Berlin

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Berlin}}

===Topography===
[[File:Berlin by Senitnel-2.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of Berlin]]
[[File:Luftbild bln-schmoeckwitz.jpg|thumb|The outskirts of Berlin are covered with woodlands and numerous lakes.]]
Berlin is in northeastern Germany, in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat [[topography]], part of the vast [[Northern European Plain]] which stretches all the way from northern France to western Russia. The ''Berliner Urstromtal'' (an ice age [[glacial valley]]), between the low [[Barnim Plateau]] to the north and the [[Teltow plateau]] to the south, was formed by meltwater flowing from ice sheets at the end of the last [[Weichselian glaciation]]. The [[Spree (river)|Spree]] follows this valley now. In Spandau, a borough in the west of Berlin, the Spree empties into the river [[Havel]], which flows from north to south through western Berlin. The course of the Havel is more like a chain of lakes, the largest being the Tegeler See and the [[Großer Wannsee]]. A series of lakes also feeds into the upper Spree, which flows through the [[Müggelsee|Großer Müggelsee]] in eastern Berlin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.5333,13.38000&spn=0.060339,0.085316&t=k|title=Satellite Image Berlin|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=18 August 2008|archive-date=18 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218131221/https://www.google.com/maps?ll=52.5333,13.38000&spn=0.060339,0.085316&t=k|url-status=live}}</ref>

Substantial parts of present-day Berlin extend onto the low plateaus on both sides of the Spree Valley. Large parts of the boroughs [[Reinickendorf]] and [[Pankow]] lie on the Barnim Plateau, while most of the boroughs of [[Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf]], [[Steglitz-Zehlendorf]], [[Tempelhof-Schöneberg]], and [[Neukölln]] lie on the Teltow Plateau.

