There are a number of interesting stories surrounding the Kreuzberg. It is known to give its name to an entire district, although it was originally called Sandberg, Runder Weinberg and Tempelhofer Berg. Weinberg because vines had been growing on its southern slope since the 15th century. With the bitter frost of 1740, this tradition was broken for a whole 200 years! The Kreuz-Neroberger variety is now grown here, but you can only get it with a good connection to the Berlin Senate or sheer luck.
But how did the Kreuzberg get its name in the first place? This has to do with the national monument that has stood on the mountain since 1818 and commemorates the Napoleonic Wars that were victorious for Prussia, in particular the battles of Leipzig and Waterloo (Belle Alliance). This monument is decorated with a cross on the top and, when viewed from the air, it has a cross shape, and so the mountain was promptly renamed "Kreuzberg" as part of the monument's unveiling.
The monument is also a different story. Because the surrounding areas grew ever denser and higher in terms of development and the view of the tower became increasingly restricted, it was laboriously raised 8 meters up onto a pedestal during the imperial era and, at the same time, nicely aligned with the traffic axes (rotated by 21 degrees). This is why visitors now reverently climb a series of steps to the top.
Incidentally, the Berlin police had tried to keep the development in the area flat by issuing an order. One of the owners sued against this and won. The Prussian Higher Administrative Court found the police order invalid and, with the "Kreuzberg decision", as the judgment was called, permanently restricted the powers of the police authorities.