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.
[edit] Original Meaning and Etymology
The word originated in the time of the eastward expansion of German settlers in the Middle Ages into Slavonic territories, when in many places both communities existed side by side. The word is of Slavonic origin (chyza meaning hut or house) and referred to a Slavonic settlement (typically of fishermen) near a German town. Some placenames are reminiscent of this meaning, for example Küstrin-Kietz or the Kiez area in Berlin-Köpenick.
[edit] Modern Meaning
A Kiez is never defined by the municipality or government, but rather by the inhabitants, and therefore doesn't necessarily coincide with administrative divisions. "Kiez" may be considered by some as somewhat slangy. It is used mostlly by students and people in more working class neighborhoods as well as by the media. The more standard term for neighborhood in the sense of "where one lives" is "Viertel".
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.
