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Everything You Need to Know About Berlin: The Capital City of Germany
- 2. INDEX 1. Name, country and location of the city 2. Natural environment, climate and landscape 3. Population 4. Evolution during the last one hundred years 5. Plan 6. Structure of the different parts 7. City life 8. Advantages: economy and culture 9. Urban problems 10. Function 11. Specifities 12. Communications 13. Other facilities 14. Bibliography
- 3. NAME, COUNTRY AND LOCATION OF THE CITY: Berlin is the capital city of Germany. Also it is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is set in the north-east of this country on the river Spree and it covers a total area of 892 km2. Near Berlin there are other cities such us, Potsdam, Magdeburg and Lübeck. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE: Berlin is one of the greenest cities of Europe, with many lakes and forests inside and outside the city. There are a lot of natural parks, such us The Tiergarten, which is one of the most important natural urban spaces of the world. This Park has been a hunting area, as well as a large green area for the amusement of the citizens of Berlin. Berlin has a oceanic climate. That’s to say, cold and wet winters and warm and sunny summers. The annual average temperature is over 11/12ºC. Berlin is known by his long and hot summers. During this summers, the climate is hot and humid in accordance with the environment. Summers in Berlin use to be pleasant, with 22-25 ºC temperatures during the day, but lower temperatures (12/14 ºC) in nighttime. However, winters are cold in Berlin. Nighttimes are long and its temperatures tend to freeze. During the day, in most of the cases there are snowfalls. In the afternoons, the sun hardly shines. The temperatures use to be between 3ºC and -2ºC. Finally, Autumn and Spring are the missing seasons. Rains are constants in these seasons of the year, especially in spring. But summer is the rainiest season, especially in June and August. And from October to February are the driest months. However, in Berlin, there is only one day a month in which the sun doesn’t appear, which makes it a very pleasant city to visit at any time. A peculiarity of Berlin in comparison with other cities is the diversity of the landscape within the city. The central and east parts of Berlin are very urbanized, even though areas of the West are green wooded parkland, with lakes formed by the rivers Spree and Havel. The Tiergarten Park
- 4. POPULATION: With a population of 3.4 million inhabitants, Berlin is the most populated city of the country. The number of men and women is very similar (a 48.9% are men and the other 51.1%, women). The population of Berlin is composed by Germans from the city and foreigners who came to work temporarily in the city and they stayed there. The 85% are Germans born there and the remaining 15% are citizens of other countries. That 15% is composed mainly by Turkish citizens, as well as Russians, poles, Italians and there are also some groups of Asian or African citizens. The population of Berlin has been growing approximately during the last twenty five years, starting from the Berlin Wall’s fall, the reunification and the creation of Berlin into capital city, until the arrival of the Chancery. EVOLUTION DURING THE LAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS: During the last 100 years, Berlin has been involved in many wars, politic conflicts… At the beginning of the 20th century, Guillermo II was the Emperor of Germany, a selfish and arrogant boy without great talents. His ambitious projects of rearmament and his rivalry with other European countries such as France and England isolated German in Europe. This started to create The First World War. But then, The Princes of Austria were killed in Sarajevo by a Bosnian man (1914), this launched The First World War. The end of The First World War happened in 1918. After the war, a new republic was created, called the Weimar Republic. This republic was not very long, because of the problems in bourgeoisie, the economic crisis, the Wall Street crash and more different conflicts with economy. Only, between 1924 and 1929, the people of Berlin could enjoy a scientific, artistic and literary boom. The big amount of theatres, cabarets and nightclubs of Berlin gave name to the famous Golden Twenties. In 1933(on the 27 of February), the Reichstag fire happened, which is a fundamental fact in Nazi Germany. Marinus Van der Lubbe was a Dutch council Communist, who was executed for setting fire to the German Reichstag building. Many years later, the German courts declared him innocent twice, in 1980 and in 2008. Today we don’t know who set the fire, but is very probable that the arson was planned by the Nazis. On January 30, in 1933, Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor. Once in power, Hitler introduced the authoritarian monarch and he tried to end an ambitious plan, which consisted on making Berlin the most powerful capital city of the world. But he failed because of the war. In 1939, Berlin became the capital of Nazi Germany, the Germany of Hitler. In March, Hitler invaded
- 5. Poland and here started the Second World War, which lasted five years and a half. Hitler was starting a totalitarian dictatorship. This ended with the life of more than six million people: Jews, Gypsies, handicapped people and others that were supposed to be enemies of the Government who were brutally persecuted and murdered in the concentration camps. During the last months of World War II, most of the German cities were bombarded and Berlin suffered a very heavy damage since it was the capital of Nazi Germany. Of 82,000 Jews who lived in Berlin, only 7,240 survived, mostly women, by covering theirself in the cellars of the houses of Berlin citizens. The battle of Berlin was the end of this confrontation (1945), in which the Red Army won. So on 30 April 1945, Adolf Hitler, his wife (Eva Braun), his minister of advertising Joseph Goebbels and Goebbels’s wife and sons committed suicide. It is said that Hitler was died by gunshot and Eva Braun by ingesting cyanide. However, there are more versions about the death of Adolf Hitler. Finally, thanks to the help of the Americans, Berlin became the modern city which was before the war. After the World War II, German was divided into fourth, each one controlled by one of their alliances. But then, it was separated into two: Russians with the East part, and English and American people with the West. Berlin was a divided city since the war caused tensions between the two sides of the city. In 1961, East Germany built the Berlin wall, separating the city and isolating one of the other. It was a 140-kilometer-long wall. This was destroyed in 1989, by the population of East Germany, because they were suffering a Communist dictatorship. And a year later, the reunification of Germany took place. So in 1990 the country moved its capital from Bonn to Berlin. Nowadays, Berlin continues to be the capital of Germany and one of the most important European capitals. This city continues expanding and growing. PLAN: Berlin’s plan is irregular.
