Berlin
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Berlin is the national capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,389,450 inhabitants (as of 2002; down from 4.5 million before World War II, and generally on the decline since German reunification in 1990). In 2002 the city's population increased slightly (the first increase since 1993).
Berlin is located on the rivers Spree and Havel in the northeast of Germany. It is enclosed by the German state (Bundesland) of Brandenburg, and it constitutes a state of its own.
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Formerly a part of Mark Brandenburg, Berlin has been a separate state since 1920, making it one of the three city states among today's 16 German Bundesländer.
Berlin is governed by a Regierender Bürgermeister ("governing mayor"), who is mayor of the city and head of the Bundesland at the same time. Presently, this office is currently held by Klaus Wowereit; for earlier mayors, see the list of Mayors of Berlin. The city and state parliament is called the Abgeordnetenhaus or House of Representatives, while the executive branch is the Senat or Senate, with Senators holding ministerial portfolios. The current government consists of a coalition of the social democrat SPD and the socialist PDS.
Berlin is subdivided into 12 boroughs called Bezirke, which have been merged of the previously existing 23 boroughs with effect from January 1, 2001.
For a map and a list of the old and new borough names, see Boroughs of Berlin.
Berlin was founded around 1200 as two cities, Berlin and Cölln, which only united in 1307. Berlin is therefore quite old; however, not much is left of these ancient communities, although some remainders can be seen in the Nikolaiviertel near the city hall. Instead, the impression one gets visiting Berlin today is one of great discontinuity, visibly reflecting mainly the many ruptures in Germany's difficult history in the 20th century.
After having been the residence of the Prussian kings, Berlin didn't grow large until the 19th century, especially after becoming the capital of the 1871 German Empire. It remained Germany's capital in the Weimar Republic and under the Nazis; it was therefore a primary target in the air raids of World War II.
After the city's separation in two, East Berlin was the capital of the GDR (East Germany), while the FRG (West Germany), had its capital in Bonn. An island of the western world in the territory of the east, West Berlin was the natural focal point of the two blocks of the Cold War. Beginning June 26th 1948, the "Berlin Blockade" led to the Berlin Airlift. On August 13, 1961, the Berlin Wall was constructed between East Berlin and West Berlin.
The wall fell on November 9, 1989. By the time of the German reunification in 1990, the Wall was gone completely (although some ruins of the wall remain) and Berlin was made the capital of all of Germany again.
Even though Berlin does have a number of impressive buildings from earlier centuries, the city today is mainly stamped by the key role it played in Germany's history in the 20th century. Each of the governments which had their respective seat in Berlin – namely the 1871 German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, the GDR, and now the reunified Germany — initiated ambitious construction programs, each with its own distinctive character. Berlin was devastated in the bombardments during World War II, and many of the old buildings that were left were eradicated in the 1950s and 1960s in both the West and the East in overambitious architecture programs, especially in order to build new living or business quarters. It would not be an exaggeration to say that no other city in the world offers Berlin's unusual mix of architecture, especially 20th century architecture. The city's tense and unique recent history has left it with a distinctive array of sights.
Not much is left of the actual Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain, near the Oberbaumbrücke over the Spree, preserves a portion of the Wall. One can usually still tell by the architecture if one is in the former eastern or western part. In the eastern part a lot of Plattenbauten can be found, thanks to Eastern ambitions to create complete residential areas, with fixed ratios of shops, kindergartens and schools per block.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many houses in the city center of former East Berlin (today the district Mitte) were partially destroyed and had not been rebuilt since World War II. Illegaly occupied by young people, they became a fertile ground for all sorts of underground and counter-culture gatherings as well as many nightclubs, including the world-famous Techno clubs Tresor, WMF, Ufo and E-Werk.
Berlin has a rich art scene and the city offers one of the most diverse and vibrant nightlife scenes in Europe. Most Berliners take great pride in their city's reputation as one of the most socially progressive cities in Germany and Europe.
Berlin's annual Carnival of Cultures, a multi-ethnic street parade, and Chistopher Street Day celebrations (Central Europe's largest gay-lesbian pride event) are openly supported by the city's government and visited by millions of Berliners each year such as the Loveparade which last took place in 2003.
Despite the city's declining overall population and relatively high unemployment levels, a significant number of young Germans and artists continue to settle in the city, and Berlin has established itself as the youth/ pop culture capital of Germany.
Signs of this expanding role were the 2003 announcement that the annual Popkomm, the world's largest music industry convention, would move to Berlin after 15 years in Cologne and shortly thereafter the decision of German MTV to move its headquarters and main studios from Munich to Berlin. Universal Music had already opened its European Departure close to the River Spree before. There currently the new urban quater mediaspree is developed.
Berlin hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Politics of Berlin
History
Main article: History of BerlinBerlin tourist attractions
West Berlin
Mitte (historic and modern center)
(June 2003)]]
(Summer 2000)]]
Museums
Theaters
Opera Houses
Public Transport
Airports
Universities
Universities of Applied Sciences
Culture
Sports
External links