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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{for multi|the locality within Pankow|Pankow (locality)|other uses|Pankow (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox German location
|name           = Pankow
|name_local     = 
|image_photo    = Pankow Bürgerpark.jpg
|image_caption  = Entrance of the Bürgerpark in the district
|type           = Borough
|City           = Berlin
|image_flag     = Flagge Bezirk Pankow.svg
|image_coa      = Coat of arms of borough Pankow.svg
|coordinates    = {{coord|52|34|N|13|24|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|state          = Berlin
|district       = 
|borough        = 
|divisions      = 13 localities
|Bürgermeistertitel = [[Mayor|Borough Mayor]]
|mayor          = [[Cordelia Koch]]
|party          = Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
|elevation      = 
|area           = 103.07
|pop_ref          = <ref>{{Population Germany|key=11|datref=QUELLE}}</ref>
|population       = {{Population Germany|key=1103}}
|population_as_of = {{Population Germany|key=11|datref=STAND}}
|postal_code    = 
|area_code      = 
|licence        = B
|year           = 
|plantext       = Location of Pankow in Berlin
|image_plan     = Berlin Bezirk Pankow (labeled).svg
|website        = {{URL|https://www.berlin.de/ba-pankow/|berlin.de/ba-pankow}}
}}
'''Pankow''' ({{IPA|de|ˈpaŋkoː|lang|De-Pankow.ogg}}) is the second largest and most populous [[Boroughs and quarters of Berlin|borough]] of the German capital [[Berlin]]. In [[Berlin's 2001 administrative reform]], it was merged with the former boroughs of [[Prenzlauer Berg]] and [[Weissensee (Berlin)|Weißensee]]; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow. Pankow was sometimes claimed by the Western Allies (United States, United Kingdom, and France) to be the capital of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), while the German Democratic Republic itself considered East Berlin to be its capital.

==Overview==
The borough, named after the [[Panke]] river, covers the northeast of the city region, including the inner city locality of Prenzlauer Berg. It borders [[Mitte]] and [[Reinickendorf]] in the west, [[Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg]] in the south, and [[Lichtenberg, Berlin|Lichtenberg]] in the east. Pankow is Berlin's largest borough by population and the second largest by area (after [[Treptow-Köpenick]]).

Between 1945 and 1960, [[Schönhausen Palace]] and the nearby [[Majakowskiring]] street in the [[Niederschönhausen]] locality of Pankow was the home to many members of the [[East Germany|East German]] government. Western writers therefore often referred to ''Pankow'' as a [[Metonymy|metonym]] for the East German regime—as reflected by [[Udo Lindenberg]]'s song ''[[Sonderzug nach Pankow]]''. The fact that "-ow" is rare as an ending for place names in West Germany and – especially in the wrong but common pronunciation /'pankof/ – sounds [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] or more specifically "Russian" to German ears may have played a role in this use as it carried a connotation of the East German government being a foreign, more specifically Russian/Soviet, [[puppet regime]] — a claim right leaning newspapers and politicians often made much more openly than through this mere insinuation and connotation.

The [[Rykestrasse Synagogue]], Germany's largest [[synagogue]], is located in the Prenzlauer Berg locality. The [[Weißensee Cemetery]] is one of the largest [[Jewish cemetery|Jewish cemeteries]] in Europe. In northern Prenzlauer Berg, the ''Wohnstadt'' ("residential town") ''[[Carl Legien]]'' is part of the Berlin [[Modernist Housing Estates]] UNESCO World Heritage Site. The [[Weißer See (Berlin)|Weißer See]] is the borough's largest natural body of water.

