Berlin is the Capitale of the the Federal Republic of Germany.

General information

If Berlin is become again in right the capital of Germany as of the October 3rd 1990, one needed a very tended and very tight vote for the Bundestag so that the decision is made to transfer indeed the institutions from Bonn in Berlin. The transfer of the government and the chancellor in Berlin took place in 1999. By Referendum, the voters of Berlin and Land of Brandebourg refused the unification of their Länder in 1996. For the promoters of this proposal, the objective was to create an important area-capital, the project remains besides of topicality, and a new consultation should be held when the opinion will be considered to be ready by the political directors.

History

See also: History of Berlin

Berlin was founded in the neighborhoods of 1200. Its name would have a Slavic etymology of origin and would probably come from the term Sorabe: barlen or berlén , which indicates nettings out of wooden placed in certain places of the Spree by the fishermen. In 1307, it is increased by the unification of the towns of Berlin and Köln. Berlin is thus a rather old city, even if it remains little of monuments or memories of this time. Some remainders are to be seen in the Nikolaiviertel , beside the town hall. In fact, to visit Berlin leaves an impression of total discontinuity, reflecting the evolution of the Histoire of Germany, in particular at the 20th century.

At the 14th century, Berlin is the principal city of the Walk of Brandebourg. The growth of Berlin is accompanied by a desire of independence and, to resist to the German princes, it is combined with the Hanse in 1430. The publication of the theses of Martin Luther at the 16th century is there a strong success and Berlin becomes primarily Protestant then. The Guerre Thirty Year old (1618 - 1648) leaves the bloodless city. With peace and the Great Elector Frederic-Guillaume, Berlin is rebuilt and found its magnificence. It increases, and of new cities, which will become districts like Friedrichstadt, are created. They accommodate the Protestants fleeing France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Under the kings of Prussia, the city extends and is arranged like royal place of residence. It is also a place which attracts the foreigners and the intellectuals: Frederic II, which wants to be a enlightened Despote, will invite Voltaire at his court. It will be occupied by the armies of Napoleon in 1806.

With the 19th century, Berlin industrializes and accommodates iron and steel industries and textile factories. In 1871, Berlin becomes the capital of the German Empire which has just been created, in particular thanks to Bismarck. After the First World War, whereas the German empire is dissolved and leaves room to the Weimar Republic, Berlin is maintained capital.

The city sees the takeover of the Nazis (Incendie of the Reichstag in 1933), and becomes the seat of the capacity Dictatorial of Hitler. It is then during the Second world war a priority target of the Bombardement S Alliés. The Bataille of Berlin with the Soviet forces is keen and the damage is considerable: of 1939 with 1945, the population falls from 4,3 to 2,8 million inhabitants; the city is mainly destroyed, the downtown area a desert of ruins, disencumbered by the “Femmes of the ruins”.

However Berlin is not, contrary to an generally accepted idea, the most destroyed city Germany. In 1945, 20% of the residences are known as " inhabitables" , which is a relatively low rate compared to others target of aviations British and American, like Dresden, Frankfurt or Cologne. The Bombardement S Alliés concentrated on the central districts, but saved voluntarily zones close to the Aéroport S which one wished to use after the end of the hostilities. Moreover, the weak density of Berlin, (less than half of that of Paris), the width of the boulevards, the many green areas prevented many ammunition from achieving a goal. Finally the allied bombardments most fatal and most destroying were those, of disaster report, Hamburg and Dresden, because of mixed techniques, mixing explosive and torches flamers, with the combined effects devastators. These formulas never succeeded in Berlin.

Finally the majority of the important monuments were rebuilt or restored, especially since 1989, the greatest part of the important inheritance being hitherto with " Berlin-Est". Thus, following the example Munich, the current face of Berlin changed much less compared to before war than that of other German cities.

At the end of the war, Berlin is separate in four sectors of occupation: American, British, French and Soviet. The sectors American, British and French are gathered and form West Berlin while the Soviet sector becomes East Berlin and capital of GDR. During the Cold war, Berlin constitutes a point of discord between the two blocks and the the USSR of Stalin who seeks to make pressure on the block of the West by organizing a blockade starting from the June 24th 1948. The American answer it as of the following day by an airlift which lasts until the end of the blockade in May 1949, transporting nearly a million nine hundred and thousand tons of supply (including coal 80%).

