Moabit

Moabit is a district in the center of Berlin. Since the beginning of the year 2001 it belongs to the newly regrouped governmental borough of Berlin-Mitte. Previously, from 1920 to 2001, it belonged to the borough of Tiergarten. Moabit's borders are defined by three watercourses, the Spree, the Westhafen Channel and the Berlin-Spandau Navigation Channel.

Name

The origin of the name Moabit is disputed. Arguably it can be traced back to the first inhabitants of the area, the Huguenots, in the time of Frederick William I of Prussia. These French refugees named their new residence by analogy to the Biblical description of the Israelites in the country of Moab, where they stayed before being allowed to enter Canaan. Other possible origins include the French "terre maudit"" (cursed land), the Slavic "moch" (moor) or a worn off pronunciation of the German (Berlin dialect) "Moorjebiet" (swamp area).

Demography

For a long time, Moabit was sparsely inhabited. Its population grew considerably after its incorporation into Berlin in 1861:

13th century: The area known as "Greater Heathland" is incorporated into Berlin.
1716: Formation of the colony of Moabit ("Old Moabit")
1801: 120 Inhabitants
1805: 201 Inhabitants
1818: Formation of New Moabit, which grew together with Old Moabit to an industrial suburb district.
1861: ca. 6,534 Inhabitants
1871: 14,818 Inhabitants
1880: 29,693 Inhabitants
1910: 190,000 Inhabitants

Historical notes

The industrialization of Moabit began in 1820 when, with the financial support of court counsellor Baillif, a simple bridge was built to connect the island to the mainland. The bridge was followed by factories, a power plant, the Berlin-Spandau navigation channel, the Westhafen port and the station Hamburger Bahnhof.

A first prison was built in 1848, soon followed by other penal institutions and a court of law. This resulted in an exponential growth of the population, facilitating the spreading of a smallpox epidemic. In consequence, Berlin's second hospital was built in Moabit.

On 9 November 1918, Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the Weimar Republic from a window in Moabit.

Large parts of Moabit are traditional working-class residential areas. Some areas were known for their political activity during the Nazi era, such as the "red Beusselkiez" or the neighbouring "Rostock Kiez". After Hitler's takeover in 1933 they were considered Communist resistance cells.

Moabit today

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, Moabit's location has changed from a border district of West Berlin to a central district in the reunited city. Due to its proximity to the new Government District, many new buildings are being built there, such as for example the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The new central station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, is currently being built at Invalidenstraße, where the east-west railway axis and the north-south axis (under construction) meet. It will be Europe's largest train station.

External links

(all links in German language)

Literature

Saeger, Olaf, Moabiter Details - Schatten im Paradies, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3925191593

Districts of Berlin