Alt-Hohenschönhausen
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Alt-Hohenschönhausen (, ) is a locality (''Ortsteil'') in the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
(''Bezirk'') of
Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to: Places * Lichtenberg, Austria * Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France * Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany * Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany * Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany * Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany * Lichte ...
, Berlin. Known also as Hohenschönhausen it was, until 2001, the main and the
eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
ous locality of the former Hohenschönhausen borough. In 2008 the population was in excess of 41,000.


History


Early history

The earliest evidence of settlement in Alt-Hohenschönhausen are from the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, and when the settlement history of the wider Berlin area is taken into consideration, there could have been settlements there since 10,000BC. Alt-Hohenschönhausen was first mentioned in 1230. In the initial centuries of the
Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...
the area was mainly inhabited by the Sprevane and
Hevelli The Hevelli or Hevellians/ Navellasîni (sometimes ''Havolane''; or ''Stodoranen''; or ''Stodoranie''; or ''Stodorané'') were a tribe of the Polabian Slavs, who settled around the middle Havel river in the present-day Havelland region of Bra ...
tribes. By the 13th century the area had been colonised by Germans, particularly from the settlement of
Schönhausen Schönhausen (Low German, Low Saxon: ''Schöönhusen'') is a municipality in the district of Stendal (district), Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Elbe-Havel-Land. Geograp ...
, during the eastward migration and settlement of Germans in the medieval period. By the 14th century, the prefix ''Hoh'' (high) was added to the name of the village to distinguish itself from the southerly village of
Niederschönhausen Niederschönhausen (, literally "Lower Schönhausen") is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality (''Ortsteil'') within the borough (''Bezirk'') of Pankow in Berlin, Germany. It is also known as "Pankow-Schönhausen" to differ it from Alt-Hoh ...
. The first definitive written record of Hohenschönhausen is from an official certificate to ''Conradus de Schonehusen'', dated 19 August 1284.


Effects of War


Thirty Years' War

From 1626 Hohenschönhausen was affected by the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. Apart from the Swedish forces who were passing through the area, the troops of
Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
also plundered the area and its surroundings, with only the village church remaining undamaged. The result of this was a large-scale desertion of the area by its inhabitants and widespread famine. In the following years, The Plague and other epidemics were reported, including a plague of locusts in 1651. As a result of these factors, the village had lost 58% of its inhabitants by the mid-17th century.


Seven Years' War and Industrialisation

Hohenschönhausen was affected by the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, and was plundered by Austrian and Russian troops after Frederick the Great's defeat at the
Battle of Kunersdorf The Battle of Kunersdorf occurred on 12 August 1759 near Kunersdorf (now Kunowice, Poland) immediately east of Frankfurt an der Oder. Part of the Third Silesian War and the wider Seven Years' War, the battle involved over 100,000 men. An Alli ...
. From 1817 the village and the surrounding estates were under the control of the local state councillor, Christian Friedrich Scharnweber. Under his tenure and those of his successors, Hohenschönhausen began expanding along the road to Berlin (), today's Konrad-Wolf-Straße. Apart from the settlements, at this point cereals were also widely grown and, after the easing of restrictions in 1810, milled on-site. As the 19th century progressed and Germany began to industrialise, Hohenschönhausen benefitted from investment in infrastructure, such as the opening of an electric
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
line to Berlin in 1899, and a brewery which opened in the early 1890s.


Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany


Amalgamation with Berlin

With the
Greater Berlin Act The Greater Berlin Act (), officially Law Regarding the Creation of the New Municipality of Berlin (), was a law passed by the Prussian state government in 1920, which greatly expanded the size of the Prussian and German capital of Berlin. Hist ...
of October 1920, Alt-Hohenschönhausen officially became incorporated as part of Greater Berlin within the Weißensee district. Along with the rest of the city, Hohenschönhausen saw food and housing shortages throughout the
financial crisis A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with Bank run#Systemic banki ...
of the mid-1920s.


