Mauerpark
The Mauerpark is a park in Prenzlauer Berg occupying an area formerly enclosed by the Berlin Wall. Bordered on one side by the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Stadium, it was quickly adopted by the residents of the surrounding area following the fall of the wall as a park. This developed into a movement for the area's official dedication as a park, and in 1994 the land officially became the Mauerpark.
Prior to the Second World War the area was the site of a former rail terminus, the Nordbahnhof. Although this closed to passenger traffic towards the end of the 19th century, it remained in use as a freight terminal until some time after the war. Few traces remain of this remain, apart from the railway embankment at the north end of the park. The wall ran down the center of the former railyard, splitting it in two. The area which remained in West Berlin was rented out to various companies as storage yards, most of whom still occupy the western half of the site.
The Mauerpark is very much a "people's park" and is used actively by all sections of society. On hot summer evenings it can be especially busy with spontaneous parties and music (not always to the taste of residents in the surrounding buildings). On Sundays a flea market is held next to the park.
