Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
THE SCHEUNENVIERTEL: FROM HAY TO HIP
The Scheunenviertel's odd name, Barn Quarter, hearkens back centuries to the days
of wooden houses, frequent fires and poor fire-fighting techniques, which is why the
Prussian king ordered all barns containing flammable crops to be stored outside the
city walls. In the early 20th century, the quarter absorbed huge numbers of poor
Eastern European Jewish immigrants, many of whom were later killed by the Nazis.
After the war, the Scheunenviertel gradually deteriorated into a down-at-heel East
Berlin barrio but has catapulted from drab to fab since reunification. Now a creative-
class darling, its cafes and bars brim with iPad-toters, sassy fashionistas and bearded
hipsters.
