Neukölln^[2] (German: [nɔʏˈkœln] ^ⓘ) is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located in the southeastern part from the city centre towards Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city. It features many Gründerzeit buildings and is characterized by having one of the highest percentage of immigrants in Berlin. In recent years an influx of students and creative types has led to gentrification.^[3]

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Neukölln
Borough of Berlin
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Neukölln in Berlin
Neukölln Show map of Germany Neukölln Show map of Berlin
Coordinates: 52°29′N 13°27′E
Country	Germany
State	Berlin
City	Berlin
Subdivisions	5 localities
Government
• Borough Mayor	Martin Hikel (SPD)
Area
• Total	44.93 km2 (17.35 sq mi)
Population  (2020-12-31)[1]
• Total	327,945
• Density	7,300/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	B
Website	Official homepage

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The Berlin district of Neukölln has a long and varied history that reflects the city's changing political and cultural landscape.

Located in the south of the city, Neukölln was originally a small village on the outskirts of Berlin. Neukölln's independence ended on 1 October 1920 when it was incorporated into Berlin.^[4]

In September 1929, Goebbels led his men into Neukölln, a KPD stronghold, and the two warring parties exchanged pistol and revolver fire. During World War II, Neukölln was the location of a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp for Jewish and Romani women.^[5]

After World War II, Neukölln underwent significant transformation as a result of the city's division by the Berlin Wall. The neighborhood was located in West Berlin and became a center of industry and commerce, with many factories and warehouses. From 1966 to 1975 the Gropiusstadt was built, a "Trabantenstadt" or city-within-a-city housing estate, designed by architect Walter Gropius. In the 1980s and 1990s, Neukölln underwent a process of gentrification, with many artists, students, and young professionals moving into the area. In recent years, Neukölln has become known for its diverse and vibrant cultural scene, with a mix of traditional and alternative businesses and a thriving arts and music scene.

Today, Neukölln is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, with a diverse array of restaurants, cafes, and shops, as well as a number of cultural attractions and events. Despite its gentrification, Neukölln remains a working-class neighborhood with a diverse and multicultural population.

Neukölln is subdivided into five localities:

Neukölln is served by three operational sections of urban rail.

U-Bahn:

• U7: Rathaus Spandau ↔ Rudow (running northwest–southeast)
• U8: Wittenau ↔ Hermannstraße (running north–south)

Part of each of the following S-Bahn routes share an east–west-running section of Ringbahn track through Neukölln:

• S41^[6]/S42:^[7] Südkreuz → Gesundbrunnen → Südkreuz (clockwise ↔ anti clockwise circular)
• S45:^[8] Südkreuz ↔ Berlin Schönefeld Flughafen (only from Monday till Friday). An extension of the S45 is projected to run beyond the current terminus at Schönefeld Airport to the under construction Berlin Brandenburg Airport.^[9]
• S46:^[10] Westend ↔ Königs Wusterhausen
• S47:^[11] Spindlersfeld ↔ Hermannstraße

Among the numerous rail stations in Neukölln three act as interchanges:

• Hermannplatz - U7 / U8
• Hermannstraße - U8 / S-Bahn
• Berlin-Neukölln - U7 / S-bahn

As of 2010, the borough had a population of 310,283, of whom 121,000 (38.9%) were of non-German ethnicity. The percentage is significantly higher in the locality of the same name, Neukölln.^[12] The borough is known for its large Turkish, Arab and Kurdish communities, which together make up roughly 18% of the borough's population. Recently,^[when?] there has been an influx of Romani people and Sub-Saharan Africans.^[13]

• Edgar Froese (1944–2015), musician, founder of the electronic music group Tangerine Dream
• Leo Arons (1860–1919), physicist, social democrat and supporter of the trade union movement
• Sebastian Blomberg (born 1972), actor
• Horst Buchholz (1933–2003), actor
• Heinz Buschkowsky (born 1948), politician (SPD), former district mayor of Neukölln
• Christiane F. (born 1962), author of the book Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo
• Ursula Goetze, anti-Nazi activist (1916–1943)
• Alexander Hacke, musician, born 1965 in Neukölln
• Kirsten Heisig (1961–2010), juvenile magistrate in Neukölln, created the Neuköllner Modell, applying rapid intervention procedures to deal with juvenile offenders before they embarked on a criminal lifestyle
• Kurt Krömer (born 1974), presenter, actor and entertainer
• Jutta Limbach (1934–2016), legal academic
• Will Meisel (1897–1967), composer and publisher
• Inge Meysel (1910–2004), actress
• Gunnar Möller (1928–2017), actor
• Mady Rahl (1915–2009), actress
• Antonio Rüdiger (born 1993), footballer^[16]
• Werner Seelenbinder (1904–1944), wrestler, politician (KPD) and resistance fighter
• Katharina Szelinski-Singer (1918–2010), sculptor
• Elsa Thiemann (1910–1981), Bauhaus educated photographer, who took many photographs of Neukölln where she lived
• Lotte Ulbricht (1903–2002), wife of East German leader Walter Ulbricht
• Emil Wutzky (1871–1963), trade unionist and local politician (SPD)
• Engelbert Zaschka (1895–1955), inventor and helicopter pioneer

This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2014)

• "Neuköln" (deliberately spelt with one 'l') is an instrumental piece by David Bowie, the ninth track on his 1977 album "Heroes".
• The last track of Miss Kittin's first solo album I Com is called "Neukölln 2".
• The German film Knallhart is set in the northern part of Neukölln.
• The German documentary Neukölln Unlimited tells the story of three Lebanese teenagers based in Neukölln, who fight their deportation out of Germany.
• Electronic music producer Kobosil is a native of the city. With a Bachelor of Arts in audio production, he has released music on the Ostgut Ton and MDT labels.^[17]
• The series 4 Blocks is set in Neukölln and Kreuzberg.
• The sixth leg of The Amazing Race 32 had its Pit Stop in Neukölln.^[18]

Neukölln is twinned with:^[19]

• County Court
• City hall
• Buddy Bear Neukölln in front of the City hall
• Landwehrkanal
• Border crossing at Sonnenallee, 1964
• Stadtbad Neukölln

• Berlin-Neukölln (electoral district)
• Hermannplatz