Nazi Germany

The district was broadly left-wing in the early 1930s; when the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
took power in 1933, the majority of residents were members of the social democratic parties, the
USPD The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of anti-war members of t ...
and the SPD. Nevertheless, more than 100 local civil servants were replaced by officials more favourable to the Party on 7 April 1933. After the pogroms of
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
on 9 November 1938, only some isolated Jews were still allowed to carry out their business, among them was Hohenschönhausen doctor Victor Aronstein, whose waiting room served as a secret meeting place for communists and social democrats until 1939. In 1938 the district's synagogue was completely destroyed by the Nazis; its location is now the site of a memorial to the persecuted Jews of Hohenschönhausen.


Post-war History


Capitulation

Together with Wartenberg,
Falkenberg Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish ...
and
Marzahn Marzahn () is a locality within the boroughs and localities of Berlin, borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin. Berlin's 2001 administrative reform led to the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf fusing into a single new borough. In the ...
, Hohenschönhausen was one of the first parts of Greater Berlin to be capitulated by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
in the evening of 21 April 1945. Like most of Berlin, the immediate problems facing the area included outbreaks of
Typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...
and
Shigellosis Shigellosis, known historically as dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by ''Shigella'' bacteria. Symptoms generally start one to two days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and feeling the need to pass ...
, a lack of gas and electricity, and widespread homelessness and orphancy. By the end of the summer of 1945, schools had re-opened and Hohenschönhausen Castle began functioning as a hospital, which continued until 1989. At around the same time, the
Soviet secret police There were a succession of Soviet secret police agencies over time. The Okhrana was abolished by the Provisional government after the first revolution of 1917, and the first secret police after the October Revolution, created by Vladimir Leni ...
took over a building in an industrial area formerly occupied by the Nazi welfare organisation, the NSV, and converted into use as a detainment and transit camp for prisoners of war, which continued to be used until the beginning of the fall of the
German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
in 1989.


Hohenschönhausen as part of the GDR

On 18 June 1953 more than 1,000 residents of Alt-Hohenschönhausen took part in the mass uprising which spread throughout the country. Like most of the country, the district saw a reduction in its population up until 1961 when the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
was built. In the 1970s the district was expanded with the construction of new high-rise apartment buildings. Thanks to the secretive nature of the prison in Hohenschönhausen, a large part of the district where the facility was located was left blank on official maps.


Post-1989 History

After
Die Wende The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...
in 1989, East and West Berlin
merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...
to form the federal state of
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
in 1990. On 1 January 2001 the former borough of Hohenschönhausen, consisting of Alt-Hohenschönhausen as well as the localities
Neu-Hohenschönhausen Neu-Hohenschönhausen (, ) is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. Until 2001 it was part of the former Hohenschönhausen borough. History As early as the 19th century, the name Neu-Hohenschönhause ...
,
Malchow Malchow () is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (district), Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Geography It is situated on the river Elde, 25,5 km we ...
, Wartenberg and
Falkenberg Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish ...
, was merged with the borough of
Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to: Places * Lichtenberg, Austria * Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France * Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany * Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany * Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany * Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany * Lichte ...
into the contemporary borough of Lichtenberg.Historical chronicles of Alt-Hohenschönhausen on the official website of Berlin
/ref>


Geography


Position

Alt-Hohenschönhausen is situated on the
Barnim Plateau The Barnim Plateau is a plateau which is occupied by the northeastern parts of Berlin and the surrounding federal state of Brandenburg in Germany. Boundaries and Subdivision Boundaries The limits of the plateau are easily definable. The souther ...
in the northeast of Berlin. It borders on the localities of
Neu-Hohenschönhausen Neu-Hohenschönhausen (, ) is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. Until 2001 it was part of the former Hohenschönhausen borough. History As early as the 19th century, the name Neu-Hohenschönhause ...
,
Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to: Places * Lichtenberg, Austria * Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France * Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany * Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany * Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany * Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany * Lichte ...
,
Fennpfuhl Fennpfuhl () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg, Berlin. With a population of 30,932 (2008) in an area of , it is the second most densely populated locality in Berlin (14,591/km²) after Friedenau. Hist ...
,
Marzahn Marzahn () is a locality within the boroughs and localities of Berlin, borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin. Berlin's 2001 administrative reform led to the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf fusing into a single new borough. In the ...
(in
Marzahn-Hellersdorf Marzahn-Hellersdorf () is the tenth Boroughs of Berlin, borough of Berlin, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, 2001 by merging the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf. The borough was formerly part of East Berlin. Geography It ...
borough) and Weißensee (in
Pankow Pankow () is the second largest and most populous Boroughs and quarters of Berlin, borough of the German capital Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weissensee (Berlin), W ...
borough).


