Berlin

Berlin
Berlin
	State of Germany
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	Berlin in Germany
	Coordinates: 52°31′24″N 13°24′46″E / 52.5233°N 13.4127°ECoordinates: 52°31′24″N 13°24′46″E / 52.5233°N 13.4127°E
Country	Germany
Capital	Berlin
Government
• Governing Mayor	Klaus Wowereit (SPD)
• Governing parties	SPD / CDU
Area
• Total	891 km2 (344 sq mi)
Population (30 November 2008)
• Total	3,400,000
• Density	3,820/km2 (9,880/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Berlin is the capital city of Germany. It is also the biggest city in Germany. About 3,400,000 people as of November 2008 live there. (In the year 1943 there were over 4,500,000 people).

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.

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 Klaus Wowereit (SPD).

Berlin was divided into West Berlin and East Berlin after World War II. 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 (SED) decided to allow anyone to cross, and people decided to destroy the wall.

Boroughs of Berlin

map of the berlin boroughs

Main page: Boroughs of Berlin

In 2001 the 23 boroughs of Berlin were changed into 12

Sights

Alexanderplatz (with the Television Tower)
Berliner Dom (Berlin's cathedral)
Berlin Hauptbahnhof (the new main Railway station)
Brandenburg Gate
Fernsehturm (the TV tower - the highest building in Germany)
Potsdamer Platz
Reichstag building (home of the Bundestag)
Rotes Rathaus (office of the Governing Mayor)
Straße des 17. Juni (Street of the 17th of June)
Siegessäule (Statue of Victory)
Unter den Linden (the main boulevard)

History of Berlin

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

Reichstag
Potsdamer Platz
Brandenburg Gate
The Theatre of the West
Bellevue Palace
Victory column
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.
Berlin Philharmonic
Technical University Berlin
Nefertiti at the Egyptian Museum