See also: Blockade of Berlin

The 16 and June 17th 1953, East Berlin is the theater of a rising of workmen against the rises of the standards of productivity required by the mode. Very quickly the demonstrations turn to the insurrection against the communist capacity of GDR. The Soviet army intervenes for what will be the first military crushing of a movement of emancipation in a country of the Soviet block. Symbolically, the FRG decides to make 17-June its festival national, and the west-Berliner artery leading to the Porte of Brandebourg is renamed Strasse of the 17. Juni (street of June 17th, in German). The August 13rd 1961, the Berlin Wall (" wall of the honte") is built between the two parts of the city by the East-German authorities with the downstream of the Soviets in order to prevent the Berliners of the East from fleeing in the West. Until the fall of the wall the November 9th 1989, each half of Berlin wants to be an ideological window of its East Berlin camp is the cherished capital of GDR (great more or less happy architectural achievements, dense and relatively free cultural life), while West Berlin is a capitalist and libertarian island in the middle of the Soviet block subsidized by the FRG which attracts many artists.

See also: Berlin Wall

Policy and administration

Current the Constitution of Berlin, of 1995, replaced the preceding text, which went back to 1950.

The executive power is exerted by the Sénat of Berlin ( of Senate von Berlin ), Gouvernement directed by the mayor-governor ( of regierender Bürgermeister ). The Senate is organized in ten ministries carried the designation of senatorial administration ( of Senatsverwaltung ).

The mayor-governor is responsible in front of the House of Commons of Berlin ( of Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin ), Parlement monocaméral composed of one hundred thirty elected deputies for five years by means of a majority poll partially of district and partially proportional.

In 2006, the amount of the debt rose to 60 billion euros.

Districts

The June 10th 1998, a law reforms the regulation on the districts ( Bezirke in German). The 2001, the number of administrative districts in Berlin passes from 23 to 12:

Berlin being partly formed by absorbing surrounding cities but especially because it results today from the reunification of both Germany, the city knows several centers. The majority of the districts have their own center and their own style.

A turn in Berlin

As opposed to what suggests Jacques Brel in his song Fernand ( Dire that Paris is crossed and that Berlin would be said), Berlin is not a gray and sad city but on the contrary brightened by several rivers, channels, parks and lakes (Glienicke, Havel, Wannsee). It has moreover an old and traditional architecture very rich.

Berlin developed starting from the old core of the city, the Nikolaiviertel, of the city twins Cölln, of foundations of princely cities like Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichstadt and finally of the formation of Large-Berlin into 1920 which incorporated cities hitherto independent like Spandau, Charlottenburg or Cöpenick, then forming Berlin of four million inhabitants. Because of this development decentralized, Berlin present of many things to be seen, in its center as in its periphery. For various reasons, the Porte of Brandebourg ( Brandenburger Tor ) became the emblem of the city - and more still, since it represents also the reunification of both Germany. Two turns spring in the Berliner landscape: the Fernsehturm (tower of television) on the Alexanderplatz in the district Mitte and the Funkturm (tower of the radio) which is in the exhibition site of Charlottenburg.

