Welcome!
We are the Green Party’s district chapter of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, one of Berlin’s most central and most densely populated districts with more than 275 000 inhabitants. In German we are known as Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer our entire website in English; however, you can find answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs) in English below.
Who are we?
The Green district chapter
Our district chapter has more than 1800 members. In German, a district chapter is called Kreisverband or in Berlin, Bezirksgruppe. It is the political base. All active members meet regularly to discuss current issues at the district, state and federal levels. The district group also makes all decisions that determine the political and organizational development of the party. Therefore, its decisions determine the work of elected officials on all levels.
Greens in district parliament
In Berlin, each one of the twelve districts has its own parliament (or congress) called Bezirksverordnetenversammlung (BVV). In fact, it is not an active parliament, but rather plays an advisory role. The district parliament elects the district office (Bezirksamt) and monitors the administration of the district. Currently, our district parliament consists of 55 people of which 20 are members of our Green fraction. We make up the largest fraction in our parliament (SPD: 10 members, LINKE: 12 members, Piraten: 2 members, CDU: 4 members, FDP: 2 members, Die Partei: 2 members).
The parliament meets monthly, in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg traditionally every fourth Wednesday of the month at 5.30 pm at Rathaus Kreuzberg (City Hall at Yorckstraße 4-11, U Mehringdamm). The meeting is open to the public; however, the most important political work takes place in the committees where petitions and inquiries for the district office are developed.
In Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, the district office consists of five members of whom three are members of the Green Party: District Mayor Monika Herrmann and the councilors Florian Schmidt and Clara Herrmann.
What are our Politics?
We live in a diverse and colourful district and therefore work on a wide array of topics. Some of our most pressing issues are:
- Urban development, rent and living: We want to stop gentrification and encourage diversity
- Traffic, environment and climate protection: We want more bike lanes and green space
- Daycare/Childcare, schools and participation: We want everyone to be able to participate in social life
- Immigration and emigration: We want to strengthen the rights of refugees
How to Get Involved
- Our district chapter or Bezirksgruppe (see above) meets regularly at 7:00 pm on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. During the pandemic we meet via Zoom. Drop by and get in touch with us!
- Before the first district chapter meeting of each month, we organize an introductory meeting for newcomers who want to get a taste of who we are and what we do. This meeting starts at 6:45 pm.
- We also organize expert talks, campaigns and events. You can find the latest events here.
- If you are interested in our mentoring program, want to become a member of our party, to participate in one of our (many) working groups, to donate money, to write an article for our district newspaper “Stachel” or just want to say hello, feel free to contact us directly – see How to Contact Us below. We look forward to hearing from you.
- You can also subscribe for our monthly newsletter (available only in German, unfortunately) by sending an e-mail to presse-xhain[at]gruene-berlin.de (subject: Subscribe to newsletter). Or connect with us via Facebook or Twitter!
How to Contact Us
Our district office is the right place if you have any questions concerning our meetings, our political work, volunteering, etc. It is located in Kreuzberg, Dresdener Straße 10, near Kottbusser Tor. You can drop by (Tuesday 2-5 pm, Thursday 3-6 pm, Friday 12-4 pm) or contact our district secretary Nina Jürgens at info@gruene-xhain.de or 030/6143146.
If you have any questions considering our parliamentary work, feel free to visit our fraction office at Rathaus Kreuzberg, Yorckstraße 4-11 (U Mehringdamm). We are located on the second floor in room 2048. Our hours are Monday from 1-5 pm, Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-6 pm and Thursday from 10 am-2 pm. You can also contact our fraction secretary Iris Burkhardt via fraktion-xhain[at]gruene-berlin.de or 030/90298-2590.