- 6. STRUCTURE OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS: Berlin is divided into 12 districts; these districts have different neighborhoods inside. They were created after the merger of districts in 2001. Approximately they can be separate into six different groups: MITTE: Mitte is one of the districts. Is the historical centre of Berlin. There are many historical sites to visit and galleries, museums, cafes, clubs… CITY WEST: Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf and Tempelhof- Schöneberg districts. The luxury street is found, and there are a lot of great restaurants and hotels in this area. The Charlottenburg Palace and the Tiergarten, for example, are here. EAST CENTRAL: Friedrichsain, Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg districts. The streets are noisier because of the amount of students, artists, foreigners… These districts have a lot of clubs, bars and places to take something to eat or drink, but we can also find some museums. EAST: Lichtenberg and Marzahn- Hellersdorf districts. Here the buildings of the army are found, as well as the large park ‘The Gardens of the World’ in Marzahn-Hellersdorf. NORTH: Pankow, Reinickendorf and Spandau districts. Spandau and Reinickendorf are beautiful old towns, more spacious than the inner parts of the city. However, in Pankow district few people live. SOUTH: Neukölln, Steglitz-Zehlendorf and Treptow-Köpenick districts. Zehlendorf is one of the greenest and wealthiest districts of Berlin, while Neukölln is one of the poorest areas of the city. CITY LIFE: In Berlin the quality of life is very good. The public transport is modern and comfortable. Apartments, flats… have good prices. Rivers and lakes around the city, make easier the arrival of drinking water. And it is also possible to swim, practice sports and make fishing. Berlin has the concentration of scientific, academic centers and Europe's largest research. There are four universities, three art colleges and many more places to study. One interesting thing is that within the city, 264 km² are occupied by forests, green spaces and recreation, and other 60 km² are mirrors of water and rivers, which makes a high quality of life.
- 7. ADVANTAGES: ECONOMY AND CULTURE: Berlin is a big city and a competitive place for business. Nowadays, the economy in Berlin is dominated by the service sector. Companies are attracted by the excellent infrastructure of the city, qualified labour and greet academic level. So thanks to the economy of Berlin a lot of people go there to work and the number of tourists is growing. In Berlin you can also enjoy a big cultural life (museums, festivals, exhibitions, etc.). URBAN PROBLEMS: The traffic is a big problem and also the pollution that the cars make. However, in Berlin and more German cities, they are creating some green areas in which the people can’t use the autos that produce a big quantity of CO2. Even so, pollution levels have not changed a lot, since a small part of the cars; especially the oldest has been out. Another problem is the airport Willy Brandt, which started building in 2006 and was supposed to be finished in 2010, but it has accumulated delays and resignations. FUNCTION: Berlin has a lot of functions. It has a very good level in education and a very high importance in culture. There are a lot of buildings, archaeological remains, paintings, sculptures and prestigious Art universities and schools. Political and administrative organizations are based on regional levels. Berlin has also a commercial function. The meter of Berlin is one of the most practical meters in Europe. There are also tramways, a lot of buses and a train. In Berlin we can find three airports: Schönefeld, Tegel and Tempelhof. It is a touristic attraction because of its history, museums… There are a lot of small businesses that make Berlin a big industry. SPECIFITIES: Today it is a peculiarity to see the remains of the wall that divided Germany into two parts. It is also an extensive canvas where street artists reflected their political messages through his art.
- 8. The nightlife of Berlin is also one of its peculiarities since you can always find a place of your choice to spend the night. The third peculiarity of Berlin is its gastronomy. The beer paradise of Berlin is very famous and in all the places of the city you can find this famous beer. The sausages are delicious too and meals tend to be accompanied by cauliflower! The modern fast food version of the ‘döner kebab’ was invented in Berlin in 1971. Thanks to the fall of the Berlin wall, the city's rebuilt with modern air, giving an air of art to the city, so in 2004 it was chosen by Unesco as a creative city, thanks to the development, restoration and reconstruction of many buildings, 153 museums and more than 50 theaters. COMMUNICATIONS: The situation in Germany is very good for its great proximity to the Centre and North of Europe. And Berlin, the capital of Germany, is an obligated tour of many people and goods. In addition to this, Berlin has access to the Baltic Sea by the Spree River. OTHER FACILITIES: The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch, and now one of the most well- known landmarks of Germany and Berlin. It is located in the western part of the city centre of Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate is a monument that is important to visit, for its historic beauty and its greatness. Near the Alexanderplatz we can find the Fernsehturn, which is the tower of the television and it was built in 1960. The Tower has a panoramic circular restaurant that rotates on itself and offers beautiful views of the city. It is considered to be the second tallest building in Europe. Fernsehturn, Berlin
- 9. The Museum Island is the name given to the northern half of an island in the Spree River in the central Mitte district. The most spectacular and important museums of the city are located there: the Altes, Neues, Bode and Pergamon museums and the Alte Nationalgalerie.