Kreuzberg
locality of Berlin, Germany / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kreuzberg, south of Berlin-Mitte, was one of the best-known boroughs of Berlin, famous for its nightlife and its left-leaning electorate as well as its problems with crime the drug scene and a very high number of immigrants.
Kreuzberg consists of two different parts, the southeastern 'SO 36' (or simply '36') part and the southwest 'SW 61' (or simply '61'). Until the Berlin Wall fell, these were the last two numbers of the postal codes for the two areas.
It was a separate borough from 1920, when it became a part of Groß-Berlin, until the borughs were changed in 2001. Then it was joined with Friedrichshain to form the new borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Since these two localities are linked only by a single bridge over the Spree river, the Oberbaumbrücke, this joining seemed awkward to many residents. The two areas could not agree on where the new borough's town hall should be. Friedrichshain was chosen by tossing a five-Mark coin.