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Köpenick | |
|---|---|
 Town hall on Dahme river | |
_Flag.svg) Flag _COA.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Köpenick in Treptow-Köpenick and Berlin
| |
 Location of Köpenick | |
  Köpenick  Köpenick | |
| Coordinates:52°26′45″N13°34′38″E / 52.44583°N 13.57722°E /52.44583; 13.57722 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Berlin |
| City | Berlin |
| Borough | Treptow-Köpenick |
| Founded | 1232 |
| Subdivisions | 8 zones |
| Area | |
• Total | 34.9 km2 (13.5 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 115 m (377 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 70,673 |
| • Density | 2,030/km2 (5,240/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 12459, 12555, 12557, 12559, 12587 |
| Vehicle registration | B |
| Website | koepenick |
Köpenick (German pronunciation:[ˈkøːpənɪk]ⓘ) is a historic town and locality (Ortsteil) inBerlin, situated at the confluence of the riversDahme andSpree, in the southeast of the German capital. It was formerly known asCopanic and thenCöpenick, only officially adopting the current spelling in 1931. It is known for the imposterHauptmann von Köpenick.
Prior to its incorporation into Berlin in 1920, Köpenick had been an independent town. It then became aborough of Berlin, and with an area of 128 km2 (49 sq mi), Berlin's largest. As a result ofBerlin's 2001 administrative reform, the borough of Köpenick was merged with that ofTreptow to create the current borough ofTreptow-Köpenick.
Köpenick is home to theBundesliga football club1. FC Union Berlin, who play at theStadion An der Alten Försterei.Mellowpark, the largest outdoor skatepark in Europe, is located in the town.
A large percentage of Köpenick's surface area is made up of pine forests and expanses of water like lakeMüggelsee, which is why it is often referred to as the "green lungs" of Berlin (Grüne Lunge Berlins). TheMüggelberge hills in the south-east of Köpenick reach 115 m (377 ft), making them the highest natural point of Berlin.
The historic town lies in the center of the BerlinUrstromtal meltwater valley, on an island at the confluence of theDahme andSpree rivers. The original island had been separated by two channelisation ditches, theKatzengraben and theSchlossgraben, into what are now the three islandsBaumgarteninsel (plantation island),Old Town andSchlossinsel (palace island), on which the eponymous Köpenick Palace is located. TheKatzengraben is now the main navigable branch of the Spree, transecting the old river bend north of the Old Town.
The Spree links Köpenick with lake Müggelsee and inner Berlin, and further via the Havel and Elbe rivers with the North Sea. TheOder–Spree Canal links the Dahme, at nearbySchmöckwitz, with theOder river, atEisenhüttenstadt, thus providing a navigable connection between Köpenick, the Oder and thus the Baltic Sea.
Köpenick comprises nine neighborhoods:
Duchy of Kopanica 12th century–c. 1180
March of Lusatia c.1180-1210
Margraviate of Meißen 1210-1245
Margraviate of Brandenburg 1245–1356
Electorate of Brandenburg 1356–1373
Kingdom of Bohemia 1373–1415
Kingdom of Prussia 1701–1871
German Empire 1871–1918
Weimar Republic 1918–1933
Nazi Germany 1933–1945
Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949
German Democratic Republic 1949–1990
Federal Republic of Germany 1990–present
While its origins are shrouded in mystery, Köpenick has had a long history as an independent town. In the 12th century, it was the residence of a Slavicprince,Jaxa of Köpenick. By this time, it had probably been settled byLechitic tribes for about 400 years. After Jaxa's death, the principality was reigned by the dukes ofPomerania. WhileAlbert the Bear had taken the Slavic city of Brenna in 1157, which was renamedBrandenburg, and thus formed the nucleus of what would eventually become the synonymousmargraviate, the area around Köpenick was conquered from the south and thus initially became part of theMarch of Lusatia.
While Jaxa'sbracteates orhollow pennies are coined with the impression "Iaczo de Copnic", in written history, Köpenick first appeared in a deed dated 12 February 1210 and issued under the seal ofMargraveConrad II of Lusatia, which contains the reference "Acta sunt hec ad Copnic". 1210 is also the year when on Conrad's death power in the principality transited to theMargraviate of Meißen and theHouse of Wettin. Köpenick was affordedtown privileges by 1232, and German colonization commenced.
Köpenick may therefore be considered one of the oldest settlements in the Margraviate of Brandenburg, predatingSpandau,Berlin andCölln, which was first mentioned in a 1237 deed. For the most part of its history, the town was known asCöp(e)nick.
The old Cöpenick consisted of three distinct parts that co-existed for centuries on the three banks of theFrauentog, a bight in the river Dahme: the castle with its garrison, the German-settled town of artisans, peasants and merchants, and the for still some time Sorbic-speaking Kietz, a hamlet containing the fishermen.
The castle was conquered by theAscanian margraves John I and Otto III ofBrandenburg in 1245, defeating their rivalsMargrave Henry III of Meissen and theArchbishop of Magdeburg.
