The grime from coal smoke blanketed everything. It was a monochromatic world save for the Easter egg colored Trabis in the street. This is Kollwitz Strasse in Prenzlauer Berg named for Käthe Kollwitz, the socially engaged artist, who lived nearby in what was then called Weissenburgstrasse. Prenzlauer Berg was the home to thousands of Jews, and one of the largest synagogues in the city was located around the corner in the Rykestrasse. 

After the war, the massive tenements of Prenzlauer Berg emptied out as modern housing became available outside the center of the city. Artists, musicians, and political dissidents moved in, creating a vibrant cultural underground with Kollwitzplatz as its geographic center.