10 largest cities in Germany
Berlin
Hamburg
Munich
Cologne
Frankfurt am Main
Hanover
Dusseldorf
Leipzig
Bremen
Dresden
Location: Berlin
Berlin is the federal capital of the Federal
Republic of Germany and at the same time one of its countries. The
city of Berlin has approximately 3.6 million inhabitants the most
populous with 892 square kilometers, the area's largest community of
Germany. It is the center of Berlin / Brandenburg Metropolitan
Region (about 6 million inhabitants) and the agglomeration Berlin
(4.5 million inhabitants). The city state consists of twelve
districts, In addition to the rivers Spree and Havel are located in
the city of smaller streams and numerous lakes and forests.
First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was barely a fishing
village in the 18th century, Berlin grew to be one of the most
important and biggest cities in the world by the 1920s, only to lose
much of its importance and historic architecture as a result of
World War II and German partition. With the German reunification in
the year 1990 Berlin became again all German-German capital and in
the consequence seat of the Federal Government, the Federal
President, the Bundestag , the Federal Council as well as numerous
Federal Ministries and embassies.
Among the major sectors in Berlin include the tourism , the creative
and cultural industries , the biotechnology and healthcare industry
with medical and pharmaceutical industries, information and
communication technologies, the construction and property industry,
trade, optoelectronics, energy technology and Trade fair and
congress industry . The city is a European hub of rail and air
traffic. Berlin is one of the emerging, international centers for
innovative company founders and registers high annual growth rates
in the number of employed persons.
Berlin is considered a cosmopolitan city of culture, politics, media
and science. Berlin's universities, research institutions , sports
events and museums enjoy an international reputation. The metropolis
has the UNESCO title City of Design and is one of the most visited
centers on the continent. Berlin's architecture, festivals,
nightlife and diverse living conditions are known worldwide.
Tiergarten |
Once Tiergarden was the royal hunting ground. Tiergarten became a park in the 18th century. In the 19th century, a series of buildings, mostly department stores and banks, were erected on Potsdamer Platz. During World War II, many of these buildings were destroyed. The division of Berlin has changed the character of this area. The territory of the Tiergarten ended with the creation of the Kulturforum (Cultural Forum) and Hansavirtel. The area around Potsdamer Platz came to East Berlin and became wasteland. However, after reunification, this area has witnessed an exciting development. The Tiergarden with its government building in the Reichstag is the center of Germany’s political and financial center.
Reichstag (Berlin)Platz der Republik
|
Tiergarten (Berlin)Tiergarten, Bellevue
Kulturforum (Berlin)Potsdamer Platz |
Unter der Linden |
Brandenburg Gate(Berlin)Neue Wache (Berlin) |
Unter den Linden (Berlin)Zeughaus (Deutsches Historisches Museum) (Berlin)Humboldt University (Humboldt Universitat) (Berlin) |
Museum Island |
|
The long island, which lies in the tributaries of the river
Spree, is the cradle of Berlin. It was here that the first
settlements appeared at the beginning of the XIII century is
mentioned in documents relating to 1237, and its twin Berlin
is mentioned several years later (1244). Now there are no
traces of the Gothic and Renaissance of the city of Cologne:
the castle was turned into a palace by building a palace of
Brandenburg electors, which served as their residence since
1470 The imperial palace was rebuilt into a huge
Stachchloss. Moreover, the Berlin Cathedral and many
museums, which gave the island its modern name, are
preserved here. |
|
Altes Museum (Berlin)Am Lustgarten Pergamonmuseum (Berlin)Bodestrasse 1- 3 (entrance from Am Kupfergraben) |
Berliner Dom (Berlin)Am Lustgarten
|
East of the Center |
Nikolaiviertel (Berlin)Alexanderplatz Klosterstrasse |
Fernsehturm (Berlin)Panoramastrasse |
North of the Center |
Centrum Judaicum & Neue Synagoge (Berlin)Oranienburger Strasse 29 & 30 |
Kreuzberg |
Checkpoint Charlie (Berlin) |
Kurfurstendamm |
Kaiser- Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche (Berlin) |
Kurfurstendamm (Berlin)Bus: 109, 119, 129, 219 |
Western Berlin |
Schloss Charlottenburg (Berlin)Spandauer Damm Charlottenburg Palace was built as a summer residence of the Elector Frederick III's wife Sophia Charlotte, hence the name of this magnificent building. Construction work of the Great Palace began in 1695. This was followed by palace theatre and tea house "Belvedere". Equestrian statue of Frederick the Great designed by Andreas Schluter stands in front of the royal palace. Exquisite interiors of Charlottenburg Palace, characterized by a rich decor attracts thousands of tourists annually. |
The historically first association of Berlin took place in 1307
from the cities Cölln and Berlin. Cölln lay on the Spreeinsel, where
today also the Museum Island and the cathedral are; Berlin was on
the other side. Spandau was first mentioned in documents in 1197,
which was not incorporated into Berlin until 1920. Köpenick was
mentioned in 1209, Cölln in 1237 and finally Berlin in 1244.