In center-is

  • the Island with the Museums (Museumsinsel);
    • the Berliner Dom: the historical of Berlin, superb cathedral interior;
    • the Lustgarten: garden on the island of the museums;
    • various museums: the Museum of Pergame (where in particular the door of Babylon and the Millet furnace bridge are), the Musée of Bode, the Old Museum dedicated to the Greek ancient collections, the New Museum which will find with its reopening in 2009 its collection of Egyptian antiquities (currently in the Old Museum), and the Old National Gallery.
  • Unter den Linden (old sumptuous avenue with many historical buildings);
    • the Neue Wache: dedicated to the victims of the wars. It shelters a copy of the sculpture of the Mother and her dead son of Käthe Kollwitz;
    • the Zeughaus (Deutsches Historisches Museum);
    • the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, most beautiful of the three operas of Berlin;
    • the Holy-Hedwige Cathedral (catholic) on Bebelplatz where a monument in remembering the books is which were flarings there (in the middle of the place, a pane on the ground lets discover the empty lines of a library);
    • the Alte Bibliothek (called “the convenient one”), from now on an appendix of the university of Humboldt;
    • the university of Humboldt (Humboldt-Universität);
    • the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (in GDR: Deutsche Staatsbibliothek ).
  • the Door of Brandebourg (Brandenburger Tor): true symbol of Berlin and reunified Germany, it is reproduced on the German euros;
  • the Pariser Platz where the French embassy (and soon the American embassy) and the Adlon hotel are, one of most famous of Berlin, where has, for example, remained Chaplin;
  • the Alexanderplatz and Nikolaiviertel;
    • the Fernsehturm: the tower of television is the most construction of the city with its 368 m in height (second in Europe after the Ostankino Tower of Moscow)
    • the Rotes Rathaus: the historical town hall of the face city to which the very beautiful fountain of Neptune (Neptunbrunnen) is;
    • Marienkirche;
    • the Nikolaikirche, easily recognizable in the Berliner panorama thanks to its two turns.
  • the place of the Gendarmenmarkt, undoubtedly the most beautiful place of Berlin;
    • the Konzerthaus of Berlin (in the past Schauspielhaus );
    • Deutscher Dom (German cathedral) and Französischer Dom (French cathedral): today the Deutscher Dom (in the south of the place) accommodates the museum of the German parliamentary history (free entry) and the Französischer Dom the museum of the Huguenots

  • the the new synagog: it is not, in spite of its name, a modern monument, but date of 1859 (Eduard Knoblauch, architect). It is a remarkable example of Byzantine and Moorish pastiche of " type; orientaliste". The famous photograph which shows it burning is often captioned like a fire Nazi criminal. This one took place well, but did little damage. The photo one was actually taken in 1943, during a allied bombardment which has it, completely destroyed to him.

It is in Oranienburger Straße, street today very tourist, where many coffees and restaurants are, the Tacheles Haus as well as the old Post office. True symbol of the Judaism, it was rebuilt with identical in 1993 and is the subject of a constant monitoring have regard to fears of vandalism in antijuif matter. Its gilded cupola is again visible by far;
  • the Hackesche Höfe: a whole of buildings arranged around course communicating.

In the mid-west

  • In Tiergarten;
    • the Siegessäule or column of the Victoire : symbol of Berlin of the Love Parade. Many demonstrations take place on the street of June 17th (Straße of the 17. Juni), the Siegessäule is there often a gathering point;
    • the Castle of Bellevue (Residence of the President);
    • the Hansaviertel in Moabit, district chosen for a contest of Architecture in 1953 thanks to which one can admire 35 buildings produced until in 1957 by fifty three Architecte S world of which Alvar Aalto, Egon Eiermann, Walter Gropius, Arne Jacobsen, Wassili Luckhardt, Oscar Niemeyer, Sep Ruf, Paul Schneider-Esleben, Hans Schwippert and max Taut.
  • On the side of the Kurfürstendamm;
    • the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche or church of the Memory: the church was seriously damaged during the Second world war and was preserved such as it is as a memorial. Because of its form, it is called the tooth digs by the Berliners;
    • Europa-Center: shopping mall on several stages with “the clock of the time which passes”;
    • Kranzler-Eck;
    • the “Theater of Westens” (Theater of the West);
    • the Zoologischer Garten, a true zoo in the middle of the city: largest of Europe. It is also the name of a station-station beside the zoo;
    • the Deutsche Oper Berlin in Bismarckstraße with Charlottenburg;
    • the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus of Westens): the department store of continental, very smart Europe;
  • the Funkturm or tower of the radio;
  • the Castle of Charlottenburg surrounded by a very beautiful park with stretch of water, béveldère, house
  • the Luisenstädtischer Kanal;
  • the Chime;
  • the district of Kreuzberg, one of the districts Turkish of Berlin.

