9781422283608

MA J O R World Cities

BERLIN

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BERLIN

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Words in bold are explained in the glossary on pages 46 and 47.

MA J O R World Cities BEIJING BERLIN

LONDON MOSCOW NEW YORK

PARIS ROME SYDNEY

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CONTENTS

Introduction.................................................................... 4-5 Maps of the city.............................................................. 6-7 Berlin’s early history. ....................................................... 8-9 Berlin from 1914. ........................................................ 10-11 The people of Berlin.................................................... 12-13 Architecture................................................................ 14-15 Open spaces............................................................... 16-17 Homes and housing. ................................................... 18-19 Education. .................................................................. 20-21 Religion...................................................................... 22-23 Industry and finance.................................................... 24-25 Crime and punishment................................................ 26-27 Getting around............................................................ 28-29 Shops and markets. ..................................................... 30-31 Food and drink............................................................ 32-33 Entertainment............................................................. 34-35 Museums and art galleries............................................ 36-37 Special events............................................................. 38-39 City characters. ........................................................... 40-41 Berlin’s future.............................................................. 42-43 Timeline..................................................................... 44-45 Glossary. .................................................................... 46-47 Index............................................................................... 48

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BERLIN

INTRODUCTION

Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. It stands in the northeast of

the country on the banks of the River Spree. Berlin is the largest city in Germany, with an area of about 343 square miles (889 sq km) and a population of 3.5 million. The Berlin region, also known as Greater Berlin, extends beyond the city borders and contains about one million more people.

This view of Berlin shows the Brandenburg Gate (right of the semi- circle of trees) and the Reichstag (above the trees by the river).

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Division and unity In 1949 Germany and the city of Berlin were divided into two parts— the Communist East and the capitalist West. Both city and country were joined again in 1990, and since then there have been many changes. In Berlin the authorities are working hard to create a fully united city, for example by linking the transport networks of the East and the West.

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Land and local government Berlin is both a city and state ( Land ), one of 16 federal states that make up Germany. The state of Berlin has a government, the Senate, led by a Governing Mayor. Each of 12 boroughs of the city of Berlin elects its own assembly and office.

FAST FACTS BERLIN STATUS Capital of the Federal Republic of Germany; one of the country’s 16 Länder AREA 343 square miles (889 sq km) POPULATION 3.5 million GOVERNING BODY Land government and mayor; borough assemblies and mayors CLIMATE Temperatures average 34°F (-1 °C) in January and 64°F (18°C) in July TIME ZONE Central European Time CURRENCY

This building is The Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus), where Berlin’s Governing Mayor and Senate Chancellery work. It used to be the home of the East Berlin government.

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Berlin–Brandenburg The federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg have a special relationship. The state governments work together to develop regional social structures such as health care and education that benefit local people. The two governments also work together to build infrastructure such as the Berlin Brandenburg Airport that benefits the local economy.

1 Euro (€) = 100 eurocents OFFICIAL LANGUAGE German

Capital city Following reunification , the

Bundestag (the national legislature) of the new Germany voted to re- establish Berlin as the federal capital. Since 1999 the Bundestag has met in the historic Reichstag building. Since 2000 the Bundesrat (the legislature that represents the states) has also met in Berlin (see page 42).

Long ago people hunted bears in the woods around Berlin. Now the bear is the symbol of the city and appears on its flag. ⌂

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BERLIN

MAPS OF THE CITY

The main map on this page shows you Berlin as it looks today. Many of the sites mentioned in the book are marked and some are illustrated.

The smaller map shows the City’s 12 boroughs. It will help you to locate some of the places mentioned on other pages.

BERLIN’S BOROUGHS

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Lichtenberg Marzahn-Hellersdorf Mitte Neukölln Pankow Reinickendorf Spandau Steglitz-Zehlendorf Tempelhof-Schöneberg Treptow-Köpenick

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Humboldt University New Synagogue Bode Museum Pergamon Museum Old National Gallery Old Museum St. Marien Church Television Tower Red Town Hall St. Nicholas Church Alexanderplatz

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Kurfürstendamm Kaiser William Memorial Church New church and tower Europa-Center Tiergarten Victory Column

Holocaust Memorial Brandenburg Gate Reichstag German Theater Berliner Ensemble Haus am Checkpoint Charlie French Cathedral Konzerthaus

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Kulturforum Philharmonie Sony Center Daimler-Benz area Potsdamer Platz

German Cathedral Gendarmenmarkt State Opera House

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BERLIN

BERLIN’S EARLY HISTORY

In the early 13th century two trading settlements, CÕlln and Berlin, were founded on the site of modern Berlin. CÕlln, which was first mentioned in written records in 1237, stood on an island in the River Spree. Berlin, first mentioned in 1244, stood on the north bank opposite. In 1307 the two towns were united.

