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Do not fill this in! == History == {{Main|History of Berlin}} {{For timeline|Timeline of Berlin}} {{Quote box | title = Historical affiliations | quote = [[File:Wappen Mark Brandenburg.png|15px]] [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] 1237–1618<br /> [[File:Brandenburg-Prussia.svg|30px|link=Brandenburg-Prussia]] [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] 1618–1701<br /> {{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} 1701–1867<br /> {{flagicon|Germany|1866}} [[North German Confederation]] 1867–1871<br /> {{flag|German Empire}} 1871–1918<br /> {{flag|Weimar Republic}} 1918–1933<br /> {{flag|Nazi Germany}} 1933–1945<br /> {{flag|Allied-occupied Germany}} 1945–1949<br /> {{flag|West Germany}} 1949–1990<br /> {{flag|East Germany}} 1949–1990<br /> {{flagcountry|Germany}} 1990–present<br /> | align = right | width = 26em | fontsize = 90% | bgcolor = #B0C4DE }} === Etymology === Berlin lies in northeastern Germany. Most of the cities and villages in northeastern Germany bear [[Slavic languages]]-derived names. Typical [[Germanization]] for place name [[suffix]]es of Slavic origin are {{Lang|de|-ow, -itz, -vitz, -witz, -itzsch}} and {{Lang|de|-in}}, [[prefix]]es are ''{{Lang|de|Windisch}}'' and ''{{Lang|de|Wendisch}}''. The name ''Berlin'' has its roots in the language of the [[West Slavs]], and may be related to the Old [[Polabian language|Polabian]] stem {{Lang|pox|berl-/birl-}} ("swamp").<ref>{{Cite book| last=Berger| first=Dieter| title=Geographische Namen in Deutschland| publisher=Bibliographisches Institut| year=1999| isbn=9783411062522}}</ref> Of Berlin's [[Boroughs and neighborhoods of Berlin|twelve boroughs]], five bear a Slavic-derived name: [[Pankow]], [[Steglitz-Zehlendorf]], [[Marzahn-Hellersdorf]], [[Treptow-Köpenick]], and [[Spandau]]. Of Berlin's ninety-six neighborhoods, twenty-two bear a Slavic-derived name: [[Altglienicke]], [[Alt-Treptow]], [[Britz]], [[Buch (Berlin)|Buch]], [[Buckow (Berlin)|Buckow]], [[Gatow]], [[Karow (Berlin)|Karow]], [[Kladow]], [[Köpenick]], [[Lankwitz]], [[Lübars]], [[Malchow (Berlin)|Malchow]], [[Marzahn]], [[Pankow (locality)|Pankow]], [[Prenzlauer Berg]], [[Rudow]], [[Schmöckwitz]], [[Spandau (locality)|Spandau]], [[Stadtrandsiedlung Malchow]], [[Steglitz]], [[Tegel]] and [[Zehlendorf (Berlin)|Zehlendorf]]. === Prehistory of Berlin === The earliest human settlements in the area of modern Berlin are dated around 60,000 BC. A deer mask, dated to 9,000 BC, is attributed to the [[Maglemosian culture]]. In 2,000 BC dense human settlements along the [[Spree (river)|Spree]] and [[Havel]] rivers gave rise to the [[Lusatian culture]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://berlintouristinformation.com/berlin-geschichte | title= Die Geschichte Berlins: Zeittafel & Fakten | date= 11 May 2022 | access-date= 9 December 2023 | archive-date= 2 December 2023 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231202122923/https://berlintouristinformation.com/berlin-geschichte/ | url-status= live }}</ref> Starting around 500 BC Germanic tribes settled in a number of villages in the higher situated areas of today's Berlin. After the [[Semnones]] left around 200 AD, the [[Burgundians]] followed. In the 7th century Slavic tribes, the later known [[Hevelli]] and [[Sprevane]], reached the region. === 12th century to 16th century === [[File:ZLB-Berliner Ansichten-Januar.jpg|thumb|Map of Berlin in 1688]] [[File:Dom und Stadtschloss, Berlin 1900.png|thumb|[[Berlin Cathedral]] (left) and [[Berlin Palace]] (right), 1900]] In the 12th century the region came under German rule as part of the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]], founded by [[Albert the Bear]] in 1157. Early evidence of middle age settlements in the area of today's Berlin are remnants of a [[Foundation (engineering)|house foundation]] dated 1270 to 1290, found in excavations in [[Berlin-Mitte (electoral district)|Berlin Mitte]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Berliner Stadtmitte: Was aus den Fundamenten der mittelalterlichen Gerichtslaube wird |language=de |author1=Thomas Lackmann |publisher=Tagesspiegel |date=4 January 2015 |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/was-aus-den-fundamenten-der-mittelalterlichen-gerichtslaube-wird-4639129.html |access-date=9 December 2023 |archive-date=9 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209215810/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/was-aus-den-fundamenten-der-mittelalterlichen-gerichtslaube-wird-4639129.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The first written records of towns in the area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. [[Spandau]] is first mentioned in 1197 and [[Köpenick]] in 1209.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.berlin.de/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten.en/00175.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612020333/https://www.berlin.de/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten.en/00175.html|archive-date=12 June 2008 |title=Zitadelle Spandau |year=2002 |publisher=BerlinOnline Stadtportal GmbH & Co. KG |access-date=18 August 2008}}</ref> 1237 is considered the founding date of the city.