New Berlin in the neighborhoods of Potsdamer Platz

  • the Potsdamer Platz ( place of Potsdam ). The district was entirely rebuilt. It was a zone of No man' S Land when Berlin was divided. This immense empty space located in full center (Potsdamer Platz was before the war one of the most important centers of Berlin) made the joy of the architects - of which famous the Richard Rogers, Rafael Moneo, Renzo Piano, Arata Isozaki - who could launch out in the most insane projects. The new district which was built there is resolutely turned towards the future;
    • the Sony-Center (remarkable cupola) with the Museum of Film, Kaiser-Saal and of the cinemas (including one IMAX);
    • the complex of Daimler with in particular the shopping mall of the Arcades ( Arkaden ), of the cinemas (including one IMAX), a musical theater and a casino;
  • the Kulturforum;
  • the Philharmonic society, concert hall appointed of the Philharmonic orchestra of Berlin, called a time “the Circus Karajan” by the Berliners in homage to that which was the chief of 1954 to 1989;
  • the New National Gallery of Berlin ( Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin );
  • the Tempodrom, with Liquidrom.
  • the Memorial with the assassinated Jews of Europe, inaugurated in May 2005.
  • an information center on the apparatus of terror of the Nazi regime must be built close to the Potsdamer Platz. Work began on November 2nd, 2007. The value of the works is estimated at 24 million euros, a sum shared between the Federal state and the area. The center must be built at the place where the Gestapo, the secret police of the Nazi regime, the S and the intelligence services had installed their general headquarter.

The district of the government

This district is built around the Reichstag, where seat the Bundestag. This zone was devoted already before to the policy and the diplomacy.

It contains:

  • the palate of the Reichstag in which seat the the Bundestag, the Lower House of the German Parliament;
  • new buildings of the Parliament (commissions, offices of the parliamentary groups, presidency and library);
  • the chancellery;
  • Wilhelmstrasse (ministry for finances, embassies British and Frenchwoman…) ;
  • the district of the embassies (Botschaftsviertel) close to the Tiergarten.

Other districts

  • Small castle of Humboldt (Humboldt-Schlösschen) Tegel;

  • Biesdorf Castle;
  • Marzahn with its mill;
  • Tierpark and the castle of Friedrichsfelde;
  • Köpenick Castle - reopened like museum of art Rebirth, Baroque and Rococco - and the island with the castle;
  • Hunting lodge of Grunewald;
  • Hunting lodge of Glienicke;
  • the bridge which spans the river Glienicke, become famous for the prisoner exchange and spies who had time of the cold war there;
  • the island Pfaueninsel (island of the peacocks);
  • the Berlin Wall with the East Side Gallery in the district of Friedrichshain;
  • the Checkpoint Charlie: the point of passage between East Berlin and West Berlin. The check-point (or a reconstitution) there remains and a museum telling the stories of those which were évertuèrent to try to pass the wall was arranged in the vicinity.

Culture

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many houses partially destroyed during the Second world war and not rebuilt yet were found in the center of Berlin. They were located at the west in old East Berlin. These places given up in full center town attracted many artists and they became the fertile ground for all kinds of cultures underground and other counter-cultures. Clubs settled there including famous “the Treasury”, one of the most important clubs Techno in the world.

The reputation of the clubbing Berliner is recognized and envied in the whole world thanks to legendary discotheques, the such famous Kitkatclub and, more recently, the Berghain, two universally known institutions for their excellent musical programming combined with a certain sexual freedom of their customers.

This cultural development passes in particular by the occupation of buildings deserted by alternate artists. The example of Tacheles Haus is on this completely remarkable point. Berlin thus has a rich and very diverse cultural life. Spectacles and demonstrations in any kind are numerous. It is a city international, very open and tolerant, multi-cultural.

Today, Berlin must face serious financial problems, but the cultural events continue. One can note the Carnival of the Cultures, a procession of multi-ethnic street annual, as well as the CSD (Christopher Street Day), which is the greatest demonstration the homosexual ones in Central Europe. These events attract million Berliner and are supported by the government of the city. Until 2003, each summer took place also the Love Parade, the largest procession in love one with the music techno, in full downtown area, in the Tiergarten.

