Marzahn-Hellersdorf

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.

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 Russia-born, Kazakhstan-born and Vietnamese people as compared to other parts of the city.[1] Recently, there has been a significant influx of people with Middle Eastern and Muslim background.

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

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.

Sitzverteilung in der BVV

Historically, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS; since 2007, called The Left) 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. The 2016 elections saw a sharp rise in the vote for the extreme right Alternative for Germany, which is now the second party in the council.

At the 2016 elections for the parliament of the borough (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung) the following parties were elected:

• The Left 16
• Alternative for Germany 15
• SPD 11
• CDU 11
• Alliance '90/The Greens 2

Marzahn-Hellersdorf has seven twin towns:

• Halton, United Kingdom 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

• Berlin Marzahn – Hellersdorf (electoral district)

• Official website (in German)
• mahe.berlin - Unofficial infopage about Marzahn-Hellersdorf (German)