Berlin - Historical Background

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Berlin is in good shape - and that's despite, not because of its 800-year long history.

The Early Years

It all started in the aptly-named district of Mitte (meaning 'centre') when, in 1300, the two neighbouring trading towns of Berlin and Coelln joined forces. All but destroyed by the Thirty Years War, the young city soon invited in its first batch of immigrants to make up for the loss in population: French Protestants, persecuted in their home country and looking for religious freedom were a welcome addition to Berlin's workforce. Their influence can be seen today in the area around the Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) or in the Berlin dialect, speakers of which still call a sidewalk a trottoir.

It fell on the Prussian 'Soldier King', Frederick William I, to develop the city. In 1709, he made Berlin the capital and his son, Frederick the Great, strengthened Prussia's role as a major player in Europe. At this time, the Prussian court was a cradle of enlightenment, frequently visited by the philosopher Voltaire. The King's appreciation of the humanities paved the way for a new era of classicist architecture, and fantastic buildings such as the ornate Konzerthaus and the imposing Altes Museum were erected. Berlin's love affair with the arts is reflected in the fact that the city still boasts three opera houses - the Deutsche Oper, Staatsoper and Komische Oper.

Napoleonic Occupation

The Napoleonic occupation of Berlin in 1806 was met with fervent patriotism and produced a powerful liberal reform movement. However, the bourgeois revolution of 1848 was short-lived and William I became emperor of the Second German Reich in 1871, with Berlin as its capital.

The “Founding Years”

Berlin boomed during the "Founding Years" at the end of the 19th century. Industrial giant Siemens built a modern underground system capable of transporting hundreds of thousands of people every day. Scientists such as Robert Koch led the world in research and development, while artists like Gerhard Hauptmann and Wassily Kandinsky paved new ground in the arts.

The Weimar Republic

All this was cut short by the First World War. After the war, Berlin became the focus of the failed 1918/19 revolution and went on to become the capital of Germany's first fragile democracy, the Weimar Republic, in the 1920s. The city assumed the status of a glamorous arts and entertainment centre, while at the same time being an industrial powerhouse. At the time, artists such as Brecht, Gropius and Feininger forged a legacy that left a lasting impression throughout Europe.

The Nazi Era

Berlin remained the capital of Germany during the Nazi era. Hitler even envisioned the city as 'Germania', the capital of a global empire, and began to leave his megalomanic mark on the architecture and the infrastructure of the city. Berliners suffered under Nazi rule, especially the persecuted left-wing movements and the vast Jewish community. More than 60,000 Berlin Jews, nearly half of the city's population, died in the Holocaust. Thousands more fled the country. Jewish cultural life is only now beginning to experience a revival (in the Scheuenviertel).

East and West

At the end of World War II, Berlin was reduced to little more than a pile of rubble, its population halved. The Potsdam Agreement divided the city into four sectors, each of which was ruled by one of the Allies - the USA, USSR, Britain and France. All too soon Berlin became the focus and symbol of Cold War animosities (and the preferred location for spy movies). While the German Democratic Republic proclaimed East Berlin as its capital, the three western sectors remained under Allied supervision until 1990. On both sides of the Wall - erected in 1961 to stop East Berliners from fleeing - Berlin continued to spearhead reform movements, such as the peace movement in the West and opposition to the one-party regime in the East. Thirty five years later, during his 1998 visit to Berlin, US President Clinton would make a point of echoing John F. Kennedy's famous words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner' ('I am a Berliner').

The Fall of the Wall

The fall of the Wall in 1989 wasn't entirely unexpected. Level-headed politicians on both sides of the Iron Curtain had been working towards a cautious reconciliation since the early 1970s, but few expected the Wall to fall overnight. An entire generation had grown up knowing Berlin only as a divided city, and it was the peaceful revolution of the East German people that made reunification possible (see Alexanderplatz).

Nowadays, Berlin is once again the capital of a democratic state, yet unification is very much a work in progress.







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Gründerzeitmuseum


The Golden Twenties revisited
 Hultschiner Damm 333
Berlin, Berlin 12623
+49 (0)30 567 8329
http://www.gruenderzeitmuseum.de/
Gründerzeitmuseum
Barn Quarter


Barns and pubs
 Steinstraße
(Gormanstraße)
Berlin, Berlin 10178
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
Barn Quarter
Mitte
Berlin
Mitte
Komische Oper


Small and beautiful opera house
 Behrenstraße 55-57
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 20 2600
http://www.komische-oper-berlin.de
Komische Oper
Staatsoper unter den Linden


State opera house
 Unter den Linden 7
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 20 3540
http://www.staatsoper-berlin.org
Staatsoper unter den Linden
Deutsche Oper


West Berlin's opera house
 Bismarckstraße 35
Berlin, Berlin 10627
+49 (0)30 343 8401
http://www.deutscheoperberlin.de/tickets
Deutsche Oper
French Cathedral


French cathedral
 Gendarmenmarkt 5
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 2064 9922 / +49 (0)30 2064 9923
http://www.franzoesischer-dom.de/
French Cathedral
Berliner Wall


The Berlin Wall
 Pariser Platz
Mühlenstraße / Niederkirchnerstraße / Bernauer Straße
Berlin, Berlin
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
http://www.die-berliner-mauer.de/
Berliner Wall
Alexander Square


Berlin's windswept heart
 Alexanderplatz
Berlin, Berlin 10178
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touriten Information)
Alexander Square
Concert House


Architectural and musical masterpieces
 Gendarmenmarkt
Berlin, Berlin 10117
+49 (0)30 20309 2330
http://www.konzerthaus.de
Concert House
Altes Museum


Ancient Greek and Roman antiques
 Am Lustgarten
Berlin, Berlin 10178
+49 (0)30 2090 5555
http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/
Altes Museum
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church


Berlin's best-known landmark
 Breitscheidplatz
Berlin, Berlin 10789
+49 (0)30 218 5023
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Berlin
Berlin - Art & Entertainment
Berlin - Where to Stay
Berlin - Neighborhood Guide
Berlin - Dining & Drinking
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