BERLIN

“THE CITY OF
FREEDOM”
 BASIC
INFORMATION
ABOUT BERLIN
• Berlin is the capital of Germany
and is one of its 16 Federal
State
• It is located in north-eastern
Germany and is the centre of
the  Berlin-Brandenburg
Metropolitan Region
• It is the second most populous
city in Europe with its
population being 3,748,148
• German is the official and
predominant spoken language
in Berlin.
EARLY BERLIN(12th-16th
century)
• The name Berlin appears for the first time in recorded
history in 1244, seven years after that of its sister
town, Kölln, with which it later merged. 
• The two towns were founded mainly because of trade as
they commanded a natural east-west trade route over
the Spree River.
• Berlin was founded by The Slavs(The original Germanic
tribe who migrated westwards)
• The Slavs were overthrown by Albert I(Albert, The Bear).
Berlin still retains as its symbol a defiant black bear
standing on its hind legs.
• By 1214 a fort had been built and Berlin joined
the Hanseatic League of northern German towns.
BERLIN AND ITS
HISTORY(17th -19th century)
• The Thirty Years' War between 1618 and 1648 devastated Berlin.
Statistics say that one third of its houses were damaged or
destroyed.
•  Friedrich Wilhelm succeeded his father in 1640 and was
commonly called as “The Great Elector”. He pursued a policy  of
promoting immigration and religious tolerance.
• He crowned himself as king Frederick I in Prussia and Berlin
became the capital of the new empire.
• The Industrial Revolution transformed Berlin during the 19th
century. The city's economy and population expanded
dramatically.
• It became the main railway hub and economic centre of
Germany.
Berlin and World War I
• The First World War was fought between the Triple
Entente (Britain ,France, Russia) and the Triple
Alliance(Germany ,Austria-Hungary)where Berlin was
a major political centre.
• At the end of the war, Germany's defeat and
widespread popular discontent triggered the German
Revolution of 1918–19 which overthrew
the monarchy and established the Weimar Republic.
• There was an enthusiastic support of all elements of
the population for war in 1914.The vote was
unanimous in Reichstag. People supported the idea of
“total war”.
• However by the end of the war, the German economy
and industries suffered severely
 • The immediate cause for the second world war was
the occupation of Poland under the Nazi leader
Adolf Hitler. This took place in 1940.
• The Battle of Berlin was an important historic event
Berlin and that affected Berlin adversely.
• Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet
World War II Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was
one of the last major offensives of the European
theatre of World War II.
 THE BERLIN WALL
•On August 13, 1961, the Communist
government of the German Democratic
Republic (GDR, or East Germany) began to
build a barbed wire and concrete
“Antifascistischer Schutzwall,” or “antifascist
bulwark,” between East and West Berlin.
The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was
to keep Western “fascists” from entering
East Germany and undermining the socialist
state
•The Berlin Wall was a guarded
concrete barrier that physically and
ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to
1989.
CULTURE IN
BERLIN
• Creative industries
• Nightlife and festivals
• Museums and
galleries
• Performing arts
• Cuisine
 TOURIST
ATTRACTIO
NS IN
BERLIN
• The Rebuilt Reichstag
• Kaiser Wilhelm
Memorial Church
• Jewish Museum Berlin
• The Berlin Wall
Memorial 
• The Brandenburg
Gate
• Pergamon Museum
 RELIGION
• According to the 2011 census,
approximately 37 percent of the population
reported being members of a legally-
recognized church or religious organization.
• The largest religious denomination
recorded in 2010 was the Protestant
 regional church body.
• In 2009, approximately
249,000 Muslims were reported by
the Office of Statistics  to be members of
Mosques 
THE GOVERNMENT
IN BERLIN
• Berlin's executive body is the Senate of Berlin. The
Senate consists of the Governing Mayor and up to
eight senators holding ministerial positions.
• Since the 2016 state election, there has been a
coalition between the Social Democratic Party, the
Greens and the Left Party.
• Berlin is subdivided into 12 boroughs or districts
which have roots in much older municipalities.
• Berlin maintains official partnerships with 17 cities.
 SOME INTERESTING
FACTS ABOUT BERLIN
• The number of museums in Berlin(180) is
more than the average monsoon days(106)
• In 2013 there were 110,000 dogs in Berlin.
• The entire graffiti in Berlin costs the city €35
million
• There are just under 500,000 foreigners in
the city who hail from 185 countries.
• Berlin is nine times the size of Paris
• Berlin’s public transport system travels 8.7
times around the Earth every day and almost
half of it lies underground