Sign in with Facebook"A Tale of Two Cities" Berlin by nicolaitan
Berlin Travel Guide: 6,866 reviews and 15,332 photos
Page Map ---
Things to Do Tips 1-13 - Museums
Things to Do Tips 14-25 - General
Off the Beaten Path Tips - Sites of Interest to Jewish Travellers
The scant 17 years since the reunification of Berlin has not erased history - the former western and eastern sections remain two different places with the same name. The relative prosperity of the west can be seen in the slightly dated but prosperous shopping and residential areas. The areas of the former eastern division are a hodgepodge of striking new ultramodern and haute housing, shopping, hotels, and restaurants - the buzz of excitement actually does fill the air. Many of the most important touristic attractions are in the former East Berlin as well. Interspersed are the sequelae of many years of GDR control - dull, drab, and the sites of innumerable demolition and reconstruction projects. West Berlin is established, East Berlin is an old canvas erased and being recreated with a new and vibrant pallette. Berlin is said to be the third most frequent tourist destination in Europe today - we, and particularly my beloved Proserpina, truly enjoyed our visit.
Berlin's intricate history belies its relative youth compared to most major European capitols. As late as the 13th Century, the area was occupied by little more than scattered Germanic and Slav villages with shifting populations and frequent skirmishes throughout the first millenium. By the end of the 13th C, a village called Berlin ( the name apparently drawn from a phrase for swampland ) existed. Even at that time, the town seal featured two erect bears, BTW. At the beginning of the 15th C, there were only 8000 inhabitants in the area, kept small by the Black Plague ( blamed on the Jews ) and major fires.
In 1411, the Holy Roman Emperor gave the area of Brandenburg including Berlin to a branch of the Hohenzollern family and Friedrich I became the first margrave of Brandenburg. They would rule till 1918, first as margraves and later as kings of the Prussian Empire (1701-1919) and the German Empire ( 1871-1918). The city accepted the Reformation in the middle of the 16th Century. As late as 1600, Berlin had but 12000 residents. The city suffered greatly during the Thirty Years War - to aid in a return to prosperity, Friedrich Wilhelm known as the Great Elector encouraged immigration of French Huegenots, Jews from Austria, and other peoples in an era of great tolerance and Berlin grew rapidly in size.
The 18th Century Hohenzollern rulers created a military power and their warmongering led to the disastrous Seven Years War in which both Austria and then Russia briefly occupied Berlin. But under Friedrich the Great, Prussia survived and emerged victorious and Berlin became a major European center for government and commerce. In the early 19th Century, Napoleon also briefly occupied Berlin but again the city survived as he retreated from Russia to ultimate defeat. The unification of all Germany late in the 19th Century led to the German Empire of which Berlin became the capitol. It became a major industrial city with the advent of the Industrial Revolution as well as a cultural capitol, although under strict Prussian military-oriented leadership.
Following WWI and the defeat of the German Empire, Berlin became the capitol for the ill-fated Weimar Republic. During the so-called "Golden Twenties", and despite severe economic problems, the city was a world center for art and culture. Berlin was conceived popularly as a city of great tolerance and immigration of large numbers aided this growth to a city of 4 million. In particular, large numbers of Eastern European Jews immigrated to the relative freedoms of Berlin. All this ended with the ascent of the National Socialist Party. WWII, destruction, and the division of the city are topics well-known. Today's re-united Berlin is a thriving metropolis with an unending list of attractions to draw visitors.
Reviews (42)
Avant Garde Galleries
Favorites
(3)
Walking through the Mitte district, we ran across several small art galleries featuring contemporary and conceptual art... more travel advice
Upscale Italian on the Ku'damm
Restaurants
(5)
One of Berlin's more popular upscale Italian restaurants offers outdoor dining as well as a warm inviting inside dining... more travel advice
A Kempinski Bristol Hotel Restaurant
Restaurants
(5)
Fronting Kurfurstendamm, this upscale hotel restaurant offers full menus all day featuring German and bistro cuisine in... more travel advice
The Old Classic
Hotels
(1)
Located perfectly on the Ku'damm, the Bristol meets every requirement for a 5 star hotel with every imaginable service... more travel advice
nicolaitan's Related Pages
-
Munich
-
Nürnberg
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Dachau
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
-
Dresden
-
Germany
-
Czech Republic
-
Paris
-
Tourette-sur-Loup
-
Gourdon
-
Venice
-
Bellagio
-
Santa Margherita Ligure
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Camogli
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Orvieto
-
Tivoli
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Rome
-
Florence
-
Siena
-
San Gimignano
Berlin Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "More than the capital of Germany"
- "Berlin"
- "Berlin, Berlin - wir fahren nach Berlin!"
