Remaining a rural, less-developed district until the 1970s, Marzahn-Hellersdorf quickly became the poster-child for residential housing estates in the GDR, and one of Berlin's largest housing quarters.

The modern, pre-fabricated apartments, with conveniences such as elevators, notably lacking from the city’s Altbau apartments, were highly sought-after. Now almost completely renovated, modernised and landscaped, these tower blocks still characterise the neighbourhood, though there are also some large areas of single-family homes in the south.

You can get a feel of the neighbourhood before this development in Alt-Marzahn, a historical village and heritage site in the middle of Marzahn. There are also a number of cultural sites and projects throughout the district, such as the Gründerzeit Museum dedicated to Berlin’s industrial expansion in the 19th century, and the Alte Börse, an art centre in a converted cattle exchange.

The largest natural attraction in Marzahn-Hellersdorf is the grandly-named Gardens of the World. Covering 40 hectares, there are 10 gardens styled after cultures around the world, including Japanese, Balinese and Middle Eastern. This was also the location for the International Garden Exhibition in 2017, which saw 2 million visitors.

Though perhaps not as well-served for parks and green spaces compared to other parts of the city, there are still plenty of places to go. There are several parks along the banks of the Wuhle, a river which is even depicted on the district’s coat of arms.

Further north, close to the border with Brandenburg, the landscape becomes greener and more rural.

The district is developing into an economically-strong and environmentally friendly business location. Situated in the centre of the district, Cleantech Business Park is Berlin’s largest industrial park, a 90-hectare urban industrial space.

It is home to an array of ‘cleantech’ companies, primarily green energy production and storage, energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and more. Spread across Marzahn and Lichtenberg, the Berlin Eastside industrial and commercial development is another ideal business location, and there are other large berlin organisations in the area, such as BVG, Berlin's main public transport company.