[59] Walter Momper, the mayor of West Berlin, became the first mayor of the reunified city in the interim. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world;[226] it is housed in the Berliner Philharmonie near Potsdamer Platz on a street named for the orchestra's longest-serving conductor, Herbert von Karajan. 82 Gymnasien teach Latin[186] and 8 teach Classical Greek.[187]. The expanded Deutsches Historisches Museum reopened in the Zeughaus with an overview of German history spanning more than a millennium. [212] The Berlin Wall itself has become one of the largest open-air canvasses in the world. At present, Berlin consists of 96 subdistricts, which are commonly made up of several smaller residential areas or quarters. The city was a residence of the Prussian kings and the German Kaiser, until 1918. Approximately halfway from the Brandenburg Gate is the Groer Stern, a circular traffic island on which the Siegessule (Victory Column) is situated. [134], Important economic sectors in Berlin include life sciences, transportation, information and communication technologies, media and music, advertising and design, biotechnology, environmental services, construction, e-commerce, retail, hotel business, and medical engineering. It is the only observation tower which stands on insulators and has a restaurant 55m (180ft) and an observation deck 126m (413ft) above ground, which is reachable by a windowed elevator.

Around 130,000 jobs were added in this period. [196] In 2012, around 65,000 professional scientists were working in research and development in the city. [22] The city is well known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts and a very high quality of living. The sectors of the Western Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) formed West Berlin, while the Soviet sector formed East Berlin.[54]. The city can be viewed from its 204-meter-high (669ft) observation floor. Berlin is also the headquarter of major German-language publishing houses like Walter de Gruyter, Springer, the Ullstein Verlagsgruppe (publishing group), Suhrkamp, and Cornelsen are all based in Berlin. In 2015, the total labor force in Berlin was 1.85million. [103] 48 percent of the residents under the age of 15 have migration background.

[8][9] Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. [243] Tempelhofer Feld, the site of the former city airport, is the world's largest inner-city open space. [13] After World War II and its subsequent occupation by the victorious countries, the city was divided; West Berlin became a de facto exclave of West Germany, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (from August 1961 to November 1989) and East German territory. [213] The leftover stretch along the Spree river in Friedrichshain remains as the East Side Gallery. On 20 June 1991, the Bundestag (German Parliament) voted to move the seat of the German capital from Bonn to Berlin, which was completed in 1999. [2] The government keeps a register of members of these churches for tax purposes, because it collects church tax on behalf of the churches. [28] 1237 is considered the founding date of the city. [164] With 377 cars per 1000 residents in 2013 (570/1000 in Germany), Berlin as a Western global city has one of the lowest numbers of cars per capita. Siemens, a Global 500 and DAX-listed company is partly headquartered in Berlin. [242] In Kreuzberg, the Viktoriapark provides a viewing point over the southern part of inner-city Berlin. Focal points are photonic components and systems, fiber optic sensor systems, and image signal processing and transmission. Among the largest international corporations who have their German or European headquarters in Berlin are Bombardier Transportation, Securing Energy for Europe, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, Sony and Total. The area around Hackescher Markt is home to fashionable culture, with countless clothing outlets, clubs, bars, and galleries. [249] The city hosted the Basketball Euroleague Final Four in 2009 and 2016. The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute develops mobile and stationary broadband communication networks and multimedia systems. [56] In 1961, East Germany began to build the Berlin Wall around West Berlin, and events escalated to a tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie. Friedrichstrae was Berlin's legendary street during the Golden Twenties. The city has four public research universities and more than 30 private, professional, and technical colleges (Hochschulen), offering a wide range of disciplines. During the Weimar era, Berlin underwent political unrest due to economic uncertainties but also became a renowned center of the Roaring Twenties. The passionate piece goes back to how techno flourished in the German capital following the fall of the wall. In 1539, the electors and the city officially became Lutheran. [143], Among the 10 largest employers in Berlin are the City-State of Berlin, Deutsche Bahn, the hospital providers Charit and Vivantes, the Federal Government of Germany, the local public transport provider BVG, Siemens and Deutsche Telekom.[144]. Furthermore, Berlin is classified as a temperate continental climate (Dc) under the Trewartha climate scheme, as well as the suburbs of New York City, although the Kppen system puts them in different types.

