Editing Nikolaiviertel

{{Short description|Old quarter of the German capital of Berlin}}
{{One source|text=This article '''relies entirely on a [[WP:Articles with a single source|single source]]''', which is cited to support only ''one minor aspect'' of the total article.|date=February 2023}}
[[Image:View Berlin TV Tower Jan2015 img4.jpg|thumb|250px|{{lang|de|Nikolaiviertel}} and [[St. Nicholas Church, Berlin|St. Nicholas Church]] from above]]
[[Image:Stadtviertel in Berlin-Mitte.png|thumb|250px|Neighborhoods in [[Berlin-Mitte]]: [[Cölln|Old Cölln]] [1] (with [[Museum Island]] [1a], [[Fischerinsel|Fisher Island]] [1b]), [[Alt-Berlin]] [2] (with Nikolaiviertel [2a]), [[Friedrichswerder]] [3], [[Neukölln am Wasser]] [4], [[Dorotheenstadt]] [5], [[Friedrichstadt (Berlin)|Friedrichstadt]] [6], [[Luisenstadt]] [7], [[Stralauer Vorstadt]] (with [[Königsstadt]]) [8], [[Alexanderplatz]] Area (Königsstadt and Altberlin) [9], [[Spandauer Vorstadt]] [10] (with [[Scheunenviertel]] [10a]), [[Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stadt]] [11], [[Oranienburger Vorstadt]] [12], [[Rosenthaler Vorstadt]] [13] ]]

The '''{{lang|de|Nikolaiviertel}}''' ({{Audio|De-Nikolaiviertel.ogg|listen}}; 'Nicholas Quarter') is an old [[Quarter (urban subdivision)|quarter]] of the German capital of [[Berlin]], founded {{circa|1200}}. Together with nearby [[Cölln]], they jointly make up [[Alt-Berlin]], the reconstructed historical heart of the city. Located in the [[Mitte (locality)|Mitte]] locality (in the [[Mitte|homonymous district]]), it is five minutes away from [[Alexanderplatz]] and [[Berlin Palace]].

==Geography==
Situated on the eastern shore of the river [[Spree (river)|Spree]], it is bounded by the streets ''Rathausstraße'', ''Spandauer Straße'' and ''Mühlendamm''. The [[Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin|neighborhood]] itself is named for the eponymous deconsecrated {{lang|de|Nikolaikirche}} ([[St. Nicholas Church, Berlin|'St. Nicholas Church']]) at its heart. This is Berlin's oldest church and was dedicated to [[Saint Nicholas]].

==History==
The two settlements of Old Berlin as well as Cölln on the other side of the Spree originated along an old trade route, the {{lang|de|Mühlendamm}} ('Mills Dam'), a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] where the river could be easily crossed. The {{lang|de|Nikolaikirche}}, originally a late [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] [[basilica]], was erected about 1230. The area around the church with its [[medieval]] alleys in the main had been preserved throughout the centuries, until it was [[Bombing of Berlin in World War II|destroyed by air raids]] and the [[Battle of Berlin]] during [[World War II]].

At Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987 the house-building was restored in a peculiar mixture of reconstructed historic houses and [[concrete slab]] ''[[Plattenbau]]'' blocks, giving the area an unmistakable appearance.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-06-20|title=Palaces for the people: five communist buildings|url=http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/20/palaces-for-the-people-five-communist-buildings|access-date=2020-09-10|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Today the small area is famous for its traditional [[German cuisine|German]] restaurants and bars.

==Places of interest==
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[[Image:Nikolaiviertel - Propststraße 02.jpg|thumb|left|Probststraße]]
[[Image:Mitte Nikolaikirchplatz-001.jpg|thumb|right|{{lang|de|Nikolaikirchplatz}}, the heart of {{lang|de|Nikolaiviertel}}]]
[[Image:Ephraim-Palais Berlin April 2007 004.jpg|thumb|right|Ephraim-Palais]]
[[Image:Gaststätte Zum Nußbaum.jpg|thumb|right|{{lang|de|[[Zum Nußbaum]]}}, a historic inn]]
Beside Saint Nicholas' Church, the best-known building of the quarter is the ''Ephraim-Palais'', built in 1766 for [[Veitel-Heine Ephraim]], the [[financier]] of [[Frederick II of Prussia|King Frederick II]] of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. The [[Rococo]] [[façade]] at the intersection of ''Mühlendamm'' and ''Poststraße'' became famous as Berlin's "finest corner", until the house was demolished in 1936 for the laying out of the enlarged ''Mühlendamm'' street. Parts of the façade were stored in the western outskirts of Berlin, [[West Berlin]] authorities delivered them to [[East Berlin]]'s magistrate in 1982 to support the reconstruction. The palace was rebuilt between 1983 and 1987, about {{convert|12|m|sp=us}} away from its original site. Today, it serves as a [[museum]].

On the other side of the ''Poststraße'' is the ''Knoblauchhaus'' from 1760, with a [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] façade from the 19th century. One of the few preserved historic original buildings, it was the residence of the notable [[Knoblauch]] family with members like the [[architect]] [[Eduard Knoblauch]] or the physicist [[Karl-Hermann Knoblauch]]. It is home of a [[Biedermeier]] museum, the oldest civic museum of Berlin.

On the banks of the Spree stands the red [[sandstone]] {{lang|de|Kurfürstenhaus}} ('House of the [[Prince-elector]]'), erected in 1897 at the site of an older building, where [[John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg]] died on December 23, 1619. As he believed a [[White Lady (ghost)|White Lady]] haunted the {{lang|de|[[Stadtschloss, Berlin|Stadtschloss]]}} ('City Palace'), he had fled to the home of his [[valet]] before dying there.

==See also==
*[[History of Berlin]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Hatherley |first1=Owen |title=Landscapes of communism: A history through buildings |date=2015 |publisher=Allen Lane |location=New York |isbn=978-1620971888}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nikolaiviertel}}
* [http://berlin-nikolaiviertel.com Berlin-{{lang|de|Nikolaiviertel}} website]

{{Visitor attractions in Berlin|state=collapsed}}
{{Berlin-Mitte}}
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[[Category:History of Berlin]]
[[Category:Mitte]]
[[Category:Rebuilt buildings and structures in Berlin]]
[[Category:Restaurant districts and streets in Germany]]
[[Category:Zones of Berlin]]