The borough of Spandau lies partly within the Berlin Glacial Valley and partly on the Nauen Plain, which stretches to the west of Berlin. Since 2015, the Arkenberge hills in Pankow at {{convert|122|m|sp=us}} elevation, have been the highest point in Berlin. Through the disposal of construction debris they surpassed [[Teufelsberg]] ({{cvt|120.1|m|disp=or}}), which itself was made up of rubble from the ruins of the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.qiez.de/pankow/wohnen-und-leben/gruenes-berlin/der-hoechste-berg-von-berlin-liegt-nun-in-pankow-arkenberge/169588800 |title=Berlin hat eine neue Spitze |trans-title=Berlin has a new top |first=Nikolaus |last=Triantafillou |access-date=11 November 2018 |language=de |publisher=Qiez |date=27 January 2015 |archive-date=22 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722225809/https://www.qiez.de/pankow/wohnen-und-leben/gruenes-berlin/der-hoechste-berg-von-berlin-liegt-nun-in-pankow-arkenberge/169588800 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Müggelberge]] at {{convert|114.7|m|sp=us}} elevation is the highest natural point and the lowest is the Spektesee in Spandau, at {{convert|28.1|m|sp=us}} elevation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/bezirke/pankow/das-ist-die-hoehe-arkenberge-der-hoechste-berg-von-berlin-ist-neuerdings-in-pankow/11406254.html |title=Der höchste Berg von Berlin ist neuerdings in Pankow |trans-title=The tallest mountain in Berlin is now in Pankow |date=22 February 2015 |access-date=22 February 2015 |work=[[Der Tagesspiegel]] |first=Stefan |last=Jacobs |language=de |archive-date=19 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519014725/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/bezirke/pankow/das-ist-die-hoehe-arkenberge-der-hoechste-berg-von-berlin-ist-neuerdings-in-pankow/11406254.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate===
Berlin has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfb'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=58301&cityname=Berlin,+Germany|title=Berlin, Germany Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase) |website=Weatherbase|access-date=30 January 2019|archive-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130184209/https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=58301&cityname=Berlin,+Germany|url-status=live}}</ref> bordering on a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfb''). This type of climate features mild to very warm summer temperatures and cold, though not very severe, winters. Annual precipitation is modest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=58301&cityname=Berlin%2C+Berlin%2C+Germany&units=|title=Berlin, Germany Climate Summary|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=15 March 2015|archive-date=29 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629211853/https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=58301&cityname=Berlin%2C+Berlin%2C+Germany&units=|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Elkins-2005">{{Cite book |last1=Elkins |first1=Dorothy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8VqRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |title=Berlin: The Spatial Structure of a Divided City |last2=Elkins |first2=T. H. |last3=Hofmeister |first3=B. |date=4 August 2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135835057 |language=en |access-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218131221/https://books.google.com/books?id=8VqRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |archive-date=18 February 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Frosts are common in winter, and there are larger temperature differences between seasons than typical for many [[oceanic climate]]s. Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of {{cvt|22|–|25|C}} and lows of {{cvt|12|–|14|C}}. Winters are cold with average high temperatures of {{cvt|3|C}} and lows of {{cvt|−2|to|0|C}}. Spring and autumn are generally chilly to mild. Berlin's built-up area creates a microclimate, with [[Urban heat island|heat stored by the city's buildings and pavement]]. Temperatures can be {{cvt|4|C-change|sigfig=1}} higher in the city than in the surrounding areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.com/|title=weather.com|publisher=weather.com|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=23 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323015551/https://www.weather.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Annual precipitation is {{convert|570|mm|sp=us}} with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Snowfall mainly occurs from December through March.<ref name="worldweather2">{{cite web|url=https://www.worldweather.org/016/c00059.htm|title=Climate figures|website=World Weather Information Service|access-date=18 August 2008|archive-date=17 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817114255/https://www.worldweather.org/016/c00059.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The hottest month in Berlin was July 1834, with a mean temperature of {{cvt|23.0|C}} and the coldest was [[Great Frost of 1709|January 1709]], with a mean temperature of {{cvt|-13.2|C}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://old.wetterzentrale.de/klima/tberlintem.html|title=Temperaturmonatsmittel BERLIN-TEMPELHOF 1701- 1993|website=old.wetterzentrale.de|access-date=23 June 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702031754/https://old.wetterzentrale.de/klima/tberlintem.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The wettest month on record was July 1907, with {{convert|230|mm|sp=us}} of rainfall, whereas the driest were October 1866, November 1902, October 1908 and September 1928, all with {{convert|1|mm|3|sp=us}} of rainfall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://old.wetterzentrale.de/klima/pberlinda.html|title=Niederschlagsmonatssummen BERLIN-DAHLEM 1848– 1990|website=old.wetterzentrale.de|access-date=23 June 2019|archive-date=7 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707182905/https://old.wetterzentrale.de/klima/pberlinda.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Weather box
| location = Berlin (Brandenburg), 1991–2020, extremes 1957–2021
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan record high C = 15.1
| Feb record high C = 19.2
| Mar record high C = 25.8
| Apr record high C = 30.8
| May record high C = 32.7
| Jun record high C = 38.4
| Jul record high C = 38.3
| Aug record high C = 38.0
| Sep record high C = 32.3
| Oct record high C = 27.7
| Nov record high C = 20.9
| Dec record high C = 15.6
| year record high C = 
| Jan avg record high C = 10.6
| Feb avg record high C = 12.4
| Mar avg record high C = 17.9
| Apr avg record high C = 24.0
| May avg record high C = 28.4
| Jun avg record high C = 31.5
| Jul avg record high C = 32.7
| Aug avg record high C = 32.7
| Sep avg record high C = 26.9
| Oct avg record high C = 21.5
| Nov avg record high C = 14.8
| Dec avg record high C = 11.2
| year avg record high C = 34.8
| Jan high C = 3.2
| Feb high C = 4.9
| Mar high C = 9.0
| Apr high C = 15.1
| May high C = 19.6
| Jun high C = 22.9
| Jul high C = 25.0
| Aug high C = 24.8
| Sep high C = 19.8
| Oct high C = 13.9
| Nov high C = 7.7
| Dec high C = 4.1
