Köpenick
Encyclopedia
Köpenick is a historic town and locality (Ortsteil) that is situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme
and Spree
in the south-east of the German
capital city of Berlin
. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopting the current spelling in 1931. It is known for the famous imposter Hauptmann von Köpenick
.
Prior to its incorporation into Berlin in 1920, Köpenick was an independent town. It then became a borough
of Berlin, with an area of 128 km² (49.4 sq mi), making it Berlin's largest borough. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, the borough of Köpenick was merged with that of Treptow
to create the current borough of Treptow-Köpenick
.
lake. The historic town lies in the centre of the Berlin Urstromtal glacial valley at the confluence of the rivers Dahme
and Spree
. Shortly before its conflux with the Spree, the Schlossinsel lies on the Dahme, a small island with Köpenick Castle.
The Spree connects Köpenick with the Müggelsee and the Berlin city centre. The Oder-Spree Canal links the Dahme, at nearby Schmöckwitz
, with the Oder
river, at Eisenhüttenstadt
, thus providing a navigable connection between Köpenick and the Oder.
Köpenick is sometimes called the "green lungs" of Berlin (Grüne Lunge Berlins). The Müggelberge
hills in the south-east of Köpenick reach 115 m (377.3 ft), making them the highest natural point of Berlin.
Köpenick had a long history as an independent town. Its first known mentioning as a stronghold dates back to a 1209 deed issued by Margrave Conrad II of Lusatia, then under the name Copanic (from Old Slavic
: Kopanica). It is therefore considered "older" than Berlin-Cölln
, which was first mentioned in a 1237 deed. For the most part of Köpenick's history, the town was known as Cöpenick.
The former Slavic
castle from about 800 was conquered by the Ascanian margraves John I and Otto III of Brandenburg in 1245, defeating their rivals Margrave Henry III of Meissen
and the Archbishop of Magdeburg
territory.
In 1631, during the Thirty Years' War
, the emissaries of George William, Elector of Brandenburg
met at Köpenick - then some distance outside Berlin - with the approaching army of Gustav Adolph, King of Sweden, in a vain effort to stop the ongoing devastation of Brandenburg.
In 1906, a shoemaker called Wilhelm Voigt
masqueraded as a Prussian officer and took over the town hall of Köpenick. Carl Zuckmayer
perpetuated the incident in his play The Captain of Köpenick
, the model for several Der Hauptmann von Köpenick
films and television shows.
Under the terms of the Greater Berlin Act
of 1920, Köpenick became a borough
of Berlin, with an area of 128 km² (49.4 sq mi), making it Berlin's largest borough. Besides the locality of Köpenick, the former borough included the localities of Oberschöneweide
, Grünau
, Schmöckwitz
, Müggelheim
, Rahnsdorf
and Friedrichshagen
. In 1931, the current name was officially adopted.
During the Cold War
, Köpenick was part of East Berlin
. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, the borough of Köpenick was merged with that of Treptow
to create the current borough of Treptow-Köpenick
.
Until 2002 a large radio facility for MW and FM was located near the Uhlenhorst neighbourhood, including a 248 m (813.6 ft) self-radiating radio mast, which was insulated against earth. The FM services of this facility were moved to the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz
and the AM transmitters were moved to a new aerial mast at Zehlendorf bei Oranienburg
.
The castle (Schloss Köpenick) was originally built in 1558 as a hunting lodge by order of Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg
. The building in a Renaissance
style was located on the river island at the site of the former medieval fort. Joachim II died here in 1571. In 1631 it served as the headquarters of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
, where he - without results - asked his brother-in-law Elector George William
for assistance in the Thirty Years' War
.
Frederick I of Prussia
had the lodge rebuilt and enlarged from 1677 and lived here together with his first wife Elizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel. In 1730 Frederick II of Prussia
, then Crown Prince, and his friend Hans Hermann von Katte
faced the court-martial for desertion at Schloss Köpenick. Today the castle surrounded by a small park serves as a museum of decorative art
, run by the Berlin State Museums
.
and Spree
are navigable. The Spree connects Köpenick with the Havel
and hence the waterway systems of western and central Germany. The Dahme links with the Oder-Spree Canal at nearby Schmöckwitz
, thus providing a navigable connection to Eisenhüttenstadt
, the Oder
river and Poland
.