German is the official and predominant spoken language in Berlin. Berlin's nightlife has been celebrated as one of the most diverse and vibrant of its kind. [14] East Berlin was declared capital of East Germany, while Bonn became the West German capital. The goal is to have the scent of the club in a bottle. Today ethnic Germans from countries of the former Soviet Union make up the largest portion of the Russian-speaking community. Swedish House Mafia Teams Up With Fred Again And Future For 5 Reasons Why You Should Attend ARC Music Festival 2022, Afterlife releases a massive 39-track Unity compilation. The largest visitor groups are from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and the United States. The bridge was completed in a brick gothic style in 1896, replacing the former wooden bridge with an upper deck for the U-Bahn. Around 125,000 civilians were killed. About one-third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers, canals and lakes. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall), home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, stands between the two cathedrals. The Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church has eight parishes of different sizes in Berlin. The area around Potsdam in particular Sanssouci is known for a series of interconnected lakes and cultural landmarks. The Berlin State Opera on Unter den Linden opened in 1742 and is the oldest of the three. You can order this unique product here. ), Mende, Hans-Jrgen (Hrsg. The office of the Governing Mayor is in the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). Ivan Fischer is its principal conductor. [136] Several major corporations like Volkswagen, Pfizer, and SAP operate innovation laboratories in the city. french prisoners war alamy germany wwii france release second events Berlin has Germany's largest number of daily newspapers, with numerous local broadsheets (Berliner Morgenpost, Berliner Zeitung, Der Tagesspiegel), and three major tabloids, as well as national dailies of varying sizes, each with a different political affiliation, such as Die Welt, Neues Deutschland, and Die Tageszeitung. Typical street scene at Simon-Dach-Strae. About 500 top athletes (15% of all German top athletes) are based there. [25] Other landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag building, Potsdamer Platz, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Berlin Wall Memorial, the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Victory Column, Berlin Cathedral and the Berlin Television Tower, the tallest structure in Germany. The city has more than 10 stations[167] that run buses to destinations throughout Germany and Europe, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof Berlin being the biggest station. [55] In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in West Germany and eventually included all of the American, British and French zones, excluding those three countries' zones in Berlin, while the Marxist-Leninist German Democratic Republic was proclaimed in East Germany. [159], In 2019, Berlin has the best future prospects of all cities in Germany, according to HWWI and Berenberg Bank. [108], According to the 2011 census, approximately 37 percent of the population reported being members of a legally-recognized church or religious organization. Following German reunification, the center portion was reconstructed with a steel frame, and U-Bahn service resumed in 1995. Berlin's Expats Go Bezirk", "Egypt battling for more relics after Louvre success", "Dealer Will Enrich Art of the Berlin He Fled", "Graffiti in the death strip: the Berlin wall's first street artist tells his story", "The 26 Best Cities in the World To See Street Art", "Berlin, Berlin, the city of sin. [79], Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 2225C (7277F) and lows of 1214C (5457F). [165] Deutsche Bahn runs high speed Intercity-Express trains to domestic destinations like Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main and others. West Berlin's partnerships had previously been restricted to the borough level. [214] The oldest and most popular first division team based in Berlin is the football club Hertha BSC. The city that never sleeps, or better yet, where you never have to sleep", "Art of Now Berlin's Nightlife BBC Sounds", "In the Capital of Electronic Music, Women Rule the Scene", "MICHELIN Guide, Germany, Berlin Restaurants", "Good Taste Award Winner 2015: Berlin, The New Vegetarian Capital", "Conscious Food Consumption at Berlin's Restlos Glcklich", "Spicy sausage that is worthy of a shrine in Berlin", "Chocolate Heaven at Fassbender & Rausch", "There's Nothing More German Than a Big, Fat Juicy Dner Kebab", "Peter Joseph Lenn, Senate Department of Urban Development", "Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin", "Melbourne retains ultimate sports city title", "Italy conquer the world as Germany wins friends", "Euroleague Final Four returns to Berlin in 2016", "Berlin, Germany selected to host the 2023 Special Olympics World Games", "500,000 spectators to watch the game together", "Der Landessportbund Berlin Mitglieder", "Berlin's swimming pools and bathing spots", Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, States of the Federal Republic of Germany, states of the Federal Republic of