Having lived some years in Friedrichshain, I've witnessed the district's transformation from working-class but lively community into west German upwardly mobile professional's playground.

As with Prenzlauer Berg before, the property developers have moved in en masse, creating an upsurge in eigentumswohnungen (private flats) which has indirectly impacted upon the previously reasonable rents. The buildings were once "typically East German", but new riches have brought a splash of colour and penthouse flats of which real Friedrichshainers could only dream about.

Moreover, the bars and cafes are almost exclusively of the "Ballermann" package holiday variety (cocktails, palm trees, water-pipes), geared towards German tourists and the easyJet mob. Decent bars and restaurants are few and far between.

If this were not enough, the area around Frankfurter Tor has seen numerous neo-Nazi attacks on tourists and anyone vaguely foreign-looking in recent months (Friedrichshain is edged by the Lichtenberg and Marzahn housing estates where, sad to say, right-wing sentiment is the order of the day for the largely disaffected and unemployed youth).

So, all in all, great if you're wearing blinkers.

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Jump on a number 9 or 20 bus from the city centre to the always welcoming Hecla Arms (formerly the renowned "The Butty").

What is there not to praise about this warm and welcoming pub? The punters are a loud and friendly bunch, and the food on offer is absolutely top drawer! Get along for a singsong before addressing yon haggis.

Weel done cutty sark!

Hecla Arms
Hecla Avenue
Glasgow
G15 8NA

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