<ref name=Medtradc>{{cite web |url=https://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/en/history/the-medieval-trading-center/ |title=The medieval trading center |access-date=11 June 2013 |publisher=BerlinOnline Stadtportal GmbH & Co. KG. |archive-date=31 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731190906/https://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/en/history/the-medieval-trading-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties, and profited from the [[staple right]] on the two important [[trade route]]s, one was known as ''[[Via Imperii]]'', and the other trade route reached from [[Bruges]] to [[Novgorod]].<ref name="Verein für die Geschichte Berlins-2004"/> In 1307 the two towns formed an alliance with a common external policy, their internal administrations still being separated.<ref name="Stöver2010">Stöver B. ''Geschichte Berlins'' Verlag CH Beck 2010 ISBN 9783406600678</ref> Members of the [[Hohenzollern]] family ruled in Berlin until 1918, first as electors of Brandenburg, then as kings of [[Prussia]], and eventually as [[German emperor]]s. In 1443, [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick II Irontooth]] started the construction of a new [[Stadtschloss, Berlin|royal palace]] in the twin city Berlin-Cölln. The protests of the town citizens against the building culminated in 1448, in the "Berlin Indignation" ("Berliner Unwille").<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.diegeschichteberlins.de/geschichteberlins/berlinabc/stichworteag/555-berliner-unwillen.html |title=Berliner Unwillen |trans-title=Berlin unwillingness |publisher=Verein für die Geschichte Berlins e. V. |first=Gerhild H. M. |last=Komander |date=November 2004 |access-date=30 May 2013 |language=de |archive-date=19 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919215632/https://www.diegeschichteberlins.de/geschichteberlins/berlinabc/stichworteag/555-berliner-unwillen.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Officially, the Berlin-Cölln palace became permanent residence of the Brandenburg electors of the Hohenzollerns from 1486, when [[John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg|John Cicero]] came to power.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/en/history/the-electors-residence/ |title=The electors' residence |publisher=BerlinOnline Stadtportal GmbH & Co. KG |access-date=11 June 2013 |archive-date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421214734/https://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/en/history/the-electors-residence/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Berlin-Cölln, however, had to give up its status as a free [[Hanseatic League]] city. In 1539, the electors and the city officially became [[Lutheran]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smp-protein.de/SMPConference/berlin.htm |title=Berlin Cathedral |access-date=18 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818100934/https://www.smp-protein.de/SMPConference/berlin.htm |archive-date=18 August 2006 |publisher=SMPProtein}}</ref> ===17th to 19th centuries=== The [[Thirty Years' War]] between 1618 and 1648 devastated Berlin. One third of its houses were damaged or destroyed, and the city lost half of its population.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/germany/bra30.html |title=Brandenburg during the 30 Years War |publisher=World History at KMLA |access-date=18 August 2008 |archive-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928213849/https://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/germany/bra30.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]], known as the "Great Elector", who had succeeded his father [[George William, Elector of Brandenburg|George William]] as ruler in 1640, initiated a policy of promoting immigration and religious tolerance.<ref name="Carlyle1853">{{cite book|first=Thomas |last=Carlyle|title=Fraser's Magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/frasersmagazine03carlgoog|year=1853|publisher=J. Fraser|page=[https://archive.org/details/frasersmagazine03carlgoog/page/n71 63]|access-date=11 February 2016}}</ref> With the [[Edict of Potsdam]] in 1685, Frederick William offered asylum to the French [[Huguenot]]s.<ref name="Plaut1995">{{cite book|first=W. Gunther|last=Plaut|title=Asylum: A Moral Dilemma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oirvylPVAhAC&pg=PA42|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95196-2|page=42|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915214210/https://books.google.com/books?id=oirvylPVAhAC&pg=PA42|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1700, approximately 30 percent of Berlin's residents were French, because of the Huguenot immigration.<ref name="Gray2007">{{cite book|first=Jeremy|last=Gray|title=Germany|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5t5mZE_s5YC&pg=PA49|year=2007|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74059-988-7|page=49|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915225030/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5t5mZE_s5YC&pg=PA49|url-status=live}}</ref> Many other immigrants came from [[Bohemia]], [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland]], and [[Archbishopric of Salzburg|Salzburg]].