Pankow

Pankow [IPA|ˈpaŋkoː] is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.

Between 1945 and 1960, the Majakowskiring street in the Niederschönhausen locality of Pankow was the home to many members of the East German government. Western writers therefore often referred to "Pankow" as shorthand for the East German regime.

The Rykestrasse Synagogue, Germany's largest synagogue, is located in the Prenzlauer Berg locality.

Localities

The Pankow borough consists of 13 localities:

History

The village of Pankow is named after the small Panke river, a tributary of the Spree. The settlement was first mentioned in a 1311 deed by the Margraves of Brandenburg, though the "Four Evangelists" fieldstone church had already been erected about 1230. In 1691 Elector Frederick III acquired the neighbouring Schönhausen Palace from the heirs of General Joachim Ernst von Grumbkow, which promoted the development of the Pankow village.

In the 19th century Pankow turned into a suburb - and popular day trip destination - of Berlin. It was finally incorporated by the Greater Berlin Act of 1920.

Transportation

The Pankow locality is served by the U2 line of the Berlin U-Bahn at the stations Vinetastraße and Pankow. S-Bahn service is available at the Berlin-Pankow, Pankow-Heinersdorf and Wollankstraße railway stations. Another connection to Berlin's inner city is also provided by the "M1" line of the Berlin Straßenbahn.

The Bundesstraße 96a federal highway from Berlin toward Oranienburg runs through the locality along "Mühlenstraße" and "Schönholzer Straße". Furthermore Pankow can be reached via the Bundesautobahn 114 from the Berliner Ring at the "Prenzlauer Promenade" junction.

Twin towns

*flagicon|Israel Ashkelon, Israel since 1994
*flagicon|Poland Kołobrzeg, Poland since 1994
*flagicon|Ukraine Yalta, Ukraine since 1992

External links

* [http://www.berlin.de/ba-pankow/index.html Official homepage] de icon
* [http://www.berlin.de/english/ Official homepage of Berlin] en icon