The two important trade routes from the Elbe to the Oder and from
Saxony and Bohemia intersected here. The river crossing was narrow
as anywhere else in the wider area. From this crossroads, the whey
market , Berlin could develop as a trading city.
In the following period, the cities separated by the Spree sought
independence, bought estates and small settlements in the area,
decided to merge and joined the Hanseatic League as Berlin-Cölln.
Elector Frederick II ( Eisenentahn ) took the young city, however,
the independence and made it against the will of the population to
the residence of the Hohenzollern. The suburbs of Spandau, Georgen
and Stralauer Vorstadt as well as the Köpenick and the Teltow
suburbs played a major role in the supply. There were vineyards,
dairies, sheep farms, wood markets and much more.
When he took office in 1640, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, who was
twenty years old, pursued the goal of reorganizing the city, which
had been shattered by the Thirty Years' War, and repositioning it in
Europe. A strong army and appropriate fortifications should form the
foundation, which imposed heavy burdens on the councils, but above
all on the subjects. Whole estates were rededicated, many houses
torn down, the city wall given over to the elector, new city gates
and fortifications built, and a moat created.
Under Frederick the Great these plants were decorated with
colonnades or demolished. Boulevards emerged. It was tried to settle
the many craftsmen needed in Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate got its
present form, which fit better to the new self-confidence of the
city than the old gate, which had been more the gate of a soldier
king.
Despite the financial hardships of the post-war period after 1815,
the ever-increasing population urgently required the creation of
housing. Entire residential areas were rebuilt, new roads created
according to development plans. The first railway stations were
built for the railway, which has become increasingly important. With
the founding of the empire in 1871, Prussia had reached its peak,
and in 1888, the last German emperor and King of Prussia William II
conquered the throne. The development of Berlin was now marked by
technical inventions. Industrialization and reforms replace Prussian
consciousness with German national feeling.
Until the First World War in 1914, the transport network, especially
the subway, was expanded to connect the individual parts of the
city. The following years were marked by hardships. The Russian
Revolution of 1917 set in motion domestic political changes that
ultimately led to the proclamation of the Republic in 1918.
The consequences of the lost war and conditions of the Treaty of
Versailles, inflation and economic crisis contributed to the
radicalization. In 1933, Reich President Hindenburg appointed Adolf
Hitler Chancellor. In 1936, the "Third Reich" staged the Olympic
Games in Berlin as a propaganda event. The Second World War began
with the invasion of Poland in 1939, which led to the extensive
destruction of Berlin from 1943 onwards.
Berlin was occupied after the German capitulation 1945 by the allied
ones and divided in the consequence into four sectors. Due to the
different views of the occupiers, no agreement on currency reform
and political development could be found, which led to the formation
of two camps: East and West, with the Soviet Union on the one side
and the Allies France, USA, Great Britain on the other side. The
economic division and political division became final with the
foundation of the GDR and the entry into force of the Basic Law of
1949.
The two parts East and West experienced - influenced by the Cold War
- different developments. West Berlin was market-economy oriented.
East Berlin with planned socialist economy, which led to an uprising
on 17 June 1953 and drove about one million people to flee to the
West. The government responded by constructing the wall on August
13, 1961, preventing its people from entering the western part of
the city. In 1989, the GDR was economically and politically at the
end; on November 9, 1989, the wall was opened. In 1990 the border
was lifted and on 3 October 1990 the city and both states were
reunited. A few years later Berlin became the capital of Germany
again.
Most famous sentences of the post-war history:
Ernst Reuter "You peoples of the world - look at this city"
John F. Kennedy "All free men, wherever they live, are citizens of
Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words: I
am a Berliner! "
Ronald Reagan "Mister Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"