<ref name="Cybriwsky2013">{{cite book|first=Roman Adrian|last=Cybriwsky|title=Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qb6NAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48|date=23 May 2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-248-9|page=48|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915232139/https://books.google.com/books?id=qb6NAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Berlin Unter den Linden Victoria Hotel um 1900.jpg|thumb|left|Berlin became the capital of the [[German Empire]] in 1871 and expanded rapidly in the following years.|219x219px]] Since 1618, the Margraviate of Brandenburg had been in [[personal union]] with the [[Duchy of Prussia]]. In 1701, the dual state formed the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], as [[Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg]], crowned himself as king [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick I in Prussia]]. Berlin became the capital of the new Kingdom,<ref>Horlemann, Bernd (Hrsg.), Mende, Hans-Jürgen (Hrsg.): Berlin 1994. Taschenkalender. Edition Luisenstadt Berlin, Nr. 01280.</ref> replacing [[Königsberg]]. This was a successful attempt to centralise the capital in the very far-flung state, and it was the first time the city began to grow. In 1709, Berlin merged with the four cities of Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Friedrichstadt and Dorotheenstadt under the name Berlin, "Haupt- und Residenzstadt Berlin".<ref name="Stöver2010"/> In 1740, Frederick II, known as [[Frederick the Great]] (1740–1786), came to power.<ref name="Zaide1965">{{cite book|first=Gregorio F.|last=Zaide|title=World History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kq512SmGMIsC&pg=PA273|year=1965|publisher=Rex Bookstore, Inc.|isbn=978-971-23-1472-8|page=273|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915200510/https://books.google.com/books?id=Kq512SmGMIsC&pg=PA273|url-status=live}}</ref> Under the rule of Frederick II, Berlin became a center of [[the Enlightenment]], but also, was briefly occupied during the [[Seven Years' War]] by the Russian army.<ref name="PerryChase2012">{{cite book |first1=Marvin |last1=Perry |first2=Myrna |last2=Chase |first3=James |last3=Jacob |first4=Margaret |last4=Jacob |first5=Theodore |last5=Von Laue |title=Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYIJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA444 |date=1 January 2012 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-133-70864-3 |page=444 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=14 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914174457/https://books.google.com/books?id=YYIJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA444 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following France's victory in the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] [[Fall of Berlin (1806)|marched into Berlin in 1806]], but granted self-government to the city.<ref name="Lewis2013">{{cite book|first=Peter B.|last=Lewis|title=Arthur Schopenhauer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TBXX9KVtzsC&pg=PA57|date=15 February 2013|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-78023-069-6|page=57|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=14 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914174348/https://books.google.com/books?id=6TBXX9KVtzsC&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1815, the city became part of the new [[Province of Brandenburg]].<ref name="StaffInc.2010">{{cite book|author1=Harvard Student Agencies Inc. Staff|author2=Harvard Student Agencies, Inc.|title=Let's Go Berlin, Prague & Budapest: The Student Travel Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nj0YqD4ntvIC&pg=PA83|date=28 December 2010|publisher=Avalon Travel|isbn=978-1-59880-914-5|page=83|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=14 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914181704/https://books.google.com/books?id=Nj0YqD4ntvIC&pg=PA83|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Industrial Revolution]] transformed Berlin during the 19th century; the city's economy and population expanded dramatically, and it became the main railway hub and economic center of Germany. Additional suburbs soon developed and increased the area and population of Berlin. In 1861, neighboring suburbs including [[Wedding (Berlin)|Wedding]], [[Moabit]] and several others were incorporated into Berlin.<ref name="Schulte-Peevers2010">{{cite book|author=Andrea Schulte-Peevers|title=Lonel Berlin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DKlXQS6c3p0C&pg=PA25|date=15 September 2010|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74220-407-9|page=25|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915214354/https://books.google.com/books?id=DKlXQS6c3p0C&pg=PA25|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1871, Berlin became capital of the newly founded [[German Empire]].<ref name="Stöver2013">{{cite book|first=Bernd|last=Stöver|title=Berlin: A Short History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LVA8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT20|date=2 October 2013|publisher=C.H.Beck|isbn=978-3-406-65633-0|page=20|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915200615/https://books.google.com/books?id=LVA8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT20|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1881, it became a city district separate from Brandenburg.