful villas, its green spaces and the Grunewald forest. You might think that there is not much going on here, but far from it, because Wilmersdorf in Berlin not only has beautiful, exclusive residential areas, but also a number of sights.
Here you can find out what you can do in Wilmersdorf at the weekend, which paths are particularly suitable for sports and which emblematic buildings you should definitely visit during a visit to this district:
Go for a walk in Grunewald forest and enjoy nature
The Grunewald covers an area of more than 3,000 hectares, making it the largest forest in the west of the German capital. In GDR times, when the Berlin Wall was still standing, the forest was particularly crowded at weekends. Berliners were particularly drawn to the Grunewald at that time to go for a walk, jog or have a picnic in the small clearings. The Grunewald Tower is known for its breathtaking views over the forest, the Havel and Wannsee. The Teufelsberg is located on the northern edge of the Grunewald. At 115 meters, it is one of the highest elevations in Berlin. In winter, children and young people from the metropolis enjoy using the mountain as a toboggan run and ski slope.
The Grunewald hunting lodge is located very close to the Teufelsberg. It is Berlin’s oldest palace building and has a large courtyard, the palace and several outbuildings. The complex is an emblematic example of Renaissance architecture, which can still be found in some places in Berlin today. On the western side, Grunewald Forest is bordered by the Havel. This is where the Schildhorn peninsula is located, where visitors can still visit the monument to the Slavic Duke Jaczo. Legend has it that the duke hung his horn and shield on an old tree at this spot in order to convert to Christianity.
The Grunewald was named official Forest of the Year 2015 and plays an important role for Berlin residents. It is a local recreation area, sports ground and excursion destination all in one. There are several bathing spots along the Havel, which are used extensively in the warm summer months. Well-known spots include the Große Steinlanke bathing area, the Grunewaldturm bathing area, the Kuhhorn bathing area and the Schildhorn bathing area. Further to the east of the Grunewald, at Grunewaldsee, there is a nude bathing area.
Discover the Teufelsberg and experience history
Today, the crumbling ruins of the former US listening station on the summit of Teufelsberg are a reminder of long-forgotten times. What many people don’t know is that this mountain, which was largely man-made, hides a lot more history. The Teufelsberg got its name from the nearby Teufelssee lake. During the National Socialist era, the shell of the military engineering faculty was located on the site where the mountain stands today. The world and Reich capital Germania was a central project of the Nazis, but the building never got beyond the shell. After the Second World War, it was blown up and the 25 million square meters of rubble turned into a landfill site. Anyone standing on the Teufelsberg today is standing on the ruins of the National Socialist regime.
In GDR times, the Teufelsberg was used as an American listening station. The five radar domes can still be clearly seen today. The Americans abandoned the station after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the site has since been sold to a private investor.
There were plans for an exclusive residential complex, a hotel, a conference center or a museum, but all these ideas fell through. Today, Teufelsberg is used as a viewpoint in summer and for tobogganing or skiing in winter. Tourists and Berlin residents alike come here to enjoy the sunsets over the Havel.
Visit the Olympic Stadium
The Olympiastadion is located in the neighboring district of Charlottenburg on Trakehner-Allee and can be reached by public transport via both the S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
The earth stadium was designed by the architect Otto March for the 1916 Olympic Games. He had built a racecourse at the northernmost tip of the Grunewald forest in 1909. In order to be able to continue using this racecourse, the earth stadium was built in a depression in the ground. This resulted in the largest sports stadium at the time, with a capacity of 40,000 spectators. The iron construction was considered state-of-the-art at the time and was mainly used for military purposes or celebrations in addition to sport.
Major reconstruction measures were initiated as part of the 1936 Olympic Games. The grounds were laid out in a strictly symmetrical fashion and, in addition to the stadium, the Olympic Tower, a field hockey stadium, a swimming stadium and an equestrian stadium were added. The Maifeld, a parade ground with a capacity of up to 500,000 people, was also added.
Between 2000 and 2004, the Olympic Stadium was rebuilt again, this time by a Hamburg-based company. In 2006, the final of the soccer World Cup took place in this emblematic stadium. The stadium can be visited on days when the soccer club Hertha BSC is not playing at home.
Cool off and relax in the Wilmersdorf summer pool
During the hot summer months, the Wilmersdorf summer pool is a safe haven for all residents of the district looking to cool off. In addition to Wilmersdorf residents, people from the surrounding districts of Charlottenburg and Schöneberg also come here. People of all ages sunbathe on the meadows or cool off in the blue water. If you live in Wilmersdorf, you can’t miss this recreational area. The Berlin Wilmersdorf swimming pool is located in Forckenbeckstraße and can be reached by taking the U3, S45, S46 or S47 to Heidelberger Platz.
Delicious Asian food at Thaipark
The Thaipark in Berlin Wilmersdorf has been known to residents for many years for its authentic Asian cuisine. However, there have been frequent complaints in the past, which is why an official operating concept was finally introduced at the end of July, which was agreed with the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district office. The Thaiwiese is open until October and the 50 stalls offer authentic dishes from all over Asia, but mainly from Thailand.
It will be some time before the planned area is finally prepared. The project is set to cost a total of two million euros and will include toilets and a multifunctional building.
What began many years ago with weekly meetings of the Thai community has developed into a permanent fixture in Berlin’s gastro world.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wilmersdorf district is characterized at first glance by magnificent villas, exclusive residential areas and huge shopping malls. The quality of the residential buildings and locations is reflected in the real estate market. Those who live in Berlin Wilmersdorf a property If you want to buy or rent, you have to reckon with high prices. Despite this, or precisely because of this, the district is very interesting for people with a large budget and investors. Demand for condominiums and houses in this part of the German capital is not expected to slow down. Quite the opposite, as developments in recent months and years have shown a significant rise in prices. Villas and condominiums in particular are in high demand.
In addition to magnificent buildings and emblematic sights, the Wilmersdorf district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf also has a lot to offer in terms of culture. One highlight is undoubtedly the Grunewald forest, which covers a total area of 3,000 hectares. The residential areas in the Grunewald district are characterized by embassies and diplomatic households.