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 0.7
| Feb mean C = 1.6
| Mar mean C = 4.6
| Apr mean C = 9.7
| May mean C = 14.2
| Jun mean C = 17.6
| Jul mean C = 19.6
| Aug mean C = 19.2
| Sep mean C = 14.7
| Oct mean C = 9.6
| Nov mean C = 4.9
| Dec mean C = 1.8
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = -2.2
| Feb low C = -1.8
| Mar low C = 0.4
| Apr low C = 4.0
| May low C = 8.2
| Jun low C = 11.7
| Jul low C = 14.0
| Aug low C = 13.5
| Sep low C = 9.8
| Oct low C = 5.6
| Nov low C = 1.9
| Dec low C = -0.9
| year low C = 
| Jan avg record low C = -12.0
| Feb avg record low C = -9.5
| Mar avg record low C = -5.8
| Apr avg record low C = -2.6
| May avg record low C = 1.7
| Jun avg record low C = 6.3
| Jul avg record low C = 8.9
| Aug avg record low C = 8.1
| Sep avg record low C = 3.9
| Oct avg record low C = -1.3
| Nov avg record low C = -5.0
| Dec avg record low C = -8.9
| year avg record low C = -14.2
| Jan record low C = -25.3
| Feb record low C = -22.0
| Mar record low C = -19.1
| Apr record low C = -7.4
| May record low C = -2.8
| Jun record low C = 1.3
| Jul record low C = 4.9
| Aug record low C = 4.6
| Sep record low C = -0.9
| Oct record low C = -7.7
| Nov record low C = -17.8
| Dec record low C = -24.0
| year record low C = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 41.5
| Feb precipitation mm = 30.0
| Mar precipitation mm = 35.9
| Apr precipitation mm = 27.7
| May precipitation mm = 52.8
| Jun precipitation mm = 60.2
| Jul precipitation mm = 70.0
| Aug precipitation mm = 52.4
| Sep precipitation mm = 43.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 40.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 38.8
| Dec precipitation mm = 39.1
| year precipitation mm = 
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 15.8
| Feb precipitation days = 13.9
| Mar precipitation days = 14
| Apr precipitation days = 10.9
| May precipitation days = 12.8
| Jun precipitation days = 12.4
| Jul precipitation days = 13.4
| Aug precipitation days = 12.7
| Sep precipitation days = 11.6
| Oct precipitation days = 13.6
| Nov precipitation days = 14.5
| Dec precipitation days = 16.4
| year precipitation days = 
| unit snow days = 1.0 cm
| Jan snow days = 8.4
| Feb snow days = 6.8
| Mar snow days = 2.6
| Apr snow days = 0.2
| May snow days = 0
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 0
| Nov snow days = 1.4
| Dec snow days = 4.9
| year snow days = 
| Jan humidity = 85.9
| Feb humidity = 81.2
| Mar humidity = 75.8
| Apr humidity = 67.2
| May humidity = 66.9
| Jun humidity = 66.3
| Jul humidity = 67
| Aug humidity = 68.5
| Sep humidity = 76
| Oct humidity = 82.7
| Nov humidity = 87.8
| Dec humidity = 87.5
| year humidity = 
| Jan sun = 52.6
| Feb sun = 77.9
| Mar sun = 126.7
| Apr sun = 196.4
| May sun = 231.1
| Jun sun = 232.9
| Jul sun = 233.7
| Aug sun = 222.2
| Sep sun = 168.9
| Oct sun = 113.8
| Nov sun = 57.4
| Dec sun = 45.0
| year sun = 
| source 1 = Data derived from [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dwd.de/DE/klimaumwelt/cdc/cdc_node.html|title=Wetter und Klima – Deutscher Wetterdienst – CDC (Climate Data Center)|website=www.dwd.de|access-date=15 September 2022|archive-date=19 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619232425/https://www.dwd.de/DE/klimaumwelt/cdc/cdc_node.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| source 2 = [[NCEI]](days with precipitation and snow, humidity)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Berlin-Brandenburg_10385.csv |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Berlin-Brandenburg |access-date=11 April 2024 |publisher=[[NOAA|National Oceanic and Atmosphric Administration]] |format=CSV |quote=WMO number: 10385}}</ref>
| date = 15 September 2022
| source = 
}}
{{Weather box    
| collapsed    = y
| metric first = y
| single line  = y
| location     = Berlin ([[Dahlem (Berlin)|Dahlem]]), {{convert|58|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}, 1961–1990 normals, extremes 1908–present
|Jan record high C = 15.2
|Feb record high C = 18.6
|Mar record high C = 25.1
|Apr record high C = 30.9
|May record high C = 33.3 
|Jun record high C = 36.1 
|Jul record high C = 37.9 
|Aug record high C = 37.7 
|Sep record high C = 34.2
|Oct record high C = 27.5 
|Nov record high C = 19.5 
|Dec record high C = 15.7
| Jan mean C  =-0.4
| Feb mean C  =0.6
| Mar mean C  =4.0
| Apr mean C  =8.4
| May mean C  =13.5
| Jun mean C  =16.7
| Jul mean C  =17.9
| Aug mean C  =17.2
| Sep mean C  =13.5
| Oct mean C  =9.3
| Nov mean C  =4.6
| Dec mean C  =1.2
| Jan high C  =1.8    
| Feb high C  =3.5    
| Mar high C  =7.9    
| Apr high C  =13.1    
| May high C  =18.6    
| Jun high C  =21.8    
| Jul high C  =23.1    
| Aug high C  =22.8    
| Sep high C  =18.7    
| Oct high C  =13.3    
| Nov high C  =7.0    
| Dec high C  =3.2           
| Jan low C  =-2.9
| Feb low C  =-2.2
| Mar low C  =0.5
| Apr low C  =3.9    
| May low C  =8.2    
| Jun low C  =11.4      
| Jul low C  =12.9     
| Aug low C  =12.4     
| Sep low C  =9.4      
| Oct low C  =5.9    
| Nov low C  =2.1   
| Dec low C  =-1.1       
|Jan record low C = -21.0
|Feb record low C = -26.0
|Mar record low C = -16.5
|Apr record low C = -6.7
|May record low C = -2.9
|Jun record low C = 0.8
|Jul record low C = 5.4
|Aug record low C = 4.7
|Sep record low C = -0.5
|Oct record low C = -9.6
|Nov record low C = -16.1
|Dec record low C = -20.2
| precipitation colour  = green
| Jan precipitation mm  =43.0    
| Feb precipitation mm  =37.0     
| Mar precipitation mm  =38.0    
| Apr precipitation mm  =42.0     
| May precipitation mm  =55.0     
| Jun precipitation mm  =71.0    
| Jul precipitation mm  =53.0     
| Aug precipitation mm  =65.0     
| Sep precipitation mm  =46.0     
| Oct precipitation mm  =36.0     
| Nov precipitation mm  =50.0    
| Dec precipitation mm  =55.0         
| Jan sun  =45.4
| Feb sun  =72.3
| Mar sun  =122.0
| Apr sun  =157.7
| May sun  =221.6
| Jun sun  =220.9
| Jul sun  =217.9
| Aug sun  =210.2
| Sep sun  =156.3
| Oct sun  =110.9
| Nov sun  =52.4
| Dec sun  =37.4
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days  =10.0
| Feb precipitation days  =9.0
| Mar precipitation days  =8.0
| Apr precipitation days  =9.0
| May precipitation days  =10.0
| Jun precipitation days  =10.0
| Jul precipitation days  =9.0
| Aug precipitation days  =9.0
| Sep precipitation days  =9.0
| Oct precipitation days  =8.0
| Nov precipitation days  =10.0
| Dec precipitation days  =11.0
| source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="noaa">{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/DL/10381.TXT
| title = Berlin (10381) – WMO Weather Station
| access-date = 30 January 2019
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]
}}{{dead link|date=June 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} [https://archive.org/details/19611990NormalsNOAABerlin Archived] 30 January 2019, at the [[Wayback Machine]]</ref>
|source 2 = Berliner Extremwerte<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.berliner-extremwerte.com/Berliner-Extremwerte.htm |title = Berliner Extremwerte |access-date = 1 December 2014 |archive-date = 6 June 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200606191249/https://www.berliner-extremwerte.com/Berliner-Extremwerte.htm |url-status = live }}</ref>
}}