==Subdivision==
{{stack|[[File:Berlin Pankow.svg|thumb|Subdivisions of Pankow]]}}
The Pankow borough consists of 13 localities:
{{colbegin|colwidth=18em}}
* [[Prenzlauer Berg]]
* [[Weissensee (Berlin)|Weissensee]]
* [[Blankenburg (Berlin)|Blankenburg]]
* [[Heinersdorf]]
* [[Karow (Berlin)|Karow]]
* [[Stadtrandsiedlung Malchow]]
* [[Pankow (locality)|Pankow]]
* [[Blankenfelde]]
* [[Buch (Berlin)|Buch]]
* [[Französisch Buchholz]]
* [[Niederschönhausen]]
* [[Rosenthal (Berlin)|Rosenthal]]
* [[Wilhelmsruh]]
{{colend}}
==Politics==
===District council===
The governing body of Pankow 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:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Lead candidate
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| {{party color cell|Alliance 90/The Greens}}
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| align=left| Cordelia Koch
| 56,349
| 24.7
| {{increase}} 4.1
| 16
| {{increase}} 4
|-
| {{party color cell|The Left (Germany)}}
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (LINKE)
| align=left| [[Sören Benn]]
| 44,351
| 19.4
| {{decrease}} 1.6
| 12
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| {{party color cell|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| align=left| Rona Tietje
| 38,984
| 18.1
| {{decrease}} 3.0
| 11
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| {{party color cell|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| align=left| Denise Bittner
| 28,165
| 12.3
| {{decrease}} 0.4
| 8
| ±0
|-
| {{party color cell|Alternative for Germany}}
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| align=left| Daniel Krüger
| 17,822
| 7.8
| {{decrease}} 5.5
| 5
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
| {{party color cell|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| align=left| Thomas Enge
| 13,241
| 5.8
| {{increase}} 1.9
| 3
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| colspan=8 bgcolor=lightgrey|
|-
| {{party color cell|Human Environment Animal Protection}}
| align=left| [[Human Environment Animal Protection|Tierschutzpartei]]
| align=left| 
| 6,053
| 2.7
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| {{party color cell|Die PARTEI}}
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]]
| align=left| 
| 5,310
| 2.3
| {{decrease}} 0.3
| 0
| ±0
|-
| {{party color cell|Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany}}
| align=left| [[Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany|dieBasis]]
| align=left| 
| 4,236
| 1.9
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| {{party color cell|Volt Germany}}
| align=left| [[Volt Germany]]
| align=left| 
| 3,980
| 1.7
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| 
| align=left| The Greys
| align=left| 
| 3,429
| 1.5
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| {{party color cell|Free Voters}}
| align=left| [[Free Voters]]
| align=left| 
| 2,315
| 1.0
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| {{party color cell|Klimaliste}}
| align=left| [[Klimaliste]]
| align=left| 
| 1,885
| 0.8
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| 
| align=left| Renters' Party
| align=left| 
| 1,523
| 0.7
| {{decrease}} 0.9
| 0
| ±0
|-
| {{party color cell|Ecological Democratic Party}}
| align=left| [[Ecological Democratic Party]]
| align=left| 
| 459
| 0.2
| New
| 0
| New
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 228,102
! 99.3
!
!
!
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 1,561
! 0.7
!
!
!
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 229,663
! 100.0
!
! 55
! ±0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 310,049
! 74.1
! {{increase}} 7.3
!
!
|-
| colspan=8| Source: [https://www.wahlen-berlin.de/wahlen/BE2021/AFSPRAES/bvv/ergebnisse_bezirk_03.html 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. [[Sören Benn]] of The Left was elected mayor on 27 October 2016. Since the 2021 municipal elections, the composition of the district government is as follows:

{| class=wikitable style="font-size:90%; text-align:center"
! Councillor
! colspan=2| Party
! Portfolio
|-
| [[Sören Benn]]
| {{party color cell|The Left (Germany)}}
| [[The Left (Germany)|LINKE]]
| District Mayor<br>Economy, Finance, Staff and Logistics
|-
| Cordelia Koch
| {{party color cell|Alliance 90/The Greens}}
| [[Alliance 90/The Greens|GRÜNE]]
| Deputy Mayor<br>Social Affairs, Health and Planning
|-
| Rona Tietje
| {{party color cell|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}
| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
| Urban Development and Civil Service
|-
| Manuela Anders-Granitzki
| {{party color cell|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}
| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
| Public Order, Streets, Green Spaces and Environment
|-
| Cornelius Bechtler
| {{party color cell|Alliance 90/The Greens}}
| [[Alliance 90/The Greens|GRÜNE]]
| Youth
|-
| Dominique Krössin
| {{party color cell|The Left (Germany)}}
| [[The Left (Germany)|LINKE]]
| Education, Sport and Culture
|-
| colspan=4 align=right| Source: [https://www.berlin.de/ba-pankow/politik-und-verwaltung/bezirksamt/ Berlin.de]
|}

