Berlin (/bˈlɪn/; German: [bɛʁˈliːn] (
listen)[7]) is the capital city of Germany. It is the largest city in the European Union by population, with more than 3.7 million people.[8] The city is in the eastern part of Germany. It is about 70 km (43.50 mi) west of Poland. Berlin has an area of 891 km2 (344.02 sq mi). The rivers Havel, Dahme and Spree run through Berlin. It has an oceanic climate.
Berlin is home to many famous buildings and monuments, like the Siegessäule, the Brandenburger Tor, the Reichstag and the boulevard Unter den Linden. On the boulevard are the Humboldt University and the State Opera of Berlin. The Governing Mayor of the city is Michael Müller (SPD).
Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media and science.[9] There are a lot of technology companies in the city. They are important for the city's economy. Many planes and trains travel to and from Berlin because the city is an important place for tourism and business.[10]
Berlin is an important city for the history of Germany. The King of Prussia and the Emperor of Germany lived in Berlin. The government of Germany was in Berlin for many years. Bombs destroyed many buildings in the city in World War Two. The city was split into West Berlin and East Berlin after World War Two. After the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 very few people were allowed to cross from East Berlin into West Berlin. The wall divided the city until 1989 when the East German government decided to allow anyone to cross, and people decided to destroy the wall.
Boroughs
map of the berlin boroughs
In 2001 the 23 boroughs of Berlin were changed into 12
- Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
- Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
- Lichtenberg-Hohenschönhausen
- Marzahn-Hellersdorf
- Mitte (Central)
- Neukölln
- Pankow
- Reinickendorf
- Spandau
- Steglitz-Zehlendorf
- Tempelhof-Schöneberg
- Treptow-Köpenick
Sights
History
- 1244 The first writings about a place called Berlin.
- 1451 The Hohenzollern family moved to Berlin as the place to rule their country
- 1618 – 48 After the Thirty Years' War in Germany, the number of people that lived in Berlin dropped to only 6000.
- 1701 Berlin became capital of Prussia.
- 1709 Berlin and its neighbor city Cölln (not Köln/Cologne) are combined to form the new Berlin.
- 1806 The army of Napoleon Bonaparte moved into Berlin.
- 1871 Berlin became capital of the German Empire.
- 1920 The Old Berlin and some neighbour towns are combined into "Greater Berlin" (Groß-Berlin).
- 1945 The town is divided into four sectors, used by the allies of World War II. There is a Soviet Sector, an American Sector, a British Sector and a French Sector.
- 1949 After foundation of the two Germanies, the town is still divided. There is now West Berlin and East Berlin.
- 1961 The Berlin Wall was built by the communist government of East Germany between the two halves of Berlin.
- 1990 After German reunification, the Berlin Wall is torn down, and there is only one Berlin again. The new Berlin becomes the capital of one Germany.
Gallery
International Congress Center
Berlin Zoo, Polar bear cub "Knut" 24.03.2007
The Buddy Bear has become an unofficial ambassador for Germany and is a symbol of Berlin.
Technical University Berlin
Nefertiti at the Egyptian Museum
Sister cities
Berlin has partnerships with 17 cities.[11] Each of the 12 boroughs also has their sister cities, sometimes called twin cities.
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United States, Los Angeles, (1967)
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France, Paris, (1987)
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Spain, Madrid, (1988)
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Turkey, Istanbul, (1989)
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Russia, Moscow, (1990)
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Poland, Warsaw, (1991)
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Hungary, Budapest, (1991)
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Belgium, Brussels, (1992)
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Indonesia, Jakarta, (1993)
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Uzbekistan, Tashkent, (1993)
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Mexico, Mexico City, (1993)
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China, Beijing, (1994)
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Japan, Tokyo, Japan, (1994)
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Argentina, Buenos Aires, (1994)
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Czech Republic, Prague, (1995)
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Namibia, Windhoek, (2000)
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United Kingdom, London, (October 2000)
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Notes
References
Other websites
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Amsterdam, Netherlands ·
Athens, Greece ·
Berlin, Germany ·
Bratislava, Slovakia ·
Brussels, Belgium ·
Bucharest, Romania ·
Budapest, Hungary ·
Copenhagen, Denmark ·
Dublin, Republic of Ireland ·
Helsinki, Finland ·
Lisbon, Portugal ·
Ljubljana, Slovenia ·
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg ·
Madrid, Spain ·
Nicosia, Cyprus1 ·
Paris, France ·
Prague, Czech Republic ·
Riga, Latvia ·
Rome, Italy ·
Sofia, Bulgaria ·
Stockholm, Sweden ·
Tallinn, Estonia ·
Valletta, Malta ·
Vienna, Austria ·
Vilnius, Lithuania ·
Warsaw, Poland ·
Zagreb, Croatia
Other European countries
Andorra la Vella, Andorra ·
Ankara, Turkey1 ·
Belgrade, Serbia ·
Bern, Switzerland ·
Chişinău, Moldova ·
Kyiv, Ukraine ·
London, United Kingdom ·
Minsk, Belarus ·
Monaco-Ville, Monaco ·
Moscow, Russia1 ·
Oslo, Norway ·
Podgorica, Montenegro ·
Reykjavík, Iceland ·
San Marino, San Marino ·
Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina ·
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia ·
Tbilisi, Georgia1 ·
Tirana, Albania ·
Vaduz, Liechtenstein ·
NOTES: 1. Country part of both Europe and Asia |
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Cities in Germany by population |
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| 500,000+ | |
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| 200,000+ | |
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| Wendish and Pomeranian circle | |
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| Saxony, Thuringia, Brandenburg circle | |
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| Poland, Prussia, Livonia, Sweden circle | |
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| Rhine, Westphalia, Netherlands circle | |
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| Principal Kontore (counting houses) | |
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| Subsidiary Kontore | |
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