Market Analysis
Population data 1991–2015
Friedrichshain vs. Kreuzberg: Two districts, two paths since the fall of the Wall
Friedrichshain gained around 20,000 residents since 1991, while Kreuzberg still had 3,700 fewer inhabitants at the end of 2015 than after the fall of the Wall. The reasons behind the divergent trajectories.
Peter Guthmann
At the end of 2015, the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg had 278,393 residents in total, with 152,364 in Kreuzberg and 126,029 in Friedrichshain. Behind these numbers lies a remarkably different development since reunification.
Outmigration after 1991
Both districts lost significant population during the 1990s. Kreuzberg shed around 23,000 residents between 1991 and 2000, Friedrichshain around 13,000. The reasons were varied. Kreuzberg, hemmed in by the Wall before 1989 and a center of the alternative scene, opened up. Many residents moved to the rising Prenzlauer Berg or to Neukoelln, which for Kreuzbergers offered a natural extension of their neighborhood. In direct exchange between the two districts, Kreuzberg lost about 4,900 residents to Friedrichshain between 1991 and 2000, while 3,863 went in the opposite direction.
Different recovery paths
Friedrichshain recovered earlier. The district benefited from its central location in reunified Berlin and attracted new population groups. By the end of 2015, its resident count had grown by about 20,000 compared to 1991. Kreuzberg stagnated for longer. Noticeable growth only set in around 2010. At the end of 2015, the district still had roughly 3,700 fewer residents than in 1991.
Consequences for the property market
Friedrichshain's earlier population growth drove demand, prices, and rents upward already during the 2000s. Renovation activity started earlier and spread more broadly. In Kreuzberg, the demand surge concentrated in the years after 2010, producing intense market dynamics in a short period.
Both districts are in high demand today. The scarce supply of apartments in Berlin drives prices in both locations. The difference lies in market maturity: Friedrichshain has gone through a longer phase of consolidation, while Kreuzberg's momentum is more recent.