<ref name="Strassmann2008">{{cite book |first=W. Paul |last=Strassmann |title=The Strassmanns: Science, Politics and Migration in Turbulent Times (1793–1993) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5cCuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 |date=15 June 2008 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-84545-416-6 |page=26 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910121944/https://books.google.com/books?id=5cCuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 |url-status=live }}</ref> ===20th to 21st centuries=== {{Further|1920s Berlin|West Berlin|East Berlin}} In the early 20th century, Berlin had become a fertile ground for the [[German Expressionism|German Expressionist]] movement.<ref name="HollandGawthrop2001">{{cite book|author1=Jack Holland|author2=John Gawthrop|title=The Rough Guide to Berlin|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetoberl00holl|url-access=registration|year=2001|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-682-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetoberl00holl/page/361 361]}}</ref> In fields such as architecture, painting and cinema new forms of artistic styles were invented. At the end of the [[First World War]] in 1918, a [[Weimar Republic|republic]] was proclaimed by [[Philipp Scheidemann]] at the [[Reichstag (building)|Reichstag building]]. In 1920, the [[Greater Berlin Act]] incorporated dozens of suburban cities, villages, and estates around Berlin into an expanded city. The act increased the area of Berlin from {{cvt|66|to|883|km2}}. The population almost doubled, and Berlin had a population of around four million. During the [[Weimar culture|Weimar era]], Berlin underwent political unrest due to economic uncertainties but also became a renowned center of the [[Roaring Twenties]]. The metropolis experienced its heyday as a major world capital and was known for its leadership roles in science, technology, arts, the humanities, city planning, film, higher education, government, and industries. [[Albert Einstein]] rose to public prominence during his years in Berlin,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-celebrity-scientist-albert-einstein-used-fame-denounce-american-racism-180962356/|last=Francis|first=Matthew|title=How Albert Einstein Used His Fame to Denounce American Racism|date=3 March 2017|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine|access-date=5 September 2023|archive-date=11 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211150143/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-celebrity-scientist-albert-einstein-used-fame-denounce-american-racism-180962356/|url-status=live}}</ref> being awarded the [[Nobel Prize for Physics]] in 1921.<ref name="Nobel">{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/ |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 |publisher=Nobel Prize |access-date=5 September 2023 |archive-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703190346/https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1933, [[Adolf Hitler]] and the [[Nazi Party]] [[Nazis came to power|came to power]]. Hitler was inspired by the architecture he had experienced in [[Vienna]], and he wished for a German Empire with a capital city that had a monumental ensemble. The National Socialist regime embarked on monumental construction projects in Berlin as a way to express their power and authority through [[Nazi architecture|architecture]]. Adolf Hitler and [[Albert Speer]] developed architectural concepts for the conversion of the city into [[Germania (city)|World Capital Germania]]; these were never implemented.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Donath |first1=Matthias |title=Architecture in Berlin 1933–1945: A Guide Through Nazi Berlin |date=2006 |publisher=Lukas Verlag |location=Germany |isbn=9783936872934 |page=7}}</ref> NSDAP rule diminished Berlin's Jewish community from 160,000 (one-third of all Jews in the country) to about 80,000 due to emigration between 1933 and 1939. After [[Kristallnacht]] in 1938, thousands of the city's Jews were imprisoned in the nearby [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]]. Starting in early 1943, many were deported to [[Jewish ghettos established by Nazi Germany|ghettos]] like [[Łódź Ghetto|Łódź]], and to [[concentration camp|concentration]] and [[extermination camp]]s such as [[Auschwitz]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005450|title=The Jewish Community of Berlin|publisher=Holocaust Encyclopedia|access-date=10 November 2018|archive-date=8 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708152027/https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005450|url-status=live}}</ref> Berlin hosted the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] for which the [[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympic stadium]] was built.<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v1sum.pdf 1936 Summer Olympics official report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625173406/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v1sum.pdf |date=25 June 2008 }} Volume 1. pp. 141–9, 154–62. Accessed 17 October 2010.