Berlin City

In 1230, the margraves of Brandenburg gave the two small trade villages Coelln and Berlin townrights. As a trade center and thoroughfare from East to West, both cities grew rapidly. In 1432, at a time when Berlin and Coelln were already established, rich, and powerful cities, the citizens and their representatives created a joint administration. In the following years, Berlin-Coelln grew together and became a leading member of the “Hanse”-federation.

During the Thirty Years’ War, from 1618 to 1648, Berlin was plundered several times so that the number of citizens was diminished from 15000 to 6000. The “Great Elector” Friedrich Wilhelm initiated the rebuilding of the Berlin’s economy. With the declaration of the “Edict of tolerance” 1664 and the “Edict of Potsdam”1665, a lot of religious persecutees, in particular french Calvinists and Jews, moved to Berlin. In 1701, Berlin-Coelln became the residence city of King Friedrich the First, kingdom of Prussia.

His successor Soldier-King Friedrich Wilhelm the First founded the Prussian military state and chose Berlin as its capital. Under his son’s reign, Friedrich Ithe Second, the kingdom of Prussia became one of the most powerful European countries and Berlin one of the most well-known capitals in Europe.

With the beginning of the cultural and educational development era 1810, Berlin’s first University was founded. With the industrial revolution, in the middle of the 19th century, Berlin transformed into what it is  today, a large industrial and cultural center in Germany. But the darkest period had yet to come.

In 1933, Hitler became Chancellor of Germany creating a dictatureship which ended in the World War II.

After the capitulation May 8th, 1945 Berlin found itself destroyed and divided in four sectors governed by the winning allies USA, France, England and the Sovietunion. Four years later ,the German Democratic Republic (DDR) was founded by the Soviets, and East Berlin, namely the Soviet sector became its capital.

One night in 1961 changed Berlin’s face forever; the wall, dividing Berlin and its inhabitant families into two, to prevent people from crossing the borders, went up. After days of peaceful protest, the wall finally got dismissed in 1989.

After the reunion in 1991, Berlin was declared as the new capital of United Germany, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. You can still encounter numerous historical monuments in some parts of Berlin telling a unique 760-years-lasting story of trade, glory, culture, war, division and reunion. You can barely wonder around without stumbling over Berlin’s historical milestones.