Kreuzberg

Once a walled-in, low-rent corner of West Berlin that attracted squatters, punks, and Turkish guest-worker families, Kreuzberg has kept much of that anti-establishment energy even as gentrification has crept in. The neighborhood splits into distinct characters: Kreuzberg 36 around Kottbusser Tor and the Landwehr Canal is grittier and more countercultural, with graffiti-covered facades, the Turkish market along Maybachufer, and late-night bars, while Kreuzberg 61 around Bergmannstraße is calmer and more gentrified. It's also home to a stretch of the East Side Gallery and the Jewish Museum's striking Libeskind building. Few Berlin neighborhoods pack in as much street art, döner kebab shops, and genuinely mixed nightlife into one area.