Köpenick is served by Köpenick, Wuhlheide and Hirschgarten stations on the S3
line of the Berlin S-Bahn
network, and by the Spindlersfeld
terminus of S47
line. Köpenick is also a node on the Berlin tram network, with routes 27, 60, 61, 62, 63, 67 and 68 passing through the locality.
is home of the 1. FC Union Berlin
football club.
The Mellowpark
, the biggest outdoor skatepark in Europe.
Dahme River
The Dahme is a river that flows through the Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the River Spree and is approximately in length.-Course:The source of the Dahme is near the eponymous town Dahme....
and Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
in the south-east of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
capital city of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopting the current spelling in 1931. It is known for the famous imposter Hauptmann von Köpenick
Wilhelm Voigt
Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt was a German impostor who masqueraded as a Prussian military officer in 1906 and became famous as The Captain of Köpenick ....
.
Prior to its incorporation into Berlin in 1920, Köpenick was an independent town. It then became a borough
Boroughs and localities of Berlin
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states. It is made up of twelve boroughs , each with its own borough government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.-History:Each borough is made up of several officially recognized localities...
of Berlin, with an area of 128 km² (49.4 sq mi), making it Berlin's largest borough. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, the borough of Köpenick was merged with that of Treptow
Treptow
Treptow is a former borough in the southeast of Berlin. It merged with Köpenick to form Treptow-Köpenick in 2001.-Geography:The district was composed by the localities of Alt-Treptow, Plänterwald, Baumschulenweg, Niederschöneweide, Johannisthal, Adlershof, Altglienicke and Bohnsdorf....
to create the current borough of Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick is the ninth borough of Berlin, Germany, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Treptow and Köpenick.-Overview:...
.
Overview
A large percentage of Köpenick's area is covered with forests and water, most notably the MüggelseeMüggelsee
The Müggelsee, also known as the Großer Müggelsee, is a lake in the eastern suburbs of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It is the largest of the Berlin lakes by area, with an area of , a length of and a breadth of . The lake is in the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick...
lake. The historic town lies in the centre of the Berlin Urstromtal glacial valley at the confluence of the rivers Dahme
Dahme River
The Dahme is a river that flows through the Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the River Spree and is approximately in length.-Course:The source of the Dahme is near the eponymous town Dahme....
and Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
. Shortly before its conflux with the Spree, the Schlossinsel lies on the Dahme, a small island with Köpenick Castle.
The Spree connects Köpenick with the Müggelsee and the Berlin city centre. The Oder-Spree Canal links the Dahme, at nearby Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz...
, with the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river, at Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt is a town in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, Germany at the border with Poland. The town was founded in 1950 alongside a new steel mill as a socialist model city and has a population of 32,214...
, thus providing a navigable connection between Köpenick and the Oder.
Köpenick is sometimes called the "green lungs" of Berlin (Grüne Lunge Berlins). The Müggelberge
Müggelberge
The Müggelberge are a line of forested hills up to 115 metres high, located in southeastern Berlin. The Müggelturm in the hills is an observation tower with view on the Müggelsee and the incomplete Berlin-Müggelberge TV Tower....
hills in the south-east of Köpenick reach 115 m (377.3 ft), making them the highest natural point of Berlin.
Subdivision
Köpenick is divided into 8 zones:- Altstadt
- Kietzer Vorstadt
- Dammvorstadt
- Köpenick-Nord
- Siedlung Dammfeld
- Elsengrund
- Uhlenhorst
- Wolfsgarten
- Amtsfeld-Kämmereiheide
- Salvador-Allende-Viertel
- Köllnische Vorstadt
- Spindlersfeld
- Wendenschloß
- Siedlung Kietzer Feld
Panorama
History
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
: Kopanica). It is therefore considered "older" than Berlin-Cölln
Cölln
In the 13th century Cölln was the sister town of Old Berlin , located on the southern Spree Island in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Today the island is located in the historic core of the central Mitte locality of modern Berlin...
, which was first mentioned in a 1237 deed. For the most part of Köpenick's history, the town was known as Cöpenick.