- "Berlin in my way"
- "Wunderbar Berlin"
- "Berlin - the whole world in one town"
- "Berlin .... und das ist gut so!"
- See All...
Categories
- Things to Do in Berlin
- Hotels in Berlin
- Transportation in Berlin
- Nightlife in Berlin
- Restaurants in Berlin
- Shopping in Berlin
- Warnings and Dangers in Berlin
- See All...
Nearby Travel Guides
- Berlin Travel Guide
- Großer Wannsee Travel Guide
- Pfaueninsel Travel Guide
- See All...
Explore the World
- Member Rank:
- 0 0 1 2 2
- Forum Rank:
- 0 0 0 5 5
- 999 Reviews
- 3,865 Photos
- Add Friend
- Follow
- Send Message
Badges & Stats in Berlin
- 42 Reviews
- 159 Photos
- 36 Forum posts
- 14 Comments
- 3,387PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (45)
Have you been to Berlin?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Berlin
- Posted in Travel New York City Forum "Re: packing ?"
- Commented on one of breughel's Berlin tips
- updated a Berlin Travel Page "A Tale of Two Cities"
- Uploaded a Photo to "A Tale of Two Cities"
- Wrote a Review Avant Garde Galleries in Berlin Favorites
Top 10 Pages
-
Istanbul
Intro, 55 reviews, 283 photos, 6 travelogues
-
Amsterdam
Intro, 53 reviews, 206 photos
-
Vienna
Intro, 48 reviews, 197 photos
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Long Island
Intro, 59 reviews, 175 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Nevsehir Ili
Intro, 38 reviews, 185 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Prague
Intro, 45 reviews, 173 photos, 3 travelogues
-
New York City
Intro, 57 reviews, 160 photos, 2 travelogues
-
Salzburg
Intro, 40 reviews, 167 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Berlin
Intro, 42 reviews, 159 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Budapest
Intro, 42 reviews, 133 photos, 3 travelogues
Friends
See All Friends (19)
Food and Dining
Luxury Travel
Road TripLatest Berlin hotel reviews
- Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz
- 153 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2013 - Steigenberger Hotel Berlin
- 286 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2013 - Upper Room Hotel
- 20 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 6, 2013 - Melia Hotel Berlin
- 752 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013 - Best Western Hotel Steglitz International
- 31 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013 - Rocco Forte Hotel De Rome
- 160 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013 - Mercure Hotel Berlin Mitte
- 76 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 14, 2013 - Arcotel Velvet
- 268 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013 - Tulip Inn Berlin-Friedrichshain
- 24 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 16, 2013 - Michelberger Hotel
- 311 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013 - A&O Hotel und Hostel am Zoo Berlin
- 8 Reviews & Opinions
- Berliner Hof am Tauentzien
- 47 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 29, 2013 - All In Hostel Berlin
- 37 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2013
Comments (15)
Hello Lew, we are just back from a third trip to Berlin, with visits to the MuseumInsel and Gemäldegalerie. We concentrated on the best a.o. the Egyptian department in the Neues Museum.
Berlin is one of my top EU cities for museum content but not for the architecture! Everywhere office buildings under construction and works on the streets.
We did not have enough time to see as much as you, and wished we could. Nice tips and pictures again of your trips
What an excellent page Lew! The history abounds here as well of all the beautiful historical buildings.
Oh yes, you and your wife should def. visit in Berlin again, and then exploring also beautiful Brandenburg & more!
Hi Lew, Some excellent information on your page, nice photos, all of which creates a nice image. Hopefully we will be in Berlin 2010 to enjoy some of these attractions.
Lew, fantastic page with very interesting historical background. It looks like you visited almost every museum in Berlin. I especially like your tip about the ghost stations. I was lucky enough to experience them in reality back in the 1980's.
Hi Lew, I'm impressed by your detailed and insightful tips on the Jewish Museum, the Museum Island, the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, Bebelplatz. . . and Rabbi Regina Jonas, whom I had never heard of. I remember riding through those ghost stations.
I would have to spend a year in Berlin to see everything! An awesome city! Great page!
Thanks for your feedback on my page, I have been going over all your pages and tips, lots of great information in them.
A superb VT page on a great city. Very useful to travellers planning to visit Berlin.