Marzahn-Hellersdorf

Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Borough of Berlin
Coat of arms
Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Location of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin 250px
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Berlin
City	Berlin
Government
• Mayor	Stefan Komoß (SPD)
Area
• Total	61.74 km2 (23.84 sq mi)
Population (2012-11-30)
• Total	255,643
• Density	4,100/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Vehicle registration	B
Website	Official homepage

Marzahn-Hellersdorf is the tenth borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf.

Geography

It is situated in the northeast of Berlin. Marzahn-Hellersdorf borders to the Berlin boroughs of Lichtenberg in the west and Treptow-Köpenick in the south as well as to the Brandenburg municipalities of Ahrensfelde in the north and Hoppegarten and Neuenhagen in the east.

Demographics

As of 2010, the borough had a total population 248,264, of whom about 30,000 (12%) were of non-German origin. Therefore, it is considered to be the least ethnically diverse borough of Berlin with the highest percentage of (Ethnic) Germans. Although the immigrant minority is relatively small, the borough has a higher concentration of Russian, Kazakh and Vietnamese people as compared to other parts of the city. Recently, there has been a significant influx of people with Middle Eastern and Muslim background.

Percentage of the population with migration background
Germans without migration background/Ethnic Germans	88 % (218.500)
Germans with migration background/Foreigners	12 % (30.000)
- Middle Eastern/Muslim migration background (Turkey, Arab League, Iran etc.)	3,1% (7.800)
- Russian background	2,7% (6.900)
- Kazakh background	2,0% (5.200)
- Vietnamese background	1,2% (3.100)
- Others (EU-Europeans, other East Asians, Afro-Germans etc.)	6,1% (14.800)

Subdivision

File:Berlin Marzahn-Hellersdorf.svg

Subdivisions of Marzahn-Hellersdorf

The borough consists of five former villages which all became part of Greater Berlin in 1920:

• Biesdorf
• Hellersdorf
• Kaulsdorf
• Mahlsdorf
• Marzahn

History

Each of the five districts the borough consists of originally came from one administrative district called "Landkreis Niederbarnim" and were incorporated into the city due to the establishment of Greater Berlin in 1920. Together with the two other boroughs Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, they formed the borough Lichtenberg until 1979. At the end of the 1970s especially the district Marzahn grew as a result of the building of the developing area Marzahn. Consequently, Marzahn was formed out of the five districts the borough consists of today in 1979.

As a result of the building of two more developing areas (Hellersdorf and Kaulsdorf) the number of inhabitants increased so that the borough Hellersdorf was founded out of the three districts Hellersdorf, Kaulsdorf and Mahlsdorf on 1 June 1986. The borough remained independent until 2001.

In view of whole Berlin, Marzahn-Hellersdorf shows the biggest changes concerning demography. In 1991 the average age of the two boroughs reached a number of 30,5 years which increased to 39,6 years due to the migration of the younger people.

Politics

File:Allocation of seats in the borough council of Marzahn-Hellersdorf (DE-2011-10-27).svg

Historically, the PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism) dominated politics in the borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf. In 2001, the PDS garnered 51,1% of the vote in the elections for the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung), and captured four of the six seats on the borough council (Bezirksamt). In the 2006 borough assembly elections, the PDS won 38,2%; the SPD, 25%; the CDU, 13%; the Greens, 5,1%; the NPD, 6,4%; and the FDP 5% of cast ballots. The district Kaulsdorf/Mahlsdorf was won by the CDU; the remaining six were won by the PDS. Dagmar Pohle (PDS, now the Left Party) was elected as mayor of the borough (Bezirksbuergermeister), Stefan Komoss (SPD) is the deputy mayor. The five councilors on the borough council (Bezirksamt) are Christian Graeff (CDU), Stephan Richter (SPD), Manuela Schmidt (Left Party) and Norbert Luedtke (Left Party). Bernd Mahlke resigned his post as deputy mayor after a long bout of illness.

At the 2011 elections for the parliament of the borough (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung) the following parties were elected:

• The Left 19
• SPD 16
• CDU 10
• Pirate Party 4
• Alliance '90/The Greens 3
• NPD 2

Twin towns

Marzahn-Hellersdorf has seven twin towns:

• Halton, England since 1993
• Kastrychnitski District, Minsk, Belarus since 1993
• Lauingen, Germany since 1999
• Partyzanski District, Minsk, Belarus since 1993
• XV. kerület (Rákospalota), Budapest, Hungary since 1991
• Tychy, Poland since 1992
• IV. kerület (Újpest), Budapest, Hungary since 1992

See also

• Berlin Marzahn – Hellersdorf (electoral district)

External links

• Official homepage
• Marzahn-Hellersdorf Website (in German)
• Photo essay