</ref> [[File:Potsdamer Platz 1945.jpg|thumb|left|Berlin in ruins after World War II ([[Potsdamer Platz]], 1945)]] During [[World War II]], Berlin was the location of multiple Nazi prisons, [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps, 17 subcamps of the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]] for men and women, including teenagers, of various nationalities, including Polish, Jewish, French, Belgian, Czechoslovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Romani, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Spanish, Luxembourgish, German, Austrian, Italian, Yugoslavian, Bulgarian, Hungarian,<ref>{{cite book|last=Megargee|first=Geoffrey P.|year=2009|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=1268–1291|isbn=978-0-253-35328-3}}</ref> a camp for [[Sinti]] and Romani people (see ''[[Romani Holocaust]]''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=416|title=Lager für Sinti und Roma in Berlin-Marzahn|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=31 March 2024|language=de|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331102414/https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=416|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Stalag III-D]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] for Allied POWs of various nationalities. During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed during {{Dash year|1943|1945}} Allied air raids and the 1945 [[Battle of Berlin]]. The Allies dropped 67,607 tons of bombs on the city, destroying 6,427 acres of the built-up area. Around 125,000 civilians were killed.<ref>{{citation| author1= Micheal Clodfelter| title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts- A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500–2000| edition=2nd| publisher=McFarland & Company|year=2002 | isbn=9780786412044 }}</ref> After the [[end of World War II in Europe]] in May 1945, Berlin received large numbers of refugees from the Eastern provinces. The victorious powers divided the city into four sectors, analogous to [[Allied-occupied Germany]] the sectors of the [[Allies of World War II]] (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) formed [[West Berlin]], while the [[Soviet Union]] formed [[East Berlin]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/nationalsozialismus/dossier-nationalsozialismus/39619/das-geteilte-berlin?p=all |title=Berlin – auf dem Weg zur geteilten Stadt |trans-title=Berlin – on the way to a divided city |date=27 April 2005 | author1=Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Benz |language=de |publisher= Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung |access-date=10 November 2018 |archive-date=10 November 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110120432/https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/nationalsozialismus/dossier-nationalsozialismus/39619/das-geteilte-berlin?p=all |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:US Army tanks face off against Soviet tanks, Berlin 1961.jpg|thumb|US and Soviet tanks face each other. Taken in 1961 at Checkpoint Charlie.]] [[File:Berlinermauer.jpg|thumb|The [[Berlin Wall]] (painted on the western side) was a barrier that divided the city from 1961 to 1989.]] All four Allies of World War II shared administrative responsibilities for Berlin. However, in 1948, when the Western Allies extended the currency reform in the Western zones of Germany to the three western sectors of Berlin, the [[Soviet Union]] imposed the [[Berlin Blockade]] on the access routes to and from West Berlin, which lay entirely inside Soviet-controlled territory. The [[Berlin airlift]], conducted by the three western Allies, overcame this blockade by supplying food and other supplies to the city from June 1948 to May 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.western-allies-berlin.com/historic-events/detail/airlift-blockade|title=Berlin Airlift / Blockade|publisher=Western Allies Berlin|access-date=18 August 2008|archive-date=18 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318232831/https://www.western-allies-berlin.com/historic-events/detail/airlift-blockade|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in [[West Germany]] and eventually included all of the American, British and French zones, excluding those three countries' zones in Berlin, while the [[Marxist–Leninist]] [[East Germany|German Democratic Republic]] was proclaimed in [[East Germany]]. West Berlin officially remained an occupied city, but it politically was aligned with the Federal Republic of Germany despite West Berlin's geographic isolation. Airline service to West Berlin was granted only to American, British and French airlines. [[File:Thefalloftheberlinwall1989.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Berlin Wall#The Fall|fall of the Berlin Wall]] on 9 November 1989. On [[German Unity Day|3 October 1990]], the [[German reunification]] process was formally finished.]] The founding of the two German states increased [[Cold War]] tensions. West Berlin was surrounded by East German territory, and East Germany proclaimed the Eastern part as its capital, a move the western powers did not recognize. East Berlin included most of the city's historic center. The West German government established itself in [[Bonn]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/1945.en.html |title=Berlin after 1945 |publisher=BerlinOnline Stadtportal GmbH & Co. KG. |access-date=8 April 2009 |archive-date=12 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412221115/https://www.berlin.de/berlin-im-ueberblick/geschichte/1945.en.