The Hohenzollern family Berlin-Cölln was part of the Brandenburg region. From the 15th century it was ruled by princes of the Hohenzollern family. These princes took over Berlin-Cölln, built a palace and made the city their capital. Between 1618 and 1648 Protestants and Roman Catholics from many European countries opposed each other in the Thirty Years’ War. Fighting raged in Berlin-Cölln and disease also swept through the city. About half of its 12,000 inhabitants had died by the end of this period. Powerful rulers In 1640 a new ruler took over in Brandenburg. This was Frederick William, known as the Great Elector . He built fortifications , canals, and houses in Berlin-Cölln, and brought about 6,000 Huguenots (French Protestants) to the city to replace inhabitants killed in the war. When Frederick William died in 1688, his son Frederick became Elector, and in 1701 was crowned King Frederick I. He controlled the territory of Prussia , an area which included Brandenburg. In 1709 the king united Berlin, Cölln, and three nearby towns to form the single city of Berlin.

Huguenots came to Berlin after their religion was banned in France in 1685. This imaginative picture shows the Great Elector welcoming them.

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Frederick the Great increased the size of Prussia’s army. It became Europe’s largest with 180,000 members. ⌂

Frederick the Great King Frederick II began his reign in 1740. He made Prussia a great military power, and it became the most important state in northern Germany. Frederick also ordered the construction of many grand Berlin buildings, even though he preferred to live in Sanssouci Palace in nearby Potsdam. He is known as Frederick the Great because of his achievements. 19th-century Berlin

The German Empire On 18 January 1871 Prussia joined the other German states to form the German Empire. The Prussian king William I became Kaiser (Emperor) with Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian prime minister, as Chancellor. The Prussian city of Berlin became the imperial capital.

In 1806 the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Berlin and stayed until 1808. In the following years workers in the many new factories called for better pay and conditions. People also began to demand a constitution and a parliament for the city. In 1848 there was a revolution, and from 1849 the king had to rule with a parliament.

William I was proclaimed German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris, France. This painting shows the dramatic scene.

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BERLIN

BERLIN FROM 1914

In World War I (1914–18), Germany fought many countries, including Britain, France, Russia,

The Weimar Republic The German empire was replaced by a republic . In 1919, a Social Democrat government was formed in the town of Weimar. But Berlin was still Germany’s capital and in 1920 expanded to form Greater Berlin. Inflation and unemployment grew quickly in Germany. Many people turned to the Nazi Part y for help. On January 30, 1933, its leader, Adolf Hitler, became German Chancellor. He ended the Weimar Republic and began a period of Nazi rule called the Third Reich. and the US. A total of about 10 million people died. Germany was defeated, and German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated .

Former Army corporal Adolf Hitler became Germany’s Führer (leader). ⌂

World War II The Nazis persecuted Germany’s Jews and anyone who disagreed with Nazi policies. Then, on September 1, 1939, they invaded Poland and World War II began. Much of Berlin was later destroyed by the Allies in air raids , and up to 50,000 citizens were killed. In January 1945, Soviet troops invaded Germany. By April, they were in Berlin with other Allied forces. Hitler committed suicide, and Germany surrendered on May 8.

World War II bombing left about 100 million tons of rubble on Berlin’s streets. Many men were dead or in prison camps, so “rubble women” cleared the debris. ⌂

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During the Berlin Airlift, cargo planes brought thousands of tons of supplies into the city every day, including chocolate and sweets.

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The Berlin Airlift After the war the four main Allies occupied Germany. Each controlled a separate zone. Berlin was in the eastern, Soviet zone, and was itself divided between the four Allies. The Soviet sector was in the east. Soon the Communist Soviets and the other, non- communist Allies came into conflict. In June 1948 the Soviets closed all road, rail, and canal links between West Germany and West Berlin. Supplies could not get through. The other Allies had to airlift food and fuel into West Berlin. The blockade ended in May 1949.

