A few minutes to the west is the St Joseph Hospital, with its well-known modern paediatric clinic. Behind the hospital is the Berlin Südkreuz station, the second largest station in Berlin, from which trains whisk you to the Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate in just ten minutes.

Manfred-von-Richthofen-Straße starts at Platz der Luftbrücke in front of Tempelhof Airport, where the Airlift Memorial commemorates the provision of the city from the air by the Western Allies during the Berlin Blockade of 1948-9. The underground station of the same name is also here, on line No 6, which crosses the city centre in a north-south direction. It is only four stops to the Stadtmitte (city centre) station (Friedrichstraße/Gendarmenmarkt).

This end of Manfred-von-Richthofen-Straße is packed with shops, cafes and restaurants. To the north of the Platz der Luftbrücke is Kreuzberg with the Viktoriapark. Its most important sight is the National Memorial at the top of the hill, offering a wonderful view of Berlin. A little further north is the famous Bergmannstraße, perfect for strolling and sampling its many cafes, restaurants and small shops, especially antique and bric-a-brac stores. Halfway along is one of Berlin’s last remaining market halls, the Marheinekehalle.

© Copyright 2006-2011 Hanna Hagemann