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1961, East Germany began to build the [[Berlin Wall]] around West Berlin, and events escalated to a tank standoff at [[Checkpoint Charlie]]. West Berlin was now de facto a part of West Germany with a unique legal status, while East Berlin was de facto a part of East Germany. [[John F. Kennedy]] gave his "''[[Ich bin ein Berliner]]''" speech on 26 June 1963, in front of the [[Schöneberg]] city hall, located in the city's western part, underlining the US support for West Berlin.<ref>[[Andreas Daum]], ''Kennedy in Berlin''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008, {{ISBN|978-0-521-85824-3}}, pp. 125‒56, 223‒26.</ref> Berlin was completely divided. Although it was possible for Westerners to pass to the other side through strictly controlled checkpoints, for most Easterners, travel to West Berlin or West Germany was prohibited by the government of East Germany. In 1971, a [[Four Power Agreement on Berlin|Four-Power agreement]] guaranteed access to and from West Berlin by car or train through East Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/ga5-710903.htm |title=Ostpolitik: The Quadripartite Agreement of September 3, 1971 |publisher=U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany |year=1996 |access-date=18 August 2008 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225042306/https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/ga5-710903.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1989, with the end of the Cold War and pressure from the East German population, the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall|Berlin Wall fell]] on 9 November and was subsequently mostly demolished. Today, the [[East Side Gallery]] preserves a large portion of the wall. On 3 October 1990, the two parts of Germany were [[German reunification|reunified]] as the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin again became a reunified city. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city experienced significant [https://berlinbnb.co/2023/12/16/berlin-wall-urban-development/ urban development] and still impacts urban planning decisions. <ref>''Berlin ‒ Washington, 1800‒2000: Capital Cities, Cultural Representation, and National Identities'', ed. Andreas Daum and Christof Mauch. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006, 23‒27.</ref> Walter Momper, the mayor of West Berlin, became the first mayor of the reunified city in the interim.<ref>{{cite web |title=AGI |url=https://americangerman.institute/by-author/walter-momper/ |website=AGI |access-date=21 August 2023 |archive-date=21 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821065849/https://americangerman.institute/by-author/walter-momper/ |url-status=live }}</ref> City-wide elections in December 1990 resulted in the first "all Berlin" mayor being elected to take office in January 1991, with the separate offices of mayors in East and West Berlin expiring by that time, and [[Eberhard Diepgen]] (a former mayor of West Berlin) became the first elected mayor of a reunited Berlin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/01/world/berlin-mayoral-contest-has-many-uncertainties.html |title=Berlin Mayoral Contest Has Many Uncertainties |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1 December 1990 |access-date=17 June 2019 |archive-date=17 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617212414/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/01/world/berlin-mayoral-contest-has-many-uncertainties.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 18 June 1994, soldiers from the United States, France and Britain marched in a parade which was part of the ceremonies to mark the withdrawal of allied occupation troops allowing a [[German reunification#Unified Berlin|reunified Berlin]]<ref name="ReUnificationParade">{{cite news | last=Kinzer | first=Stephan | title=Allied Soldiers March to Say Farewell to Berlin | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/19/world/allied-soldiers-march-to-say-farewell-to-berlin.html | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | location=New York City | date=19 June 1994 | access-date=20 November 2015 | archive-date=21 November 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121133602/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/19/world/allied-soldiers-march-to-say-farewell-to-berlin.html | url-status=live }}</ref> (the last Russian troops departed on 31 August, while the final departure of Western Allies forces was on 8 September 1994). On 20 June 1991, the [[Bundestag]] (German Parliament) [[Decision on the Capital of Germany|voted to move the seat]] of the German capital from Bonn to Berlin, which was completed in 1999, during the chancellorship of [[Gerhard Schröder]].