Describe Your County

[Middle-aged Europe]

Borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Berlin

Most densely populated borough of Germany's capital (population density roughly corresponds to that of Brooklyn, NYC), with a total population of 260,000. It's only one of two boroughs in Berlin which consist of parts of both former West Berlin and former East Berlin: Kreuzberg in the southwest and Friedrichshain in the northeast. The Spree river serves as a natural boundary between the two parts, but they're connected by the historic Oberbaum Bridge, which is for that reason included in the coat of arms:

     

There are some significant demographic differences between the two parts of the borough. Kreuzberg is noticably younger and much more ethnically diverse than Friedrichshain, in large parts due to a high number of Turkish immigrants in Kreuzberg. Friedrichshain on the other hand is "whiter" and older. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg as a whole is considered a major center of (alternative) culture, arts, and nightlife, while at the same time the influx of wealthier citizens via a process of gentrification is transforming the borough's demographics.

In the 2013 Bundestag election, the left-wing parties (Left, SPD, Greens, Pirates) won a combined vote of 77% in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Primarily, it is a major stronghold of the Green Party. They're the largest party in the Borough Assembly, the Borough Mayor is from the Greens, five out of the six state parliament districts were won by them in the last state election, and the directly elected member of the Bundestag for the borough is also a Green.

The only major anomaly is the western part of Friedrichshain, where both SPD and Left Party tend to be stronger than the Greens. This is also the least "alternative" area of F-K, meaning it is populated by older East German folk who are more shaped by life in the communist GDR rather than West German counterculture.