The former Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
castle from about 800 was conquered by the Ascanian margraves John I and Otto III of Brandenburg in 1245, defeating their rivals Margrave Henry III of Meissen
Henry III, Margrave of Meissen
Henry III, called Henry the Illustrious from the House of Wettin was Margrave of Meissen and last Margrave of Lusatia from 1221 until his death; from 1242 also Landgrave of Thuringia.-Life:Born probably at the Albrechtsburg residence in Meissen, Henry was the youngest son of Margrave Theodoric I...
and the Archbishop of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
territory.
In 1631, during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the emissaries of George William, Elector of Brandenburg
George William, Elector of Brandenburg
George William of Brandenburg , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was margrave and elector of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia from 1619 until his death. His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War...
met at Köpenick - then some distance outside Berlin - with the approaching army of Gustav Adolph, King of Sweden, in a vain effort to stop the ongoing devastation of Brandenburg.
In 1906, a shoemaker called Wilhelm Voigt
Wilhelm Voigt
Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt was a German impostor who masqueraded as a Prussian military officer in 1906 and became famous as The Captain of Köpenick ....
masqueraded as a Prussian officer and took over the town hall of Köpenick. Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright.-Biography:Born in Nackenheim in Rheinhessen, he was four years old when his family moved to Mainz. With the outbreak of World War I, he finished school with a facilitated "emergency"-Abitur and volunteered for military service...
perpetuated the incident in his play The Captain of Köpenick
The Captain of Köpenick (play)
The Captain of Köpenick is a satirical play by the German dramatist Carl Zuckmayer. First produced in 1931, the play tells the story, based on a true event that happened in 1906, of a down-on-his-luck ex-convict shoemaker who impersonates a Prussian Guards officer, holds the mayor of a small town...
, the model for several Der Hauptmann von Köpenick
Der Hauptmann von Köpenick
Der Hauptmann von Köpenick is the title of several films, plays, and television shows, all about the Hauptmann von Köpenick affair in 1906.-Plays:*The Captain of Köpenick , 1931, by Carl Zuckmayer-Films:...
films and television shows.
Under the terms of the Greater Berlin Act
Greater Berlin Act
The Greater Berlin Act , in full the Law Regarding the Reconstruction of the New Local Authority of Berlin , was a law passed by the Prussian government in 1920 that greatly expanded the size of the German capital of Berlin.-History:...
of 1920, Köpenick became a borough
Boroughs and localities of Berlin
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states. It is made up of twelve boroughs , each with its own borough government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.-History:Each borough is made up of several officially recognized localities...
of Berlin, with an area of 128 km² (49.4 sq mi), making it Berlin's largest borough. Besides the locality of Köpenick, the former borough included the localities of Oberschöneweide
Oberschöneweide
Oberschöneweide is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. It is, with Niederschöneweide , part of the geographic area of Schöneweide...
, Grünau
Grünau (Berlin)
Grünau is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
, Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz...
, Müggelheim
Müggelheim
Müggelheim is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
, Rahnsdorf
Rahnsdorf
Rahnsdorf is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
and Friedrichshagen
Friedrichshagen
Friedrichshagen is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:...
. In 1931, the current name was officially adopted.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Köpenick was part of East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, the borough of Köpenick was merged with that of Treptow
Treptow
Treptow is a former borough in the southeast of Berlin. It merged with Köpenick to form Treptow-Köpenick in 2001.-Geography:The district was composed by the localities of Alt-Treptow, Plänterwald, Baumschulenweg, Niederschöneweide, Johannisthal, Adlershof, Altglienicke and Bohnsdorf....
to create the current borough of Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick
Treptow-Köpenick is the ninth borough of Berlin, Germany, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Treptow and Köpenick.-Overview:...
.
Until 2002 a large radio facility for MW and FM was located near the Uhlenhorst neighbourhood, including a 248 m (813.6 ft) self-radiating radio mast, which was insulated against earth. The FM services of this facility were moved to the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
and the AM transmitters were moved to a new aerial mast at Zehlendorf bei Oranienburg
Zehlendorf bei Oranienburg
Zehlendorf is a village belonging to the city Oranienburg in Brandenburg. It was incorporated into Oranienburg on 26 October 2003.The town is home to the Sender Zehlendorf, a transmission site for long wave and medium wave radio.-History:...