<ref>{{cite web |title=When Did Germany's Capital Move to Berlin? |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/germany-capital-from-bonn-to-berlin-1434930 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en |access-date=9 August 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810225020/https://www.thoughtco.com/germany-capital-from-bonn-to-berlin-1434930 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{multiple image | align = right | image1 = Berliner Stadtschloss, September 2022-L1000099.jpg | width1 = 195 | caption1 = The rebuilt [[Berlin Palace]] in 2022 | width2 = 220 | width3 = 215 | direction = | total_width = | alt1 = }} [[Berlin's 2001 administrative reform]] merged several boroughs, reducing their number from 23 to 12.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bezirke or Boroughs, Berlin, Germany, 2001 – Digital Maps and Geospatial Data {{!}} Princeton University |url=https://maps.princeton.edu/catalog/tufts-berlin-bezirke-boroughs01 |website=maps.princeton.edu |access-date=21 August 2023 |archive-date=21 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821070030/https://maps.princeton.edu/catalog/tufts-berlin-bezirke-boroughs01 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, the [[2006 FIFA World Cup Final|FIFA World Cup Final]] was held in Berlin.<ref>{{cite news |title=Zidane off as Italy win World Cup |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4991652.stm |date=9 July 2006 |access-date=8 August 2023 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906192236/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4991652.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Construction of the "Berlin Wall Trail" (Berliner Mauerweg) began in 2002 and was completed in 2006. In a [[2016 Berlin truck attack|2016 terrorist attack]] linked to [[ISIL]], a truck was deliberately driven into a Christmas market next to the [[Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church]], leaving 13 people dead and 55 others injured.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/nach-anschlag-in-berlin-is-reklamiert-attentat-fuer-sich-14585337.html |title=IS reklamiert Attacke auf Weihnachtsmarkt für sich |trans-title=IS recalls attack on Christmas market for itself |date=20 December 2016 |access-date=10 November 2018 |work=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |language=de |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321175944/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/nach-anschlag-in-berlin-is-reklamiert-attentat-fuer-sich-14585337.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BBC.Dies">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59048891|title=Berlin attack: First aider dies 5 years after Christmas market murders|work=BBC|date=26 October 2021|access-date=26 October 2021|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026190214/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59048891|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, more than 200,000 protestors took to the streets in Berlin with demonstrations of solidarity against racism, in response to the emergence of [[Far-right politics in Germany (1945-present)|far-right politics in Germany]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Protests against far-right politics draw thousands – DW – 10/13/2018 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-protests-against-far-right-politics-draw-thousands/a-45873439 |work=dw.com |language=en |access-date=8 August 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230628/https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-protests-against-far-right-politics-draw-thousands/a-45873439 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Berlin Brandenburg Airport]] (BER) opened in 2020, nine years later than planned, with Terminal 1 coming into service at the end of October, and flights to and from [[Tegel Airport]] ending in November.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/berlin-tegel-airport-germany-closing-history-brandenburg-b672759.html|title=Berlin's Tegel airport: A love letter as it prepares to close|last1=Gardner|first1=Nicky|last2=Kries|first2=Susanne|work=[[The Independent]]|date=8 November 2020|access-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205135633/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/berlin-tegel-airport-germany-closing-history-brandenburg-b672759.html|archive-date=5 February 2021|language=de}}</ref> Due to the fall in passenger numbers resulting from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], plans were announced to temporarily close BER's Terminal 5, the former [[Schönefeld Airport]], beginning in March 2021 for up to one year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/flugverkehr-wegen-corona-eingebrochen-berschliesst-terminal-in-schoenefeld-am-23-februar/26864858.html|title=BER schließt Terminal in Schönefeld am 23. Februar|trans-title=BER closes the terminal in Schönefeld on February 23|work=[[Der Tagesspiegel]]|date=29 January 2021|access-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205134830/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/flugverkehr-wegen-corona-eingebrochen-berschliesst-terminal-in-schoenefeld-am-23-februar/26864858.html|archive-date=5 February 2021|language=de|last1=Jacobs|first1=Stefan}}</ref> The connecting link of U-Bahn line U5 from Alexanderplatz to Hauptbahnhof, along with the new stations Rotes Rathaus and Unter den Linden, opened on 4 December 2020, with the Museumsinsel U-Bahn station expected to open around March 2021, which would complete all new works on the U5.