Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf lies in the centre-west of Berlin. It was formed in 2001 from the former districts of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf. Its seven localities (Ortsteile) were named by a resolution of the district assembly in 2004: Charlottenburg, Charlottenburg-Nord, Westend, Wilmersdorf, Schmargendorf, Grunewald and Halensee.

On 30 June 2026, 342,638 people were registered in the district (Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg). The Ortsteil Charlottenburg is the largest locality with about 130,100 residents, followed by Wilmersdorf (about 100,800), Westend (about 41,300), Schmargendorf (about 24,000), Charlottenburg-Nord (about 19,500), Halensee (about 15,900) and Grunewald (about 11,100). The average age was 45.3 years, one of the highest of any district and above the Berlin average of 42.9.

Most of the district lies south of the Spree, with Charlottenburg-Nord the main exception. Its best-known landmarks are Kurfürstendamm and Tauentzienstraße, Breitscheidplatz with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Schloss Charlottenburg, the Funkturm radio tower and exhibition grounds, and the Olympiastadion in Westend. To the south-west, the Grunewald forest and its chain of lakes begin.

The district has a reputation for being bourgeois and established, but it is varied.

• Around Kurfürstendamm and Savignyplatz: together with Tauentzienstraße, the Ku'damm is one of Berlin's busiest shopping areas, with department stores, hotels, theatres and restaurants. The side streets have lavishly decorated older apartment buildings that are among the most expensive addresses in the city.
• Charlottenburg south-west (Stuttgarter Platz, Karl-August-Platz, Lietzensee): a calmer, middle-class area with weekly markets, green squares and the Wilmersdorfer Straße pedestrian shopping street.
• Around Schloss Charlottenburg and further north: a mix of older and post-war buildings. The district portal describes the neighbourhoods north of the palace as more affordable than the area around the Ku'damm.
• Westend: originally planned as a villa colony. It is now a mix of older apartment buildings, housing estates and the villa streets of Neu-Westend, which are among the most sought-after addresses in Berlin.
• Charlottenburg-Nord: the 1920s Ringsiedlung, part of the Siemensstadt estate (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the large Charlottenburg-Nord estate built from 1956, with allotments and Volkspark Jungfernheide nearby.
• Wilmersdorf: an elegant and lively north around Ludwigkirchplatz and Olivaer Platz, a more middle-class centre, and newer, simpler housing further out.
• Schmargendorf: apartment buildings and single-family houses around its own small centre, with a small-town atmosphere.
• Grunewald: the villa colony founded in 1889 around four artificial lakes, with large houses, embassies and gardens bordering the forest.
• Halensee: a compact quarter of older buildings at the western end of the Ku'damm, with post-war infill.

The central parts of the district are among the best-connected in western Berlin. There are no trams.

• U-Bahn: U1 (Uhlandstraße and Kurfürstendamm to Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain), U2 (Zoologischer Garten – Ernst-Reuter-Platz – Theodor-Heuss-Platz – Ruhleben), U3 (Augsburger Straße – Fehrbelliner Platz – Rüdesheimer Platz towards Dahlem), U7 (Jungfernheide – Richard-Wagner-Platz – Wilmersdorfer Straße – Adenauerplatz – Fehrbelliner Platz – Berliner Straße) and U9 (Zoologischer Garten – Kurfürstendamm – Spichernstraße – Bundesplatz towards Steglitz).
• S-Bahn: the Stadtbahn (S3, S5, S7, S9) via Zoologischer Garten, Savignyplatz, Charlottenburg and Westkreuz. The S3 and S9 continue to Olympiastadion and Spandau, and the S7 runs via Grunewald towards Wannsee and Potsdam. The Ring (S41, S42) serves Jungfernheide, Westend, Messe Nord, Halensee, Hohenzollerndamm, Heidelberger Platz and Bundesplatz, and the S46 starts at Westend.
• Road: the A100 city motorway runs through the district, and the A115 (AVUS) towards Potsdam begins near the Funkturm. This is convenient by car but brings noise to the streets next to them.

• Older apartment buildings (Altbau): the defining housing type between Kurfürstendamm and Schloss Charlottenburg, in Wilmersdorf and in Halensee, often with high ceilings and ornate facades. Prices vary from premium near the Ku'damm to more moderate further north.
• Villas and single-family homes: in Grunewald, Neu-Westend and parts of Schmargendorf, mostly owner-occupied and rarely available to rent.
• 1920s to 1960s estates: the Ringsiedlung and the Charlottenburg-Nord estate, and post-war infill and social housing in parts of Wilmersdorf and Halensee where buildings were destroyed in the war.
• New builds: mostly infill projects and high-end condominiums in central locations.

In the 2025 IBB housing market report, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf had the third-highest median asking rent of the twelve districts, behind Mitte and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. When you compare listings, check whether a flat is offered as a regular open-ended tenancy or as a furnished, time-limited let, because the two are priced and regulated differently. Our guide to rental terms explains the difference.

The district has many established schools and family-friendly residential streets, particularly in Wilmersdorf, Schmargendorf, Westend and the south-west of Charlottenburg. Green spaces families use include Volkspark Wilmersdorf, Preußenpark, the Lietzensee park, Schlosspark Charlottenburg (a formal Baroque garden where boisterous play is not the norm), Volkspark Jungfernheide with its bathing area and climbing park, and the Grunewald forest with its lakes for weekend trips.

Busy roads such as the Ku'damm, Kantstraße, Bismarckstraße and the city motorway cut through the district, so check the route to the nearest school or Kita on foot.

The city's Kita-Navigator shows daycare centres around an address, and the Senate's school directory lets you filter schools in the district by type. Our childcare and schools guides explain the process.