Germany, Institutional seats of the European Union, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Spanish Organization for the Blind (ONCE), Faceted Application of Subject Terminology, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Berlin&oldid=1099340817, Populated places established in the 13th century, 1230s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from June 2022, Articles with dead external links from July 2019, Articles with dead external links from December 2021, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox settlement with bad settlement type, Pages using infobox settlement with possible area code list, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2020, Pages using multiple image with manual scaled images, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2021, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. In 2019, the urban area of Berlin had about 4.5million inhabitants. The President of Germany, whose functions are mainly ceremonial under the German constitution, has their official residence in Bellevue Palace. Treptower Park, beside the Spree in Treptow, features a large Soviet War Memorial. 5,422km (3,369mi) of roads run through Berlin, of which 77km (48mi) are motorways (Autobahn). National and international migration into the city has a long history. The sector comprises music, film, advertising, architecture, art, design, fashion, performing arts, publishing, R&D, software,[152] TV, radio, and video games. Generating a revenue of 15.6billion Euro and 6% of all private economic sales, the culture industry grew from 2009 to 2014 at an average rate of 5.5% per year.[153]. ", "Berlin's new $7 billion airport has finally opened after 9 years of delays, corruption allegations, and construction woes see inside", "BER: A brief history of how not to build an airport", "European Green City Index Berlin Germany", "Berlin to get free public Wi-Fi in early 2016", "Geschichte des Franzsischen Gymnasiums", "HochschulenBerlin mit neuem Studentenrekord", "Excellence Strategy of the German Government", "Ten institutions that dominated science in 2015", "European Institute of Innovation and Technology: Home", "EIT ICT Labs Turn Europe into a global leader in ICT Innovation", "World Heritage Site Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin", "A New Williamsburg! [221][222] The Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures), a multi-ethnic street parade, is celebrated every Pentecost weekend. West Berlin was surrounded by East German territory, and East Germany proclaimed the Eastern part as its capital, a move the western powers did not recognize. The city is also home of the German Film Academy (Deutsche Filmakademie), founded in 2003, and the European Film Academy, founded in 1988. [193][194] The Universitt der Knste (UdK) has about 4,000 students and ESMT Berlin is only one of four business schools in Germany with triple accreditation. [2] One of Germany's sixteen constituent states, Berlin is surrounded by the State of Brandenburg and contiguous with Potsdam, Brandenburg's capital.

It is the largest remaining evidence of the city's historical division. In 1971, a Four-Power agreement guaranteed access to and from West Berlin by car or train through East Germany.[58]. The fusion had the near-unanimous support by a broad coalition of both state governments, political parties, media, business associations, trade unions and churches. Berlin (/brln/ bur-LIN, German: [blin] (listen))[7] is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. [203] In 2005, Berlin was named "City of Design" by UNESCO and has been part of the Creative Cities Network ever since.[204][20]. [195] The Berlin School of Economics and Law has an enrollment of about 11,000 students, the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology of about 12,000 students, and the Hochschule fr Technik und Wirtschaft (University of Applied Sciences for Engineering and Economics) of about 14,000 students. After the royal palace was finished in 1451, it gradually came into use. In the 1990s the Aussiedlergesetze enabled immigration to Germany of some residents from the former Soviet Union. The West Berlin system in operation and open for public use until 1963, and for government use until 1972. [154] It is home to more than 1,000 film and television production companies, 270 movie theaters, and around 300 national and international co-productions are filmed in the region every year. Same-sex bars and dance halls operated freely as early as the 1880s, and the first gay magazine, Der Eigene, started in 1896. Berlin will host the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many historic buildings in Mitte, the former city center of East Berlin, were illegally occupied and re-built by young squatters and became a fertile ground for underground and counterculture gatherings. [47], The Industrial Revolution transformed Berlin during the 19th century; the city's economy and population expanded dramatically, and it became the main railway hub and economic center of Germany. Young people, international artists and entrepreneurs continued to settle in the city and made Berlin a popular entertainment center in the world. Among them are the German Heart Center, one of the most renowned transplantation centers, the Max-Delbrck-Center for Molecular Medicine, and the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics. The Beate Uhse Erotic Museum claims to be the world's largest erotic museum.