In 1990, celebrating Germany's reunification, the Japanese TV station TV-Asahi launched a fundraising campaign to plant Japanese cherry trees in Germany. The campaign raised enough money to plant over 9,000 trees, with many of them finding a home in Berlin. The first trees were planted in November 1990 at Glienicke Bridge, a historic site of German division. Today, many cherry trees flourish along the former border strip, as well as in parks and public spaces—creating the perfect spots to enjoy the blossoms and experience a touch of Japan in the city.
One of the most central locations for a cherry blossom stroll is by the Landwehr Canal. Along the former border strip between Treptow and Neukölln, several cherry trees stand. You can easily reach them from Görlitzer Park by crossing the Lohmühlen Bridge and heading south towards Maybachufer.
The Wiener Straße, next to Görlitzer Park, also boasts more than 20 cherry trees, offering a beautiful walkway beneath their blossoms.
Near Mauerpark, a longer cherry blossom avenue awaits—with 215 trees lining the former "death strip" between Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding. Starting at the Bornholmer Straße S-Bahn station, you can stroll under a pink canopy of blooms.
Further north, on the border between Pankow and Wedding, you'll find another collection of 120 cherry trees, accessible from Wollankstraße station by following the railway path towards Bürgerpark Pankow.
Another 32 cherry trees grow along Vesaliusstraße, just north of Pankow-Heinersdorf station.
In Marzahn’s Gardens of the World, a stunning Japanese Garden hosts an annual cherry blossom festival in mid-April. Here, you can wander through interconnected gardens, daydream of distant lands, and find tranquility in the Zen rock garden. Nearby, 80 cherry trees add to the scenic beauty.
On the Berlin Wall Trail, between Lichterfelde-Süd and Teltow, the TV-Asahi Cherry Blossom Avenuefeatures over 1,000 trees. Each year, during the cherry blossom weeks, visitors take a leisurely stroll beneath the waves of pink petals. Unfortunately, this year the avenue is closed due to construction work.
For another collection of cherry trees, visit the Lichtenberg district. Near Wartenberg station, approximately 50 trees and shrubs flourish in the Nord-Ost Landscape Park at Hagenower Ring.
In Britz, Neukölln, the Onkel-Bräsig-Straße is lined with cherry trees on both sides. Since a late-blooming variety was planted here, the trees are often in full bloom while others in the city have already faded—extending Berlin’s cherry blossom season just a little longer.