=== Cityscape ===
[[File:16-07-04-Abflug-Berlin-DSC 0122.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial photo over central Berlin showing [[City West]], [[Potsdamer Platz]], and [[Alexanderplatz]]]]
[[File:Alexanderplatz from the tube, Berlin D.jpg|thumb|right|Alexanderplatz panorama]]
[[File:Bebelplatz Night of Shame Monument.jpg|thumb|right|A memorial to the [[Nazi book burnings|Nazi book burning]] by [[Micha Ullman]] set into the Bebelplatz]]

Berlin's history has left the city with a polycentric [[metropolitan area]] and an eclectic mix of architecture. The city's appearance today has been predominantly shaped by German history during the 20th century. 17 % of Berlin´s buildings are [[Gründerzeit]] or earlier and nearly 25 % are of the 1920´s and 1930´s, when Berlin played a part in the origin of [[Berlin Modernism Housing Estates|modern architecture]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://interaktiv.morgenpost.de/so-alt-wohnt-berlin/ |title=Alt- oder Neubau? So wohnt Berlin |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=28 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528095512/https://interaktiv.morgenpost.de/so-alt-wohnt-berlin/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1239 |title=Berlin Modernism Housing Estates |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=28 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228161839/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1239 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Devastated by the [[bombing of Berlin in World War II]] many of the buildings that had survived in both East and West were demolished during the postwar period. After the reunification, many important heritage structures have been [[Reconstruction (architecture)|reconstructed]], including the ''[[Forum Fridericianum]]'' along with, the [[Berlin State Opera]], [[Charlottenburg Palace]], [[Gendarmenmarkt]], [[Alte Kommandantur]], as well as the [[City Palace, Berlin|City Palace]].

