Ku'Damm des Ostens

Germany reunified more than 30 years ago but there are still differences, cultural and economic differences, between between what used to be East Germany and West Germany.  The same goes for Berlin.  I can feel the difference between West Berlin and East Berlin.  

Personally I prefer East Berlin.  And not just because East Berlin has trams and Ampelmännchen.

In West Berlin, the posh street was Kurfürstendamm.  Or Ku'damm to the locals.  Basically the Berlin version of the Champs-Élysées. 

The street was damaged during the war and it wasn't rebuilt until the 1950s.  It is 3,5 km (2 miles) long and it was the heart of West Berlin whereas the heart of East Berlin was Alexanderplatz.

Ku'damm has lots of cafes, high-end shops, and Kaufhaus Des Westens, called "KaDeWe", the Department Store of the West.  It is over 100 years old and is the 2nd largest shopping centre in Europe.

Here's a five-minute video I found on YouTube about Ku'damm.

©DW News

In Friedrichshagen, the main posh street is Bölscherstraße which is nicknamed Ku'damm des Ostens which means  "Ku'damm of the east".

Bölscherstraße is about 1,3 km (0.8 mile) and runs from the S-Bahn station all the way to the Müggelsee.

The street was named after Wilhelm Bölsche who was a local author and poet.  There are more than 100 buildings that are a mix of residential and shops.  

There's quite a bit on this street including my favourite Döner Kebab place, the spaghetti ice cream shop, and even the Union theatre where I had to watch the movie about a girl and a horse. 

At the Friedrichshagen S-Bahn station there are photos of what the street used to look like why back when.

Here's a 3,5 minute video highlighting the street but the text is only in German.

©kulturring.berlin