Berlin, Germany

By | November 21, 2021

According to abbreviationfinder, Berlin is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany and one of the sixteen German Länder. It is located in the northeast of Germany, just 70 km from the border with Poland. It is crossed by the rivers Spree and Havel. With a population of 3.4 million residents, Berlin is the most populous city in the country, as well as the fifth largest urban agglomeration among the countries of the European Union.

Geography

The exact geographical location of the Berlin City Council is 52º 31 ’12 “North latitude, 13º 24′ 36” East longitude. The largest extension in the East-West direction is about 45 km, and in the North-South direction about 38 km. The surface of the city is approximately 892 km². Berlin is completely surrounded by the Land of Brandenburg and is situated to the east of the Federal Republic of Germany, approximately 70 km west of the border with Poland. The city is one of the disturbances of the Federal Republic.

Berlin is located in a region formed during the ice age in the Urstromtal (old riverbed) of Warsaw-Berlin, between the Barnim and Teltow plateaus. The historic center of Berlin is at the narrowest point of the River Spree as it passes through the Urstromtal. In Spandau, the westernmost district of Berlin, the Spree flows into the river Havel, which runs north-south through western Berlin. The course of the Havel often resembles a seascape, its largest widening being Lake Tegel and the Großer Wannsee.

Demography

Berlin’s population has grown rapidly since the end of World War II, when it had dropped to only 2,300,000. Today Berlin has 3,400,000 residents. Factors that contributed to the population growth included the return of residents evacuated during the war, an influx of West Germans to East Berlin, and large numbers of people who came as immigrants. Since German reunification, hundreds of thousands of newcomers have arrived in the city. See population of Germany.

Approximately 59% of the population of Berlin does not profess a religion. About 19.8% [9] of the population belong to the Evangelical Church, 9.4% to the Catholic Church [10] and 3% to other Christian confessions. Other religions are practiced by small segments of the population, mainly Islam, with 8.8%.
See also: Turkish Immigration in Germany, Demographics of the European Union and Migration in the European Union.

Places of interest

  • Berlin Wall: There are still some sections of this construction that divided not only the city of Berlin, but also the world into two diametrically opposed ideologies.
  • Brandenburg Gate: Monument located a few meters from the collapsed wall, in the no man’s land between the wall itself and the barracks and watchtowers of the GDR police (Volkspolizei); today it is a symbol of the reunification of the country.
  • Siegessäule (Victory Column): 69 m high monument located in Tiergarten park that commemorates three German victories in the 19th century. It is crowned by a statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. It can be accessed up to its peak, where you get a privileged view of the city. It was popularized for being the meeting place of angels in the film So Far and So Close by German director Wim Wenders.
  • Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche: Church located in the Center of West Berlin (former West Berlin), suffered the bombings of the Allies during World War II.
  • Potsdamer Platz: In the heart of West Berlin is the new Potsdamer Platz, which in the 1920s was one of the most popular spots in all of Europe. After the fall of the wall, it became a huge construction project, in which today you can find modern shopping centers and skyscrapers that mark a new era for Berlin.
  • Unter den Linden is the main boulevard of the city: Unter den Linden (Under the linden trees) is the main boulevard of the city. It begins in the Paris Square on the west side of the Brandenburg Gate, where the Academy of Art, the well-known Hotel Adlon and the embassy of France and the United States are located.
  • Friedrichstrasse: Former cultural, economic and commercial center of Berlin. He is currently trying to regain his importance in the city.
  • Alexanderplatz: In the center of the former East Berlin is this large square where the former communist government of the GDR left its most visible mark. Near this square is the 368 m high television tower (Fernsehturm), which can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.
  • Holocaust Memorial: The 2,711 concrete blocks commemorate the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust by Nazism. This monument, designed by the architect Peter Eisenman, is located a few meters from the Brandenburg Gate.

Natural spaces

  • The Tiergarten, Berlin’s main park. The Permanent Forest contract was a 1915 agreement between Berlin and Prussia for the acquisition of forest around the city. The term Permanent Forest, as part of the name of the contract, refers to its purpose of remaining unaltered over time.
  • Tiergarten: It is a large park located in the center of the city. In its early years it was a hunting area and later it became a large green area for the use and enjoyment of Berliners.
  • Botanical Garden: It is one of the largest and best known in Europe ; It also has an important collection of prepared plants and a specialized library.

Berlin, Germany