==Transportation==
===Motorised transportation===
Pankow's road network is characterised by three radial axes to and from the city centre at [[Alexanderplatz]] - all of them running in a north/north-eastern direction: [[Bundesstraße 96a|B96a]] ([[Schönhauser Allee]]/Berliner Straße), B109 ([[Prenzlauer Allee]]/Prenzlauer Promenade) and [[Bundesstraße 2|B2]] (Greifswalder Straße/Berliner Allee). B109 leads to [[Bundesautobahn 114|A114]]; Pankow is also the only borough in Berlin which is directly served by the Berliner Ring [[Bundesautobahn 10|A10]].

The ring roads of Danziger Straße (within the Berlin S-Bahn circle line) and Ostseestraße - Wisbyer Straße - Bornholmer Straße also of high importance.

===Public transportation===
Pankow is served by the S-Bahn lines S1, S2, S25, S26, S41, S42, S8 and S85. The northeastern part of the [[Berlin S-Bahn]] circle line is located in Pankow, which includes the stations of [[Berlin Storkower Straße station|Storkower Straße]], [[Berlin Landsberger Allee station|Landsberger Allee]], [[Berlin Greifswalder Straße station|Greifswalder Straße]], [[Berlin Prenzlauer Allee station|Prenzlauer Allee]] and [[Berlin Schönhauser Allee station|Schönhauser Allee]]. [[Berlin Bornholmer Straße station|Bornholmer Straße station]] and [[Berlin Wollankstraße station|Wollankstraße station]] border the borough of [[Mitte]], while [[Berlin-Schönholz station|Schönholz station]] and [[Berlin-Wilhelmsruh station|Wilhelmsruh station]] border [[Reinickendorf]]. The Stettiner Bahn serves [[Berlin-Pankow station|Pankow]], [[Berlin-Pankow-Heinersdorf station|Pankow-Heinersdorf]], [[Berlin-Blankenburg station|Blankenburg]], [[Berlin-Karow station|Karow]] and [[Berlin-Buch station|Buch]]. These stations are spread across the borough and are particularly important in connecting its western and northern parts, which do not have tram access.

In addition to the S-Bahn, five [[Berlin U-Bahn|U-Bahn]] stations of the [[U2 (Berlin U-Bahn)|U2 line]] are located in the south of the borough of Pankow: [[Senefelderplatz (Berlin U-Bahn)|Senefelderplatz]], [[Eberswalder Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Eberswalder Straße]], Schönhauser Allee, [[Vinetastraße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Vinetastraße]] and Pankow. At Schönhauser Allee and Pankow, travellers can change to S-Bahn services.

Many [[Trams in Berlin|tram lines]] serve the borough in its southern, more urban half, with a particular density in the central and densely populated Prenzlauer Berg. In many parts of the borough, trams are the most important mode of public transportation.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Pankow is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.berlin.de/ba-pankow/ueber-den-bezirk/staedtepartner/|website=berlin.de|date=12 September 2019|publisher=Berlin|language=de|access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Ashkelon]], Israel (1994)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Kołobrzeg]], Poland (1994)

==Photogallery==
[[File:Reinhold Burger Schule.jpg|thumb|178px|left|School behind the town hall]]  [[File:Rathaus Pankow (2009).jpg|222px|center|thumb|Town hall]] 

==See also==
{{Portal|Germany}}
* [[Berlin-Pankow (electoral district)]]
* [[Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – Prenzlauer Berg East|Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – Prenzlauer Berg East (electoral district)]]
* [[Karpfenteich]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Bezirk Pankow|Pankow}}
*[https://www.berlin.de/ba-pankow/ Official website] {{in lang|de}}
*[http://www.berlin.de/english/ Official website of Berlin] {{in lang|en}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170123062901/http://www.tic-berlin.de/o.red.c/tic_01.php?Navfix=7&Nav1=0&Nav2=0&Nav3=0&Nav4=0&Lang=2 tic-berlin: tourist & historical information about Pankow district]

{{Boroughs of Berlin}}
{{Boroughs of Berlin (1920-2001)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pankow| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Berlin]]
[[Category:Former boroughs of Berlin]]