Sitting in the northeast section of Germany, at the junction of the Spree and Havel rivers, Berlin is the capital and largest city in the country, as well as the third largest municipality in the world.
Centuries ago, this region formed the eastern border of the “Frankish Realm” ( i.e. the Kingdom of the Franks). While most of this kingdom was inhabited by Frank and Saxon tribes, east of the border were Slavic tribes; thus, some of the border settlements’ names were influenced by the Slavic language (e.g. with Slavic suffixes of -ow, -it’s, -witz, etc.) Even the name “Berlin” has its roots in the Slavic language - the “Ber” at the beginning sounds like “bar”, the German word for “bear, and a bear is part of the city’s coat of arms. Excavations in central Berlin have revealed the earliest evidence of settlements in the region, with a wooden beam dating to circa 1192, and the remnants of a home foundation dating circa 1194. The first written records pertaining to a formal settlement here date from 1197. Tradition states that the city was founded in 1237. By the beginning of the 1400’s, Frederick I was ruling the “Margravite of Brandenburg” (a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire) until 1440.
During the “Thirty Years War” (1618 to 1648), Berlin was on the brink of disaster; one third of its buildings were either damaged or destroyed and almost one-half of its population lost. In an effort to rebuild the population, the 1685 “Edict of Potsdam” offered assylum to French Hugenotes trying to escape religious persecution, resulting in 30% of Berlin’s population being French by 1700. The following year, the Kingdom of Prussia was formed and Berlin became its capital. During the rule of Frederick the Great (1740 to 1786), Berlin became the “Center of Enlightenment” with the enhanced studies of philosophy and reason.
Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the “Fourth Coalition” ( Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain), in 1807 as part of his quest to create an empire, but in the process, granted Berlin self-governing rights.
The 19th century’s Industrial Revolution greatly altered Berlin; expanding its population and economy. With the end of World War I, the German Republic (also known as the Weimar Republic) was created but political unrest over the instability of the economy led to its eventual downfall. 1933 saw the rise of Adolph Hitler’s National Socialist German Working Party (the Nazis) and all that entailed. Following the end of World War II, Berlin (which was deeply within Soviet controlled East Germany) was divided into four sectors, with the U.S., UK, and French sectors forming West Berlin, while the Soviet Sector formed East Berlin. Disagreements over currency reforms in 1948 led to the Soviet Union’s blockading land access routes to the western sectors, resulting in the famous “Berlin Airlift.”
With the fall of the Soviet Union and the demolition of the Berlin Wall, German reunification was finally able to be achieved formally on October 3, 1990.
Since we had not yet visited any part of Germany during our travels, we decided to make Berlin our first stop in this part of Europe.
Officially known as the “Rotes Rathaus”, or City Hall, Berlin’s seat of local government is also known as the “Red Town Hall” because of the bricks’s coloring. This is an archival photo of the building as it is currently shrouded by scaffolding as part of a renovation project that includes construction of a new underground train stop.
A stone’s throw away from city hall is Alexanderplatz, a large public square and transportation hub. Originally created as a cattle market, Alexanderplatz is now a tourist gathering spot. The major features here are the World Clock in the foreground and the 1100 foot tall “Fernsehtrum” or TV Tower in the background. Some may recognize this Square from its being featured in the Hollywood film “The Bourne Supremacy.”
One of the most recognizable features of the city is the Brandenburg Gate. While we were there, direct access was closed off by the white fencing in the background because of a huge television screen that was erected on the far side for viewing the World Cup soccer matches. Interestingly, The United States Embassy is just to the left of this picture, abutting the Gate.
So that the horrors of Hitler’s ideology are never forgotten, this 4.7 acre Holocaust Memorial was erected in 2004 near the heart of the city.