Berlin
Interesting article about the German city of Berlin, divided until 1990.
Travel Articles - Berlin
Berlin - Always in The Process of Becoming - ‘Berlin is a city that never is but is always in the process of becoming’
A city referred to by many quotations:
‘Ich bin ein Berliner’
(John F. Kennedy, President of the USA, 1963 while visiting Berlin)
‘Mr Gorbachev, Tear down this wall’
(Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, speech at the Brandenburg Gate, 1987)
‘Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin’ (‘I still keep a suitcase in Berlin’ Marlene Dietrich, actress and singer born 1901 in Berlin-Schonenberg)
Berlin is the capital of Germany and is its largest city. From the period of 1949 to 1990 it was divided into East Berlin, the capital of the German Democratic Republic and West Berlin. It was a city divided by the Berlin Wall between 13th August 1961 and 9th November 1989. Since German reunification on 3rd October 1990 it has been one of three city states.
The city is located in the north of Germany and was built on sand from the rivers Spree and Havel, which run between the plateaux of Barnim in the north and Teltow in the south. It incorporates the German state of Brandenburg and has been a state in its own right since 1947, at this time Prussia was officially dissolved. The Dutchy of Brandenburg and later the kingdom of Prussia first appeared on record in 1237.
Berlin is sub-divided into 12 divisions (Verwalt), each district is governed by a district council (Bezirks) with a district Mayor (Bezirksburgermeister). The German government moved from Bonn to Berlin in 1999. From between a period of 1890 to the mid 1920’s Berlin was the fourth largest urban area in the world, after New York, London and Paris. Today the city is the sixth largest urban area in the European Union. Even though Berlin has a number of impressive buildings from earlier centuries, the city’s appearance today is mainly shaped, due to the role played by Germany in the 20th century. Today, not much is left of the Berlin wall, although by looking at the architecture it is still possible to tell if one is in the former eastern or western area of the city. Check Point Charlie was one of the crossing points from east to west and was manned by the Allied Forces. This crossing point became synonymous with the Cold War.
Potsdamer is an entire quarter which was divided by the wall, this is an area not to be missed by people who like modern city planning. Unter den Linden is the main street which heads east from the Brandenburg Gate, here can be seen many classical buildings. The new Synagogue building of Oranienburger Strabbe (which was originally built in the 1860’s in a Moorish style with a large golden dome) underwent reconstruction in 1993. This area was the centre of Jewish culture up until the 1930’s. A memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, a holocaust memorial opened in May 2005. The Berliner Funkturm is the only observation tower in the world which stands on insulators.
The city’s cultural programme is just amazing, with over 150 theatres, 3 opera houses and 170 museums, The Berlin Wall Documentation Centre, The German Film Museum, Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), the Pergamon Museum and the Hamberger Bahnhof (Museum of Contemporary Art). Berlin’s art scene is extremely rich and the city hosts an art forum and an annual international art fair. This amazing city is also home to the European Film Academy. Germany has a thriving film industry, an example of this is ‘A Funeral in Berlin,’ a cold war thriller filmed in Berlin in 1966. Berlin hosted the historical 1936 Olympics and has a great sporting tradition. In 2009 it will host the Athletic World Championships and football fever will bring a buzz to the city this year as they currently prepare to host the World Cup in the summer, making Berlin a hot destination, with flights and hotels already filling up. Berlin is a city of many surprises and full of a unique atmosphere.
Berlin Factfile:
Continent: Europe
Geography: Area - 891.69km2
Elevation - 34m above sea level
Postal Codes -10001-14199
Area Code - 030
Getting There:
This amazing city is now very accessible as Air Berlin has opened a new regular route to fly to Berlin from San Javier airport.
Getting Around:
Berlin’s integrated public transport system is the best way to get about. One ticket allows travel on all trains, trams, busses and ferries run by the public transport authority (BVG). TAXI’s are numerous and available at all times (almost). Taxi stands can be found at all main stations and airports as well as outside KADEWE and hotels. Most Berlin taxi drivers speak English, but do not take it for granted.
Article provided by kind permission of The Leader Newspaper.
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