East and West Germany In May 1949 the British, French, and American zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), with Bonn as its capital. In October the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), with East Berlin as its capital. East Berlin was poorer than West Berlin, so many people fled to the West. The East German government erected the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent more escapes. This wire and concrete barrier ran right through the city.

The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of the Cold War and the hope of a new future. ⌂

Together again In the 1980s East Germans protested against the lack of democracy in their country. This led to the collapse of the government. Germans began to break down the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. On 3 October 1990 East and West Germany were reunited, and in 1991 Berlin became the capital of the whole country again.

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BERLIN

THE PEOPLE OF BERLIN

When Berlin was reunited in 1990 people were overjoyed. But the 2.2 million West Berliners and 1.3 million East Berliners soon began to realize the social and economic costs of what they called die Wende (“the change”). As a result there was often tension between the two groups.

East and West Berliners Under Communist rule, many East Berliners had guaranteed jobs and financial help from the government to pay their rent. After reunification, they lost these benefits. Unemployment quickly rose as changes to the East German economy caused businesses to close. The lower cost of housing caused many West Berliners to move east. This drove up prices and forced East Berliners out. As hard as these changes were and sometimes continue to be many homes, apartments, businesses, and entire neighborhoods have been renovated and improved.

Berliners soon discovered that reunification had disadvantages.

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NEO-NAZISM Berlin’s economic difficulties in the 1990s and early 2000s led to the growth of neo-Nazism (new Nazism) in the city. In the 1990s many neo-Nazis were unemployed young men from eastern boroughs who dressed as skinheads (right). Since the 2000s, the look of neo-Nazi youth has become more mainstream. However, some members of such far-right groups continue to carry out violent attacks against immigrants and asylum seekers.

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New arrivals Just over 30 per cent of Berliners are not Germans. Turks make up the city’s largest non-German population. After the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, businesses in West Berlin could not employ East Berliners, so they used guest workers ( Gastarbeiter ). Because of war and the breakup of European states in the 1990s and 2000s, people from Poland, the former USSR, the former Yugoslavia, and other South European countries arrived. The mid-2000s saw the arrival of Syrian refugees as well.

This grocery shop has signs in Arabic and German. Different nationalities in Berlin have introduced new foods (see page 32).

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Berlin’s Jews Jews have lived in Berlin for hundreds of years. In the 17th century Jewish victims of pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe fled to Berlin. By the 1930s about 170,000 lived in the city. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Jews were dismissed from their jobs and banned from mixing with non-Jews. Then, on 9 November 1938, the Nazis launched an all-out attack, destroying Jewish shops and synagogues . This is known as Kristallnacht (“crystal night”) because of all the broken glass in the streets. Loss and renewal Many Jews left Germany during the Nazi era. Millions more died in concentration camps . By the end of the World War II only about 5,000 Jews remained in Berlin. The city’s present Jewish population of about 10,500 is the largest in Germany. In recent years many Jewish immigrants have come to Berlin from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Israel among other places.

Berliners gaze in disbelief at the debris of a Jewish shop after Kristallnacht . The swastika, emblem of the Nazi Party, can be seen in the background. ⌂

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ARCHITECTURE

Many gifted architects have worked in Berlin. As a result there are hundreds

St. Nicholas Church Berlin’s oldest district is the St. Nicholas Quarter (Nikolaiviertel), and the oldest building there is St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche). The church was built in about 1230, but was badly damaged in the World War II. Much of the quarter, including St. Nicholas Church, was restored in 1987 for Berlin’s 750th anniversary celebrations. The church is now a museum of Berlin history. Charlottenburg Castle The beautiful Charlottenburg Castle (Schloss Charlottenburg) was built in the late 17th century as a summer home for Sophie-Charlotte, wife of King Frederick I (see page 8). Many architects, including Karl Friedrich Schinkel (see page 40), extended the building and it is now about five times its original size. The chapel and some royal apartments are open to the public. The castle also contains museums and galleries.

of splendid buildings in the city.

GERMANIA Nazi leader Adolf Hitler wanted to rebuild Berlin completely. He intended to call his new capital Germania and to fill it with huge buildings that reflected Germany’s power. Architect Albert Speer completed the first of these buildings in 1938—the Chancellery (above) where Hitler worked. The Nazis' defeat in the World War II ended their dreams of Berlin’s reconstruction, and the Chancellery was pulled down by the Soviet army.

Charlottenburg Castle was first called Lutzenburg Castle. It was renamed by Frederick I after his wife, Sophie-Charlotte.

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