Christiane F. Apr 2026

At age 12, she began smoking hashish at a local youth club.

Christiane was born in 1962 in Hamburg and moved to West Berlin as a child, living in the high-rise housing project of Gropiusstadt. Her home life was marked by an abusive, alcoholic father and a mother often absent due to work and personal relationships. Christiane F.

The story of Christiane F. (born Christiane Vera Felscherinow) is one of the most famous and harrowing accounts of teenage drug addiction in the 20th century. Her life became a global sensation following the publication of her memoir, Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo ( We Children of Bahnhof Zoo ), and its subsequent film adaptation. At age 12, she began smoking hashish at a local youth club

Seeking an escape and a sense of belonging at the trendy disco "The Sound," she tried heroin at 13 after attending a David Bowie concert. By 14, she was physically dependent and prostituting herself at West Berlin’s Bahnhof Zoo station to fund her habit. Media Impact and Cultural Phenomenon The story of Christiane F