Berlin families sought refuge south of Bernau. It was the early 1920s. They erected small wooden houses in their gardens. These first arbors sprouted along Lindenstrasse and Börnicker Landweg. Today we are standing in Birkenhöhe.
Two Berlin entrepreneurs, Dommert and Wuttke made deals with Bernau. They created a new colony. Residents playfully named it “Wudo”. The name came from the entrepreneurs’ initials.
But “Wudo” was not to last. In 1931, the city officially renamed it Birkenhöhe. A local Bernau chronicler explained the change. “Birches were present here. ‘Wudo’ was just a fantasy. Thus, Birkenhöhe came to be in ’31”.
During World War II, some residents stayed put. They remained on their weekend properties. After the war, many settled permanently. They transformed their arbors into proper houses.
In 1979, the “Verein der Kleingärtner Birkenhöhe e. V.” was founded. Also the “Waldschänke” inn opened its doors to guests. After becoming a district, Birkenhöhe established its own local council. Heidi Scheidt became the local mayor. Peter Brandt served as her deputy and Skadi Berger assisted them.
All sixteen side streets now bear tree names. In 2020, the district gained broadband internet access. This was thanks to fiber optic infrastructure. The State of Brandenburg and the European Union supported this expansion.
Today, bus line 892 connects Birkenhöhe to Berlin. It runs via the Bernau train station. It also goes back to Birkenhöhe via Schwanebeck and Birkholz.
Birkenhöhe is more than just a residential area. It is a living testament to resilience. It is a place where city dwellers sought solace. It is where simple arbors grew into homes and where community blossomed amidst challenging times.