This walking tour examines the gentrification of Kreuzberg, one of Berlin's most well-known neighbourhoods. Those taking part in the tour will be presented a comprehensive overview of Kreuzberg's transition from a migrant-working class district in the 1960s, to the desirable epicentre of counterculture it became by the 1990s.

Kreuzberg was once a working class neighbourhood in West Berlin surrounded by the Berlin Wall. In the 1960s, West Berlin experienced a period of intense economic growth and, feeling the effects of the Wall, their demand for labour intensified. To fix the labour shortage, Turkish citizens were brought to West Germany as temporary guest workers. Rather than returning to Turkey, however, many chose to stay permanently. The growing presence of Turkish migrants in Kreuzberg transformed its society. When the Berlin government began its urban renewal programme in the 1960s and 1970s, they targeted the low quality housing in Kreuzberg which housed a majority of the district's immigrants, students, and artists, forcing them to relocate. In response, Kreuzberg saw the emergence of anti-authoritarian and alternative projects, such as squatting, in opposition of the government. These counterculture movements, supported primarily by the neighbourhood's youth, over-took Kreuzberg. By the 1990s, Kreuzberg was no longer considered a migrant-working class neighbourhood and had become known for its affluence and alternative cultures.

On this tour, we will visit the following sites:

May Day Riots, http://www.guidetags.com/mindmaps/explore/hist-3p55/3017-poi-may-day-riots

Namik-Kemal-Bibliothek, including a hyperlink to its POI page]

Naunynstraße, including a hyperlink to its POI page]

Regenbogenfabrik, http://www.guidetags.com/mindmaps/explore/hist-3p55/3006-poi-regenbogenfabrik

SO36, http://www.guidetags.com/mindmaps/explore/hist-3p55/3040-poi-so36

Wrangelkiez, including a hyperlink to its POI page]

The sites visited on this tour demonstrate the important stages in the gentrification of Kreuzberg, spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s. The goal of this tour is to emphasize the social, cultural, and physical impacts that gentrification has had on Kreuzberg. It will provide participants with a better understanding of the elaborate and unique history of Kreuzberg in the 20^th century.