The [[list of tallest buildings in Berlin]] spreads across the urban area, they can be found for example at [[Potsdamer Platz]], the [[City West]], and [[Alexanderplatz]].

Over one-third of the city area consists of green space, woodlands, and water.<ref name="gruen"/> Berlin's second-largest and most popular park, the [[Großer Tiergarten]], is located right in the center of the city.

===Architecture===
{{Main|Architecture of Berlin}}
{{Further|List of sights in Berlin|List of tallest buildings in Berlin}}
[[File:Gendarmenmarkt Panorama.jpg|thumb|Panorama of the [[Gendarmenmarkt]], showing the [[Konzerthaus Berlin]], flanked by the [[Neue Kirche, Berlin|German Church]] (left) and [[French Cathedral, Berlin|French Church]] (right)]]
[[File:Berliner Dom seen from James Simon Park.jpg|thumb|The [[Berlin Cathedral]] at [[Museum Island]]]]
[[File:Alexanderplatz TV Tower, Berlin D.jpg|thumb|The TV Tower ([[Fernsehturm Berlin|Berliner Fernsehturm]])]]
The [[Fernsehturm Berlin|Fernsehturm]] (TV tower) at [[Alexanderplatz]] in [[Mitte]] is among the tallest structures in the European Union at {{cvt|368|m}}. Built in 1969, it is visible throughout most of the central districts of Berlin. [[File:Berlin TV tower Dec 2023.png|thumb|alt=Berlin TV tower Dec 2023|Berlin TV tower Dec 2023]] The city can be viewed from its {{convert|204|m|ft|adj=mid|sp=us|-high}} observation floor. Starting here, the [[Karl-Marx-Allee]] heads east, an avenue lined by monumental residential buildings, designed in the [[Socialist Classicism]] style. Adjacent to this area is the [[Rotes Rathaus]] (City Hall), with its distinctive red-brick architecture. In front of it is the [[Neptunbrunnen]], a fountain featuring a mythological group of [[Triton (mythology)|Tritons]], [[personification]]s of the four main Prussian rivers, and [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] on top of it.

The [[Brandenburg Gate]] is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany; it stands as a symbol of eventful European history and of unity and peace. The [[Reichstag building]] is the traditional seat of the German Parliament. It was remodeled by British architect [[Norman Foster (architect)|Norman Foster]] in the 1990s and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of the city.

The [[East Side Gallery]] is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. It is the largest remaining evidence of the city's historical division.

The [[Gendarmenmarkt]] is a [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] square in Berlin, the name of which derives from the headquarters of the famous Gens d'armes regiment located here in the 18th century. Two similarly designed cathedrals border it, the [[Französischer Dom]] with its observation platform and the [[Deutscher Dom]]. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall), home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, stands between the two cathedrals.
[[File:MJK 46430 Schloss Charlottenburg.jpg|thumb|left|[[Charlottenburg Palace]]]]
[[File:Berlin Hackesche Höfe1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hackesche Höfe]]]]
The [[Museum Island]] in the [[Spree (river)|River Spree]] houses [[#Museums|five museums]] built from 1830 to 1930 and is a [[UNESCO]] [[List of World Heritage Sites in Germany|World Heritage]] site. Restoration and construction of a main entrance to all museums, as well as reconstruction of the [[Stadtschloss, Berlin|Stadtschloss]] continues.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/newsticker/neumann--stadtschloss-wird-teurer,10917074,10924086.html |title=Neumann: Stadtschloss wird teurer |trans-title=Neumann: Palace is getting more expensive |work=[[Berliner Zeitung]] |language=de |date=24 June 2011 |access-date=7 April 2012 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203200703/https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/newsticker/neumann--stadtschloss-wird-teurer,10917074,10924086.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/archiv/die-nullerjahre--nation-building---der-wiedervereinigte-staat-baut-sich-eine-neue-hauptstadt-das-pathos-der-berliner-republik,10810590,10717494.html |title=Das Pathos der Berliner Republik |trans-title=The pathos of the Berlin republic |work=[[Berliner Zeitung]] |language=de |date=19 May 2010 |access-date=7 April 2012 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203200702/https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/archiv/die-nullerjahre--nation-building---der-wiedervereinigte-staat-baut-sich-eine-neue-hauptstadt-das-pathos-der-berliner-republik,10810590,10717494.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Also on the island and next to the [[Lustgarten]] and palace is [[Berlin Cathedral]], emperor William II's ambitious attempt to create a Protestant counterpart to [[St. Peter's Basilica]] in Rome. A large crypt houses the remains of some of the earlier Prussian royal family. [[St. Hedwig's Cathedral]] is Berlin's Roman Catholic cathedral.
[[File:Bikinihaus Berlin-1210760.jpg|thumb|[[Breitscheidplatz]] with [[Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church]] is the center of [[City West]].]]
[[Unter den Linden]] is a tree-lined east–west avenue from the Brandenburg Gate to the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss, and was once Berlin's premier promenade. Many Classical buildings line the street, and part of [[Humboldt University]] is there. [[Friedrichstraße]] was Berlin's legendary street during the [[Golden Twenties]]. It combines 20th-century traditions with the modern architecture of today's Berlin.