[210]. The SOUND and the Dschungel gained notoriety. As of 2011[update] Berlin is home to 138 museums and more than 400 art galleries. Berlin is also home to a diverse gastronomy scene reflecting the immigrant history of the city. Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg are the warmest and driest regions in Germany. Nearby on Tauentzienstrae is KaDeWe, claimed to be continental Europe's largest department store. Clubs are not required to close at a fixed time during the weekends, and many parties last well into the morning or even all weekend. 54 percent of them were single-person households. [25][200] The diversity and vivacity of the metropolis led to a trendsetting atmosphere. The national railway operator Deutsche Bahn,[145] Europe's largest digital publisher[146] Axel Springer as well as the MDAX-listed firms Zalando and HelloFresh and also have their main headquarters in the city. These subdistricts became urbanized and incorporated into the city later on. [83] The wettest month on record was July 1907, with 230 millimeters (9.1in) of rainfall, whereas the driest were October 1866, November 1902, October 1908 and September 1928, all with 1 millimeter (0.039in) of rainfall.[84]. Many Classical buildings line the street, and part of Humboldt University is there. The Messe Berlin (also known as Berlin ExpoCenter City) is the main convention organizing company in the city. Other gardens in the city include the Britzer Garten, and the Grten der Welt (Gardens of the World) in Marzahn. Albert Einstein rose to public prominence during his years in Berlin, being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. Until 2008, Berlin was also served by the smaller Tempelhof Airport, which functioned as a city airport, with a convenient location near the city center, allowing for quick transit times between the central business district and the airport. As of 2014[update], Berlin had 878 schools, teaching 340,658 students in 13,727 classes and 56,787 trainees in businesses and elsewhere. [2][114] Between 1992 and 2011 the Muslim population almost doubled. [184], The Franzsisches Gymnasium Berlin, which was founded in 1689 to teach the children of Huguenot refugees, offers (German/French) instruction. [160] According to the 2019 study by Forschungsinstitut Prognos, Berlin was ranked number 92 of all 401 regions in Germany. [164] In 2013, 1.344million motor vehicles were registered in the city. [52] Berlin is the most heavily bombed city in history. The nearby New Synagogue is the center of Jewish culture. NSDAP rule diminished Berlin's Jewish community from 160,000 (one-third of all Jews in the country) to about 80,000 due to emigration between 1933 and 1939. [78][77], Due to its transitional climate zones, frosts are common in winter, and there are larger temperature differences between seasons than typical for many oceanic climates. The total annual federal budget managed by the German government exceeded 310 ($375) billion in 2013. Other DAX-listed companies headquartered in Berlin are the property company Deutsche Wohnen and the online food delivery service Delivery Hero. Restoration and construction of a main entrance to all museums, as well as reconstruction of the Stadtschloss continues. [117] There are 36 Baptist congregations (within Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany), 29 New Apostolic Churches, 15 United Methodist churches, eight Free Evangelical Congregations, four Churches of Christ, Scientist (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 11th), six congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an Old Catholic church, and an Anglican church in Berlin. It also houses a multi-sensory spa experience. [29] The central part of Berlin can be traced back to two towns. Over one-third of the city area consists of green space, woodlands, and water. It is spoken in Berlin and the surrounding metropolitan area. [120] The total annual state budget of Berlin in 2015 exceeded 24.5 ($30.0) billion including a budget surplus of 205 ($240) million. The focal point is the Brandenburg Gate, where midnight fireworks are centered, but various private fireworks displays take place throughout the entire city. According to the EKBO, their membership accounted for 18.7 percent of the local population, while the Roman Catholic Church had 9.1 percent of residents registered as its members. This is why most of the cities and villages in northeastern Germany bear Slavic-derived names (Germania Slavica). [238] Asian cuisine like Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Korean, and Japanese restaurants, as well as Spanish tapas bars, Italian, and Greek cuisine, can be found in many parts of the city. It is a West Germanic language that derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. Historically, 67 Nobel Prize winners are affiliated with the Berlin-based universities. West of the center, Bellevue Palace is the residence of the German President. Museum Berggruen houses the collection of noted 20th century collector Heinz Berggruen, and features an extensive assortment of works by Picasso, Matisse, Czanne, and Giacometti, among others.

