Kiez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kiez (pronounced keats) is a German word that refers to a city neighbourhood, a relatively small community within a larger town. The word is mainly used in Berlin and northern Germany.

A Kiez is never defined by the municipality or government, but rather by the inhabitants, and therefore doesn't necessarily coincide with administrative divisions. Native Berliners define the area surrounding their home mein Kiez (my Kiez). In Hamburg der Kiez (the Kiez) refers to the area around the Reeperbahn in the district St. Pauli, meaning also the city's red-light district.