[[Potsdamer Platz]] is an entire quarter built from scratch after the [[Berlin Wall|Wall]] came down.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/bauen/baubilanz/en/potsdamer_platz.html |title=Construction and redevelopment since 1990 |publisher=Senate Department of Urban Development |access-date=18 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610103008/https://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/bauen/baubilanz/en/potsdamer_platz.html |archive-date=10 June 2008}}</ref> To the west of Potsdamer Platz is the Kulturforum, which houses the [[Gemäldegalerie, Berlin|Gemäldegalerie]], and is flanked by the [[Neue Nationalgalerie]] and the [[Berliner Philharmonie]]. The [[Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe]], a [[Holocaust]] memorial, is to the north.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/05/09/arts/design/09holo.html |title=A Forest of Pillars, Recalling the Unimaginable |work=The New York Times |access-date=18 August 2008 |first=Nicolai |last=Ouroussoff |date=9 May 2005}}{{dead link|date=July 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The area around [[Hackescher Markt]] is home to fashionable culture, with countless clothing outlets, clubs, bars, and galleries. This includes the [[Hackesche Höfe]], a conglomeration of buildings around several courtyards, reconstructed around 1996. The nearby [[New Synagogue, Berlin|New Synagogue]] is the center of Jewish culture.

The [[Straße des 17. Juni]], connecting the Brandenburg Gate and Ernst-Reuter-Platz, serves as the central east–west axis. Its name commemorates the [[Uprising of 1953 in East Germany|uprisings in East Berlin of 17 June 1953]]. Approximately halfway from the Brandenburg Gate is the Großer Stern, a circular traffic island on which the [[Berlin Victory Column|Siegessäule]] (Victory Column) is situated. This monument, built to commemorate Prussia's victories, was relocated in 1938–39 from its previous position in front of the Reichstag.

The [[Kurfürstendamm]] is home to some of Berlin's luxurious stores with the [[Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church]] at its eastern end on [[Breitscheidplatz]]. The church was destroyed in the Second World War and left in ruins. Nearby on Tauentzienstraße is [[KaDeWe]], claimed to be continental Europe's largest department store. The [[Rathaus Schöneberg]], where [[John F. Kennedy]] made his famous "[[Ich bin ein Berliner]]!" speech, is in [[Tempelhof-Schöneberg]].

West of the center, [[Bellevue Palace (Germany)|Bellevue Palace]] is the residence of the German President. [[Charlottenburg Palace]], which was burnt out in the Second World War, is the largest historical palace in Berlin.

The [[Funkturm Berlin]] is a {{convert|150|m|ft|adj=mid|sp=us|-tall}} lattice radio tower in the fairground area, built between 1924 and 1926. It is the only observation tower which stands on insulators and has a restaurant {{cvt|55|m}} and an observation deck {{cvt|126|m}} above ground, which is reachable by a windowed elevator.

The [[Oberbaumbrücke]] over the Spree river is Berlin's most iconic bridge, connecting the now-combined boroughs of [[Friedrichshain]] and [[Kreuzberg]]. It carries vehicles, pedestrians, and the U1 [[Berlin U-Bahn]] line. The bridge was completed in a [[brick gothic]] style in 1896, replacing the former wooden bridge with an upper deck for the U-Bahn. The center portion was demolished in 1945 to stop the [[Red Army]] from crossing. After the war, the repaired bridge served as a [[Berlin border crossings|checkpoint and border crossing]] between the Soviet and American sectors, and later between East and West Berlin. In the mid-1950s, it was closed to vehicles, and after the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, pedestrian traffic was heavily restricted. Following German reunification, the center portion was reconstructed with a steel frame, and U-Bahn service resumed in 1995.