Subdivision

The district is divided into 8 zones (''Viertel''): * Dorfkern * Gartenstadt *
Märkisches Viertel Märkisches Viertel (, ''MV'') is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Reinickendorf in Berlin. Its name refers to the March of Brandenburg (). Overview It consists of a large housing estate of about 17,000 apartments ...
* Siedlung Dingelstädter Straße * Siedlung Malchower Weg * Villenviertel am Oranksee *
Weiße Taube Weisse or Weiße is a surname which means "white" in German. It may refer to: People * Charles H. Weisse (1866–1919), American politician * Christian Felix Weiße (1726–1804), German writer * Christian Hermann Weisse (1801–1866), German Prot ...
* Wilhelmsberg


Culture

Hohenschönhausen Castle is located in Alt-Hohenschönhausen. The ''Association Hohenschönhausen Castle'' cares for the restoration and cultural revitalization of this
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
and regularly organizes different events in the castle, such as exhibitions, readings, and concerts.


Transport


Personal transport

The road network in Alt-Hohenschönhausen focuses mainly on some of the historic major roads of the Berlin network, such as Main Street ''(Hauptstraße)'' and Konrad Wolf Street ''(Konrad-Wolf-Straße)''. According to some estimates, daily traffic on some of the busiest roads in the area can reach 32,000 movements.


Public transport

The district is served by the M4, M5, M6, 16, M17 and 27 lines of the Berlin tram network and by the ''
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
'' stations Berlin Gehrenseestraße ( S75 line) and Berlin Hohenschönhausen (S75 + DB).


Photo gallery

File:Berlin-AltHs Taborkirche asv2022-09.jpg, Protestant
Tabor Church Tabor Church () is the church of the Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church), Evangelical Tabor Congregation, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The church buildin ...
on the Hauptstraße. File:Clp 20060514 Alt-Hohenschönhausen Hauptstraße.jpg, Hauptstraße.
File:Berlin Obersee.JPG, The Obersee lake File:Clp 20060514 Alt-Hohenschönhausen Gottfriedstraße.jpg, Gottfriedstraße in Gartenstadt File:Hohenschönhausen Flusspferdhof 01.jpg, The ''Siedlung Flusspferdhof''


See also

*
Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial () is a museum and memorial located in Berlin's north-eastern Lichtenberg district in the locality of Alt-Hohenschönhausen, part of the former borough of Hohenschönhausen. It was opened in 1994 on th ...


References


Further reading

* Anke Huschner: ''Geschichte der Berliner Verwaltungsbezirke. Hohenschönhausen.'' Band 15. Stapp Verlag, Berlin 1995, . * Bärbel Ruben: ''Hohenschönhausen wie es früher war.'' 1. Auflage. Wartberg Verlag GmbH, 1999, . * Walter Püschel: ''Spaziergänge in Hohenschönhausen.'' Haude & Spenersche Verlagsbuchhandlung GmbH, Berlin 1995, . * Peter Erler,
Hubertus Knabe Hubertus Knabe (born 1959) is a German historian and was the scientific director of the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a museum and memorial in a notorious former Stasi torture prison in Berlin. Knabe is noted for several works on oppressio ...
: ''Der verbotene Stadtteil. Stasi-Sperrbezirk Berlin-Hohenschönhausen.'' Jaron Verlag, 2004, .


External links


Alt-Hohenschönhausen page on www.berlin.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alt Hohenschonhausen Localities of Berlin *