Although the population decreases and that unemployment rate is raised, much young Germans and artists continue to settle in Berlin, making city the capital of youth and pop culture of Germany. Moreover, in 2003, it was announced that annual Popkomm, a world reference in music industry, would take place from now on in Berlin, after being itself unrolled during 15 years with Cologne. Moreover, the music channel MTV Germany also moved its seat of Munich for Berlin at the end of April 2004.

Lastly, Berlin is also a reference for the cinema with the reception each year in February of the Berlinale, international festival of cinema whose supreme reward is the Ours of Gold.

Some museums

Island of the Museums

See also: Island with the Museums (Berlin)

The Île with the Museums shelters:

Some theaters

Cinema

Berlin accommodates each year in February the Berlinale. Some films being held in Berlin:

Operas

Orchestras and choral societies

Orchestras:

Choral societies:

  • RIAS Kammerchor ;
  • Rundfunkchor Berlin

Universities

Other establishments comparable to technical universities:

  • Alice-Solomon-Fachhochschule für Sozialarbeit/-pädagogik ;
  • Evangelische Fachhochschule ;
  • Fachhochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft ;
  • Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft ( Berlin School off Economics );
  • Hochschule für Musik Hans Eisler ;
  • Technische Fachhochschule ;
  • International Business School Berlin .

Zoological gardens

In Berlin there are two zoological gardens: The Zoo of Berlin ( Zoologischer Garten Berlin ), already founded in 1844, and the Zoological garden of Berlin-Friedrichsfelde ( Tierpark Berlin ), founded in 1954. Since the Réunification of the town of Berlin the two institutions cooperate intensively and starting from January 31st, 2007 they are directed by only one director.

Economy

August 1st Berlin is the tourist city of Germany and accommodates each year more than seven million visitors.

Economy and policy are always closely dependant there: before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Western part of the city survived thanks to the subsidies provided by FRG, which covered more half of its budget. The Berliner employees received then a Berlinzuschlag , a premium specific rewarding their fidelity to Berlin. From now on, work of rehabilitation of the oriental party and installation of the future buildings of the government, cannot be only financed by the city, currently at the edge of the bankruptcy.

For example, the municipal lawns more are maintained also often only front, of the swimming pools and of the public theaters had to close. The foreign investors did not come to settle so quickly that one had hoped and the tax re-entries remain thin, compared with the expenditure concerning a population knowing a strong unemployment rate. Many companies of East Berlin had to close for lack of productivity.

Historically, industry has an important weight in the economic development of the city. Whole districts are named according to great names of German industry, like, in particular, Siemensstadt, built in the years 1920 in the district of Spandau for the workmen of this company. It always has its seat there, contrary to much of other Berliner companies which left the city after the construction of the wall, by fear of being crossed their suppliers and their markets.

The service company leaves also prints to Berlin and, among the important employers today, one can quote the airport of Tegel. Nevertheless, the public office remains still a long time the first employer of the city.

To reduce the administrative costs and to integrate Berlin into its vicinity, an initiative aiming at gathering the Länder of Berlin and Brandebourg (with its Potsdam capital) was finally refused by the populations consulted by referendum. Thus, Berlin faces only the economic and political challenges end of the 20th century, among which the arrival of the German government.

If Berlin is become again in right the capital of Germany as of on October 3rd, 1990, the decision to transfer the administrations and the members of Parliament was made only on June 21st, 1991 and the expiry pushed back for on January 1st, 2000. Berlin thus accommodates the seat of the presidency (castle of Bellevue) and of the chancellery and its government ( Reichstag and Bundestag ), which constituted one of large the building site of the downtown area.

When the rebuilding of the new governmental district around Potsdamer Platz is completed, and that offices of Sony, Daimler Benz and other multinationals will be used, an economic skilled of inch will be given, thanks to the arrival in the capital of several thousands of people.