Clim Change 92: 99107, Germany's third-largest metropolitan region, an unsuccessful attempt to unify both states in 1996, heat stored by the city's buildings and pavement, Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO), Member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Berlin's 12 boroughs and their 96 neighborhoods, List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, International Congress and Convention Association, largest power plants measured by capacity, Universities and research institutions in Berlin, Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, "Amt fr Statistik Berlin Brandenburg Statistiken", "Statistischer Bericht: Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner im Land Berlin am 31. [175] It is estimated Berlin has 710 bicycles per 1000 residents. Active immigration and asylum politics in West Berlin triggered waves of immigration in the 1960s and 1970s.

[42], Since 1618, the Margraviate of Brandenburg had been in personal union with the Duchy of Prussia. Tresor Der Klang Der Familie - @resident_advisor. [239] It was the home of the captive-born celebrity polar bear Knut. [223] Berlin is also well known for the cultural festival Berliner Festspiele, which includes the jazz festival JazzFest Berlin, and Young Euro Classic, the largest international festival of youth orchestras in the world. The airport grounds have since been turned into a city park. Both airports together handled 29.5million passengers in 2015. [127], Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since 2015, the Arkenberge hills in Pankow at 122 meters (400ft) elevation, have been the highest point in Berlin. [102], In December 2019, there were 777,345 registered residents of foreign nationality and another 542,975 German citizens with a "migration background" (Migrationshintergrund, MH),[2] meaning they or one of their parents immigrated to Germany after 1955. The metropolis experienced its heyday as a major world capital and was known for its leadership roles in science, technology, arts, the humanities, city planning, film, higher education, government, and industries. Prefixes for vehicle registration were introduced in 1906, but often changed due to the political changes after 1945. Berlin hosts in total 158 foreign embassies[131] as well as the headquarters of many think tanks, trade unions, nonprofit organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations. Regional rail lines of the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg provide access to the surrounding regions of Brandenburg and to the Baltic Sea. It is therefore an example of canting arms. As of 2015[update] the five largest power plants measured by capacity are the Heizkraftwerk Reuter West, the Heizkraftwerk Lichterfelde, the Heizkraftwerk Mitte, the Heizkraftwerk Wilmersdorf, and the Heizkraftwerk Charlottenburg. [163] A total of 979 bridges cross 197km (122mi) of inner-city waterways. Almost 2.0million households were counted in the city. By the 1920s, gays and lesbians had an unprecedented visibility. 23 restaurants in Berlin have been awarded one or more Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide of 2021, which ranks the city at the top for the number of restaurants having this distinction in Germany. Vehicles were registered under the following prefixes: "I A" (1906 April 1945; devalidated on 11 August 1945); no prefix, only digits (from July to August 1945), "" (=BG; 194546, for cars, trucks and busses), "" (=GF; 194546, for cars, trucks and busses), "M" (=BM; 194547, for motor bikes), "M" (=GM; 194547, for motor bikes), "KB" (i.e. Polish, English, Russian, and Vietnamese have more native speakers in East Berlin. On 3 October 1990, the two parts of Germany were reunified as the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin again became a reunified city. Forty-seven elite athletes participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is a transhipment and storage site for inland shipping with a growing importance.[166]. [32] Officially, the Berlin-Clln palace became permanent residence of the Brandenburg electors of the Hohenzollerns from 1486, when John Cicero came to power. In 1701, the dual state formed the Kingdom of Prussia, as Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg, crowned himself as king Frederick I in Prussia. What a time to be alive. The East Side Gallery is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. [229], The cuisine and culinary offerings of Berlin vary greatly. The Admiralspalast in Mitte has a vibrant program of variety and music events. [201] An innovative music, dance and art scene has developed in the 21st century. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a Holocaust memorial, is to the north.[95]. Its main exhibition area covers more than 160,000 square meters (1,722,226sqft).

[115], About 0.9% of Berliners belong to other religions. Several professional clubs representing the most important spectator team sports in Germany have their base in Berlin. This includes the Hackesche Hfe, a conglomeration of buildings around several courtyards, reconstructed around 1996. Edition Luisenstadt Berlin, Nr. Public transportation in Berlin has a long and complicated history because of the 20th-century division of the city, where movement between the two halves was not served.