Hohenfelde: Schwanenwik

The subarea known as Schwanenwik gives this part of Hohenfelde a more precise local identity. It is best understood through the immediate combination of housing, everyday routes, nearby open space and the way local streets connect with the rest of the district. Treating Schwanenwik separately helps expose small-scale differences in urban form and daily life that are easily lost when Hohenfelde is described only as one large area. Its most attractive streets contain late nineteenth-century townhouses, row villas and mature front gardens, particularly around Uhlandstraße and Lessingstraße, while post-war infill reflects the destruction suffered by the eastern inner city. Two major institutions give the district an importance beyond its size: the historic Marienkrankenhaus and the Alster swimming hall, recognisable by its sweeping roof and fifty-metre pool. U-Bahn stations at Lübecker Straße and Uhlandstraße place the city centre only minutes away.