Transport in Berlin

Berlin is very well served by public transport: the network of urban trains ( S-Bahn ), subway ( U-Bahn ), Tram ( Straßenbahn ) and of drunk ensures an almost complete cover of the city as well of day as of night. Friday evening, the bank holiday Saturday evening and days before, the subways and S-Bahn function even uninterrupted during all the night. During the week of the buses the subways between approximately 1:00 and 4:30 replace. Berlin also lays out of 6 public lines of Ferry (boat).

The city is crossed of is in west by the Berliner Stadtbahn . On this line in particular the stations of Ostkreuz are, Warschauer Straße, Ostbahnhof, Jannowitzbrücke, Alexanderplatz, Hackescher Markt, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof (in the past Lehrterbahnhof), Bellevue, Tiergarten, Zoologischer Garten, Charlottenburg and Westkreuz.

Recently, of many work took place to transform the old famous station of Lehrte Hauptbahnhof (“central station”) into true central station: it became the central node of Berlin for the rail-bound transport and S-Bahn on the East-West axis. Connection with an axis of denser North-South S-Bahn and with the subway (with the prolongation of line 5) is programmed. Part of work (in particular concerning the service road of the station by the urban transport) is delayed, even suspended sine die , fault of financings, Berlin being at the edge of the bankruptcy. The station however took up duty for the interregional and international regional traffic on May 28th, 2006. The existing East-West connection was supplemented by a North-South connection (left the Pilzkonzept , “concept of mushroom”), the two connections crossing at the central station.

The network was supplemented in 2002 by the start-up of integrality of the circular railway which had been divided by the Wall then put except service in West Berlin. The S-Bahnring or Ringbahn makes it possible to make it tower of the city in 60 minutes exactly. After the construction of the wall, the two parts of the city chose their own means of transport. In the West, one privileged the lines of Métro of Berlin (U-Bahn). The historical lines served already pre-war period the Western districts mainly. The authorities of West Berlin chose to reinforce the network, offering a very fast and reliable service road. In the East, most of transport is made by means of Tramway S, which does not exist any more in the West, even if prolongations are envisaged. Several lines of buses and tram known as “subway” allow also fast displacements through the city. The prolongation of the line of M10 belt to the central station (old station of Lehrte) is in hand, and should open in 2008.

Concerning the highway network, the city knows for the moment only one half-by-pass of the west coast; it should be buckled in the long run. There exists a second by-pass which makes it tower of the city at a longer distance (the Autoroute A10) which is the largest peripheral of Europe.

For the rail-bound transport, the Deutsche Bahn makes roll of the trains and the regional expresses as well as ICE. There are also two lines of the company InterConnex.

For air transport, Berlin has three Aéroport S: Tegel, Schönefeld and Tempelhof. Tempelhof should close in the years to come (perhaps in 2006), followed by Tegel. Schönefeld, in the course of enlarging, will become in the long term the large airport Berlin Brandenbourg International (BBI).

Sport

Berlin accommodated the Olympic Games of summer of 1936 and was one of the cities of the Football world cup of 2006 of which it accommodated the final with the Olympiastadion. The Championnats of the world of athletics 2009 will also be held with the Olympiastadion of Berlin. The Marathon of Berlin is held each year of center town just like the athletics meeting ISTAF cash for the Golden League. WTA Turn, together of the female tennis tournaments, includes/understands the Open of Germany organized annually in the city since 1979. Founded in 1896, it is one of the oldest tennis tournaments for women. The FIVB World Turn with selected a site near Alexanderplatz to present an annual tournament of Beach Volleyball.

Berlin is the city of the Hertha BSC Berlin, a team of Football of the Championnat of Germany of football, and of the team of Basket-ball of the ALBA Berlin (known under the name of the albatross of Berlin), which gained all the national championships between 1997 and 2003. Berlin is also the city of the Eisbären Berlin of the Championnat of Germany of hockey, a team which at founded summer at the time of the East Germany.

and of the Berlin Thunder.

Famous characters

In Berlin were born: In Berlin died:

Others

In 2005, Berlin had the second higher rate of Délinquance of Germany (15 002 offenses for 100.000 inhabitants)

See too

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