Spandau is humming. Virtually no other place in Berlin is bustling with building activity the way Spandau is: In the Wasserstadt Oberhavel locality, a total of 13,250 residential units will be completed by 2027 – making it one of the largest new residential quarters in Germany’s first city.

Just west of it, one of the most ambitious urban development projects in Berlin was kicked off in mid-2024: Siemensstadt Square. Siemens is planning and shaping a forward-looking new district at its historic manufacturing site. By 2035, around 35,000 people will live, work, study, do research and produce things here.

In a parallel development, a mothballed rapid transit line will be put back into service: By mid-2029, the restored former line serving the Siemens works will directly connect Gartenstadt Spandau and Siemensstadt Square with Berlin’s central railway station.

The most renowned sights and attractions of the borough are located in the immediate vicinity of the new quarter. A 5-minute walk along the riverside promenade will take you to the historic core of town with its cultural centre, market square and downtown ambience. Another 5 minutes of walking, and you stand before the oldest houses in Spandau—a quarter called Kolk & Behnitz—right across from the Citadel. The vibrant commercial centre of Spandau, including railway station, Spandau Arcaden shopping centre, Meridian spa and city hall (plus park) are located directly across, just one block away.

The wider surroundings of Spandau, which is the oldest and largest borough of Berlin, has so much green that it is hard to believe you are still in the city. Around the Citadel, along the River Havel to the canals of “Little Venice,” Kladow Harbour and in the forests of Grunewald or Königswald: Like no other borough, Spandau is associated with the vast green areas on the western edge of Berlin.