Nikolaiviertel

The Nikolaiviertel, or Nicholas Quarter, occupies the site of Berlin's original medieval settlement, but almost everything visible today is a GDR-era reconstruction built for the city's 750th anniversary in 1987, recreating cobblestone lanes and gabled facades in a style meant to evoke old Berlin. At its center is the Nikolaikirche, Berlin's oldest surviving church, whose twin spires date back centuries even though much of what surrounds it doesn't. The quarter has a somewhat theme-park feel compared to genuinely historic old towns elsewhere in Europe, but it's a pleasant, compact area for a stroll, with traditional German restaurants and souvenir shops tucked into its narrow alleys. It sits right by the Spree, close to Alexanderplatz and the Rotes Rathaus.