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Berlin is the capital and the biggest city of
Germany.
It has a population of about
3.5 million and extends over 889 square kilometers. It is located
in central Europe, longitude 13:25 E, latitude 52:32 N, 34 m above
sea level, at the rivers Spree and Havel (see
world map).
The local time zone is Central European Time (MEZ or MET,
one hour in advance of GMT, i.e., MEZ = GMT+1) with daylight
savings time in the summer (MESZ = GMT+2).
Historical Note
Berlin was the capital of Prussia until 1945 and the capital of
Germany between 1871 and 1945 and again since the reunification
of Germany on October 3, 1990. (The German parliament, called
Bundestag, and the German government are supposed to move from Bonn
to Berlin till the year 2000.) Between 1949 and 1990, it was divided into
East Berlin, the capital of the German Democratic Republic, and West
Berlin. It was divided by the
Berlin Wall between August 13, 1961, and November 9, 1989.
Sights
Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate, built 1788-1791 by C. G. Langhans,
with Schadow's quadriga on its top), the place Gendarmenmarkt
with Deutschem and Französischem Dom (German and French
cathedral) and
Konzerthaus ("Schauspielhaus", concert hall),
the historic Nikolaiviertel
(Nikolai quarter) with the oldest church of Berlin, the Nikolai-Kirche,
the Deutsche Staatsoper (opera house) Unter den Linden, the
Pergamon museum, the Zeughaus, the
Siegessäule (Victory Column, 69 m), the
Funkturm ("Langer Lulatsch", radio tower, 150 m) and the Fernsehturm
(TV tower, 365 m, at Alexanderplatz), the
Reichstagsgebäude (former and future house
of parliament, built 1884-1894 by P. Wallot),
Schloß Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Castle) and
Schloß Bellevue (Bellevue Castle, seat of the President
of the Federal Republic of Germany),
Kongreßhalle (congress hall, now called
"Haus der Kulturen der Welt"),
ICC (International Congress Center), the
ruin and the new church
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche,
the
Olympia stadium (from 1936).
Universities in Berlin
Berlin has three big universities:
Colleges in Berlin
Berlin also has a number of colleges and polytechnical schools known
as "Fachhochschulen".
More about Berlin
Burkhard Kirste,
Heiko Schlichting;
1995-02-14, 1997-05-02.