How Berlin’s historic media district rose, fell, and reinvented itself
A small area of central Berlin once stood as the heart of global journalism. Spanning just one square kilometre near Leipziger Straße, the district became home to hundreds of publishers and printing houses by the early 20th century. Its rise and transformation mirror the city’s turbulent history—from a media powerhouse to a divided Cold War relic and now a modern hub.
The story began in 1867 when Rudolf Mosse launched his advertising agency, the Annoncen-Expedition, in the area. Five years later, he founded the Berliner Tageblatt, one of Germany’s most influential newspapers. By 1877, Ullstein Verlag had also set up shop, producing titles like the Berliner Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost, and B.Z. am Mittag. Within decades, the district housed around 500 printing businesses, including giants such as Scherl and Mosse. By the turn of the century, it had earned its reputation as the world’s largest newspaper centre, rivalled only by New York’s Times Square or London’s Fleet Street.
World War II and the Berlin Wall shattered this legacy. Many publishers closed or fled, leaving Axel Springer as the district’s lone survivor. The company deliberately built its towering headquarters on the border strip, ensuring its logo remained visible across the Iron Curtain. After reunification, three major groups re-emerged: Axel Springer, Der Tagesspiegel, and the Berliner Zeitung. Recent years have seen gradual revival. The Berliner Verlag, now owned by Silke and Holger Friedrich, moved to Alte Jakobstraße in 2016, just steps from Axel Springer’s offices. Meanwhile, the historic Mossehaus—once Mosse’s publishing hub—is undergoing a full renovation, set for completion by late 2025.
The district’s media landscape has shrunk from hundreds of publishers to a handful of major players. Yet its buildings and streets still carry the weight of its past. With ongoing renovations and new investments, the area remains a tangible link to Berlin’s golden age of journalism—even as its future takes shape.
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