Marzahn-Hellersdorf
Borough of Berlin
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin
Marzahn-Hellersdorf Show map of Germany Marzahn-Hellersdorf Show map of Berlin
Coordinates: 52°32′N 13°35′E / 52.533°N 13.583°E / 52.533; 13.583
Country	Germany
State	Berlin
City	Berlin
Subdivisions	5 localities
Government
• Mayor	Gordon Lemm (SPD)
Area
• Total	61.74 km2 (23.84 sq mi)
Population  (2020-12-31)[1]
• Total	273,731
• Density	4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	B
Website	Official homepage

Marzahn-Hellersdorf (German: [maʁˈt͡saːn ˈhɛlɐsdɔʁf] ^ⓘ) 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 Russia-born, Kazakhstan-born (e.g. Volga Germans) and Vietnamese people as compared to other parts of the city.^[2] Recently, there has been a significant influx of people with Middle Eastern and Muslim backgrounds.

Subdivision

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

District council

The governing body of Marzahn-Hellersdorf is the district council (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung). It has responsibility for passing laws and electing the city government, including the mayor. The most recent district council election was held on 26 September 2021, and the results were as follows:

Party		Lead candidate	Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	Nadja Zivkovic	28,430	20.8	3.5	12	1
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	Gordon Lemm	27,742	20.3	2.0	12	1
	The Left (LINKE)	Juliane Witt	27,233	19.9	6.1	11	5
	Alternative for Germany (AfD)	Jeannette Auricht	23,108	16.9	6.3	10	5
	Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)	Chantal Münster	9,455	6.9	2.3	4	2
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	Anja Molnar	7,258	5.3	2.8	3	3
	Tierschutzpartei	Ina Seidel-Grothe	6,858	5.0	New	3	New
	Die PARTEI		3,146	2.3	New	0	New
	dieBasis		2,365	1.7	New	0	New
	The Humanists		747	0.5	New	0	New
	National Democratic Party		557	0.4	1.2	0	±0
Valid votes			136,899	98.7
Invalid votes			1,742	1.3
Total			138,641	100.0		55	±0
Electorate/voter turnout			210,618	65.8	6.8
Source: Elections Berlin

District government

The district mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister) is elected by the Bezirksverordnetenversammlung, and positions in the district government (Bezirksamt) are apportioned based on party strength. Gordon Lemm of the SPD was elected mayor on 4 November 2021. Since the 2021 municipal elections, the composition of the district government is as follows:

Twin towns – sister cities

Marzahn-Hellersdorf is twinned with:^[4]