Berlin

Berlin, the capital city of Germany, was split in half after World War II when, from 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall separated Soviet East Germany from West Germany.http://www.berlin.de/mauer/geschichte/index.en.html After the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, Berlin again became the capital of a united Germany, and one of the country's three independent city states.http://www.berlin.de/international/berlin_a-z/politics/index.en.php

After American, British, French and Russian troops formally left the city in 1994, citizens approved a new Berlin constitution with 75.1 percent of the vote.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/neuesberlin.en.html The German federal government and the Bundestag officially moved back to Berlin in 2001 and the World Cup soccer tournament was held there in 2006.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/neuesberlin.en.html

Berlin was founded in 1237 by the unification of two trading centers, Berlin and Colln.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/handelsstadt.en.html In 1701, it became the royal residence of King Freiderich I of Prussia, and by 1800 had over 175,000 residents.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/koenigliche_hauptstadt.en.html

When Germany became an empire, Berlin was made the capital of the first Reich in 1871.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/kaiserliche_hauptstadt.en.html By 1877, over a million people lived in the city, which doubled to two million by the start of World War I.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/kaiserliche_hauptstadt.en.html

After Germany's defeat in World War I, the emperor was deposed in 1918, but Berlin remained the capital of the new Weimar Republic.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/kaiserliche_hauptstadt.en.html It was then the capital city of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist Third Reich.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/kaiserliche_hauptstadt.en.html

Berlin is situated on the Spree River, which helped to drive the trade that brought the first merchant settlers to the area.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/zahlenfakten/index.en.html The city is comprised of 12 boroughs covering an area of more than 344 square miles.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/zahlenfakten/index.en.html

In the center of Berlin is a park called the Tiergarten, which is used by city visitors and residents alike, including by large Turkish families for barbecue parties.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/leben/gruenesberlin.en.html Surrounding the city are Müggelsee Lake and the Müggelberge hills, Peacock Island and the Schwanenwerder Peninsula.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/leben/gruenesberlin.en.html

Berlin is home to over 170 museums and art galleries.http://www.berlin.de/museumsfuehrer.en It also has more than 197 kilometers of waterways, which can be seen via interactive boat tours.http://www.berlin.de/english/visitors/attractions Sports fans can tour the Olympiastadion, which was originally built for the cancelled 1916 Summer Olympics and was later used for the 1936 Olympics.http://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/politik/olympiastadion.en.html

• Marlene Dietrich: Actresshttp://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/germany/berlin/history/famous-people/
• Jacob Grimm: Writerhttp://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/germany/berlin/history/famous-people/
• Gunter Grass: Writerhttp://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/germany/berlin/history/famous-people/
• Rudolf Steiner: Scientisthttp://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/germany/berlin/history/famous-people/
• Edvard Munch: Painterhttp://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/germany/berlin/history/famous-people/
• Katarina Witt: Figure skaterhttp://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/germany/berlin/history/famous-people/?page=2