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What to see in Berlin, Germany

 
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vcppow's pictureby vcppow review
added on 14th of August, 2008

Berlin was immortalized in the film 'Cabaret' but the years after WWI represent just one colorful phase. Berlin is a very old city and many of its first buildings such as the Nicolaikirche and Marienkirche, both built between 1230 and 1292, can still be seen in the Nicolaiviertel area. Berlin was a trading hub in the 13th century and a recent excavation at the Pertriplatz uncovered an oak beam that dates to 1192, suggesting an earlier town.

Berlin grew from the fusion of two earlier settlements, Berlin and Cölln which were separated by the Spree River. At the midpoint of the next century, Berlin joined the Hanseatic League, a merchant association that regulated trade relations. At the end of the 15th century, Berlin’s population was about 8300 with 1100 buildings, including the first town hall, which was built on the site of the current Town Hall. 500 years of Hohenzollern reign had begun in Berlin and was commemorated in 1411 by initiating the building of what is now Berlin’s City Palace on an island in the Spree. Berlin’s importance rose until, in 1871, it was the capital of the German Reich and the nexus of business, politics and science. In 1879, the word’s first electric railway was demonstrated at an exhibition and in 1882 the Kurfürstendamm, a splendid promenade that is still enjoyed, was built.

The 20th century saw the building of the U-Bahn, still the speediest form of transport throughout Berlin and another city favorite, the Kaufhaus des Westens a department store at the Wittenbergplatz. Berlin’s population was now over 2 million, which was hard to sustain during WWI; poverty and starvation led to political unrest and labor strikes. The rise of Hitler and the National Socialist party ended the long history of democracy in Berlin. By the end of WWII Berlin’s Jewish population was reduced from about 160,000 to 1,400 by emigration and death in concentration camps.

The Wannsee Conference was held in 1942 nearby Berlin to discuss “final solution of the Jewish question,” in a house that is now a memorial. In 1940 Berlin experienced Allied bombing that damaged and destroyed many historic sites, including the original Sportpalais, site of the 1936 Olympics. The German Resistance to Hitler and the Third Reich is memorialized at the Bendlerblock and at the Plötzensee Memorial Center where many dissenters were executed in 1945. In April, Berlin surrendered to Allied Forces and on May 8, 1945 a treaty was signed in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, in a barracks that is now a memorial.

The city was subsequently divided into East and West Berlin, supervised by the USSR and the US, respectively. This division was physically embodied by erecting the Berlin wall which created a border between the two factions, friends and families. At the end of 1989 reunification efforts resulted in a new law that would allow travel between East and West Germany. On November 9, 1989 thousands of East Berliners went to Bornholmer Strasse to celebrate the opening of the border. The Berlin wall was later dismantled, small portions of it were sold as mementos. In recent years, Berlin has become a completely unified vibrant modern city.
 

Things about Berlin you may be interested in

 
 

Read about Berlin in our travel-guide
What to do in GermanyYou must see the Berlin Bundestag
 
 
 
guides

Recommended Berlin Guide

Berlin Travel guide

Berlin, GermanyBerlin is back – back as the capital of a reunified Germany and back as one of Europe’s greatest cities. After World War II, Berlin was sandwiched between East and West, with a literal and metaphoric wall deeply dividing the two halves, but a new Berlin has emerged, that of a nation with nothing to hide, which is attempting to distance itself from the ghosts of its past. Berlin is a city with two centers – one is a cluster of expensive hotels, bars, cinemas, shops around the Memorial Church and the other is the political and cultural core of the Imperial German capital. Because of the decades of division, the reunited city... Read more »

 
 
reviews

Recent reviews for Berlin

Berlin - Jul 24, 2009, by Victoria
Berlin wissen sie wo das liegt ich weiß es im osten Deutschlands dort gibt es das Brandenburger Tor,Schlösser und viele Museun zubesichtigen auf jeden fall lohnt es sich dort hinzufahren... Read more »

Places to visit free in Berlin - Apr 30, 2009, by erato
Berlin Sightseeing Berlin is one of the busiest capitals in Europe and still we, visitors must admit that it’s one of the most beautiful ones as well. city on its own is amazing, full of parks; Unequally among the European capitals... Read more »

You must see the Berlin Bundestag - Apr 30, 2009, by erato
Berlin – Bundestag/Reichstag The Bundestag is the national parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. The name Bundestag refers to the institution while the name Reichstag is used for the building. The architect of the original... Read more »

Berlin for low budget travelers - Apr 30, 2009, by erato
The famous TV Tower is situated on the Alexanderplatz with its total height of 365 m. There is a viewing platform and observation deck at 203 meters from where you can see the whole city and, if the weather is good, even farer. It is a... Read more »

Was gibt es in Berlin zu tun - Jun 15, 2009, by mary
Wo liegt Berlin? Berlin ist die Hauptstadt Deutschlands und liegt im Nordosten des Landes. Ca. 3,4 Millionen Einwohner hat Berlin. Die Durchschnittstemperatur ist 8,9 Grad. Im Jahr kommen ca. 17 Millionen Turisten nach Berlin, also mehr... Read more »

 
 

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