In 1631, the emissaries ofGeorge William, Elector of Brandenburg met at Cöpenick the approaching army ofGustavus Adolphus,King of Sweden, in a vain effort to stop the ongoing devastation of the margraviate during theThirty Years' War.
In 1686, a commune ofFrenchHuguenots was founded.[2]
In 1906,Wilhelm Voigt, a shoemaker and drifter, masqueraded as a Prussian officer and commandeered a squad of soldiers to follow him to Cöpenick to take control of the town hall.Carl Zuckmayer perpetuated the incident in his playThe Captain of Cöpenick, on which several film and television adaptations have been based.
By 1907, Cöpenick was the largest town in the county ofTeltow. Under the terms of theGreater Berlin Act of 1920, Cöpenick was incorporated as the 16th, and with an area of 128 km2 (49 sq mi) the largest,borough of Berlin. Apart from the former town of Cöpenick proper, the borough included the parishes ofOberschöneweide,Grünau,Schmöckwitz,Müggelheim,Rahnsdorf andFriedrichshagen. In 1931, the borough's spelling was officially amended fromCöpenick to nowadays'Köpenick.
In the months that followed the Nazi's rise to power, SA storm troops abducted and brutally tortured residents they considered political adversaries. In June 1933 the terror culminated in theWeek of Blood, that left at least 24 Nazi opponents across the political spectrum dead and many more maimed. One of the sites at which the atrocities took place, the prison annex to the district court at Mandrellaplatz, has been turned into a museum.[3] DuringWorld War II, Köpenick was the location of a subcamp of theSachsenhausen concentration camp, mostly for Polish women, but also Czechoslovak, French, Greek, Belgian and Soviet, including ofRomani descent.[4]
During theCold War, Köpenick was part of the Soviet sector and thusEast Berlin.
As a result of the2001 administrative reform, the Berlin borough of Köpenick was merged with that ofTreptow to create the current borough ofTreptow-Köpenick.
Until it was decommissioned in 2002, a large radio facility for MW and FM was located near theUhlenhorst neighbourhood, including a 248 m (814 ft) self-radiating radio mast, which was insulated against earth. Following decommissioning, the FM services of this facility were moved to theFernsehturm atAlexanderplatz and the AM transmitters were moved to a new aerial mast atZehlendorf bei Oranienburg.
The palace(Schloss Köpenick) was originally built in 1558 as a hunting lodge by order ofElector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg. TheRenaissance style building was located on an island adjacent to the old town at the site of the former medieval fort. Joachim II died here in 1571. In 1631 it served as the headquarters of KingGustavus Adolphus of Sweden, where in vain he beseeched his brother-in-lawElector George William for assistance to his doomed campaign during theThirty Years' War.
From 1677,Frederick I of Prussia had the hunting lodge rebuilt and enlarged. He then took residence here with his first wifeElizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel. In 1730Frederick II of Prussia, then Crown Prince, and his friendHans Hermann von Katte faced court-martial for desertion at Schloss Köpenick. Today the palace serves as amuseum of decorative art run by theBerlin State Museums and is surrounded by a small park, which also contains a Calvinist chapel.
"Köpenick Summer" (Köpenicker Sommer) is an annual street festival which featuring music, shows and a festival parade led by the Captain of Köpenick (Hauptmann von Köpenick).
Both the riversDahme andSpree are navigable. The Spree connects Köpenick with theHavel and hence the waterway systems of western and central Germany. The Dahme links to theOder-Spree Canal at nearbySchmöckwitz, thus providing a navigable connection toEisenhüttenstadt, theOder river and thus the Baltic Sea and Silesia.[5]
Köpenick is served byKöpenick,Wuhlheide andHirschgarten stations on theS3 line of theBerlin S-Bahn network, and by theSpindlersfeld terminus ofS47 line. Köpenick is also a node on theBerlin tram network, with routes 27, 60, 61, 62, 63, 67 and 68 serving its neighbourhoods.[6]
TheStadion An der Alten Försterei is home of the1. FC Union Berlin football club.
Mellowpark is the biggest outdoor skatepark in Europe.
Grünau hosted the 1936 Olympic rowing competitions, and many athletes had lodgings there and nearby, like the American 8-man rowing team as described in Daniel James Brown'sBoys in the Boat.
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Media related toKöpenick at Wikimedia Commons
Köpenick travel guide from Wikivoyage Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (4) | |
|---|---|
 Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (2) | |
 Lichtenberg (11) | |
 Marzahn-Hellersdorf (10) | |
 Mitte (1) | |
 Neukölln (8) | |
 Pankow (3) | |
 Reinickendorf (12) | |
 Spandau (5) | |
 Steglitz-Zehlendorf (6) | |
 Tempelhof-Schöneberg (7) | |
 Treptow-Köpenick (9) | |
| West boroughs (1920–2000) |  | |
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| East boroughs (1920–2000) | ||
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| National | |
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