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2020/08/berlin-bvg-u5-lueckenschluss-verlaengerung-start.html|title=BVG will verlängerte U5 am 4. Dezember eröffnen|trans-title=BVG wants to open the extended U5 on December 4th|work=[[Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg|rbb24]]|date=24 August 2020|access-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205133537/https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2020/08/berlin-bvg-u5-lueckenschluss-verlaengerung-start.html|archive-date=5 February 2021|language=de}}</ref> A partial opening by the end of 2020 of the [[Humboldt Forum]] museum, housed in the reconstructed [[Berlin Palace]], which had been announced in June, was postponed until March 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/museen-in-der-corona-pandemie-humboldt-forum-will-zunaechst-nur-digital-eroeffnen/26666500.html|title=Humboldt Forum will zunächst nur digital eröffnen|trans-title=Humboldt Forum will initially only open digitally|work=[[Der Tagesspiegel]]|date=27 November 2020|access-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205133156/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/museen-in-der-corona-pandemie-humboldt-forum-will-zunaechst-nur-digital-eroeffnen/26666500.html|archive-date=5 February 2021|language=de}}</ref> On 16 September 2022, the opening of the eastern wing, the last section of the Humboldt Forum museum, meant the Humboldt Forum museum was finally completed. It became Germany's currently most expensive cultural project.<ref>{{cite news |title=Completed Humboldt Forum opens in Berlin – DW – 09/16/2022 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/completed-humboldt-forum-opens-in-berlin/a-63146991 |work=dw.com |language=en |access-date=8 August 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230632/https://www.dw.com/en/completed-humboldt-forum-opens-in-berlin/a-63146991 |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Berlin-Brandenburg fusion attempt=== {{Main|Fusion of Berlin and Brandenburg}} [[File:DEU Berlin-Brandenburg COA.svg|thumb|left|upright|The coat of arms proposed in the state contract]] The legal basis for a combined state of Berlin and [[Brandenburg]] is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law]] stipulates that a state fusion requires a federal law.<ref>{{cite act |type= |index= |date=24 May 1949 |article=29 |article-type=Article |legislature=Parlamentarischer Rat |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland |trans-title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |page= |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_29.html |language=de }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208004305/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_29.html |date=8 December 2022 }}</ref> However, a clause added to the Basic Law in 1994, Article 118a, allows Berlin and Brandenburg to unify without federal approval, requiring a referendum and a ratification by both state parliaments.<ref>{{cite act |type= |index= |date=27 October 1994 |article=118a |article-type=Einzelnorm |legislature=Bundestag |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland |trans-title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |page= |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_118a.html |language=de }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331191515/https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_118a.html |date=31 March 2022 }}</ref> In 1996, there was an unsuccessful attempt of unifying the states of Berlin and Brandenburg.<ref name="berlingeschichte">{{Cite web |title=LÄNDERFUSION / FUSIONSVERTRAG (1995) |url=https://berlingeschichte.de/stadtentwicklung/texte/5_33_laefuver.htm |year=2004 |access-date=31 March 2022 |archive-date=5 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305230614/https://berlingeschichte.de/stadtentwicklung/texte/5_33_laefuver.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Both share a common history, dialect and culture and in 2020, there are over 225.000 residents of Brandenburg that commute to Berlin. The fusion had the near-unanimous support by a broad coalition of both state governments, political parties, media, business associations, trade unions and churches.<ref>{{cite news|date=4 May 2016|title=Die Brandenburger wollen keine Berliner Verhältnisse|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/gescheiterte-laenderfusion-mit-berlin-die-brandenburger-wollen-keine-berliner-verhaeltnisse/13539146.html|access-date=30 March 2022|work=Tagesspiegel|language=de|archive-date=11 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311094627/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/gescheiterte-laenderfusion-mit-berlin-die-brandenburger-wollen-keine-berliner-verhaeltnisse/13539146.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Though Berlin voted in favor by a small margin, largely based on support in former [[West Berlin]], Brandenburg voters disapproved of the fusion by a large margin. It failed largely due to Brandenburg voters not wanting to take on Berlin's large and growing public debt and fearing losing identity and influence to the capital.<ref name="berlingeschichte" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page