.
Köpenick Castle
The castle (Schloss Köpenick) was originally built in 1558 as a hunting lodge by order of Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg
Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim II Hector was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . A member of the House of Hohenzollern, Joachim II was the son of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden...
. The building in a Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
style was located on the river island at the site of the former medieval fort. Joachim II died here in 1571. In 1631 it served as the headquarters of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, where he - without results - asked his brother-in-law Elector George William
George William, Elector of Brandenburg
George William of Brandenburg , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was margrave and elector of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia from 1619 until his death. His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War...
for assistance in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union . The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia . From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
had the lodge rebuilt and enlarged from 1677 and lived here together with his first wife Elizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel. In 1730 Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
, then Crown Prince, and his friend Hans Hermann von Katte
Hans Hermann von Katte
Hans Hermann von Katte was a Lieutenant of the Prussian Army and close friend and possibly lover of the future Frederick II of Prussia, then the Crown Prince. He was executed by Frederick's father King Frederick William I of Prussia when he and Frederick plotted to escape from the Kingdom of...
faced the court-martial for desertion at Schloss Köpenick. Today the castle surrounded by a small park serves as a museum of decorative art
Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin
The Kunstgewerbemuseum, or Museum of Decorative Arts, is an internationally important museum of the decorative arts in Berlin, Germany, part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin...
, run by the Berlin State Museums
Berlin State Museums
The Berlin State Museums, in German Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, are a group of museums in Berlin, Germany overseen by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and funded by the German federal government in collaboration with Germany's federal states...
.
Transportation
Both the rivers DahmeDahme River
The Dahme is a river that flows through the Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the River Spree and is approximately in length.-Course:The source of the Dahme is near the eponymous town Dahme....
and Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
are navigable. The Spree connects Köpenick with the Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
and hence the waterway systems of western and central Germany. The Dahme links with the Oder-Spree Canal at nearby Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz...
, thus providing a navigable connection to Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt is a town in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, Germany at the border with Poland. The town was founded in 1950 alongside a new steel mill as a socialist model city and has a population of 32,214...
, the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Köpenick is served by Köpenick, Wuhlheide and Hirschgarten stations on the S3
S3 (Berlin)
S3 is a line on the Berlin S-Bahn. It operates from Erkner to Spandau over:*the Lower Silesian-Markish Railway, opened on 23 October 1842 and electrified in 1928,*the Stadtbahn, opened on 7 February 1882 and electrified on 11 June 1928 and...
line of the Berlin S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
network, and by the Spindlersfeld
Spindlersfeld railway station
Spindlersfeld is a railway station in the Treptow-Köpenick district of Berlin. It is the eastern terminus of the S-Bahn line .-Description:The station is situated some west of the Altstadt of Köpenick, and is also served by routes 60 and 61 of the Berlin tram network, both of which also serve the...
terminus of S47
S47 (Berlin)
The Berlin S-Bahn line 47 runs from Spindlersfeld to Südkreuz. It operates over:*the Schöneweide–Spindlersfeld branch line, opened on 1 April 1892 and electrified on 1 February 1929,*the Görlitz line, opened in 1866 and electrified in 1929,...
line. Köpenick is also a node on the Berlin tram network, with routes 27, 60, 61, 62, 63, 67 and 68 passing through the locality.
Sport
The Stadion An der Alten FörstereiStadion An der Alten Försterei
Stadion An der Alten Försterei is a football stadium in the German capital Berlin. It has been home to football club 1. FC Union Berlin since it was opened on 7 August 1920. The stadium's capacity was approximately 18,100 spectators until its complete redevelopment, which commenced in the summer...
is home of the 1. FC Union Berlin
1. FC Union Berlin
1. FC Union Berlin is a German association football club based in Berlin. It is one of two sides in the city bearing the name Union that emerged during the Cold War and played in East Germany, while the other played in the west. The club currently plays in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga.-Foundation to...
football club.
The Mellowpark
Mellowpark
The Mellowpark in Berlin is Europe's biggest outdoor skatepark.-Details:-History:The "All 1" moved to an old cable factory in 1999 when its previous site at the "Allende Virtel" was redeveloped for housing...
, the biggest outdoor skatepark in Europe.