Berlin

Berlin
Capital city, state and municipality
Country	Germany
Federal state	Berlin
First documented	1237
Area
• Total	891.3 km2 (344.1 sq mi)
Population  (2025)
• Total	3,700,577
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code	030

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. It is also one of the country's sixteen federal states and is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg. Berlin had 3,700,577 inhabitants on 31 December 2025 and covers 891.3 square kilometres.

The city developed on the Spree and became the capital of unified Germany in 1871. Berlin was divided after the Second World War and reunited in 1990. The German parliament and federal government transferred their principal offices to the city during the 1990s.

Geography

Berlin lies in northeastern Germany on the North European Plain. The Spree crosses the central city before joining the Havel in western Berlin. The Havel widens into a chain of lakes, while other lakes occupy parts of the southeastern city.

The terrain is generally low and was shaped by glacial erosion. Sandy soils cover much of the area. Extensive woodland remains within the city boundary, particularly in the outer western and southeastern districts.

Berlin is entirely enclosed by Brandenburg. Potsdam lies immediately southwest of the city. The built-up area extends beyond the state boundary into surrounding Brandenburg municipalities and forms the centre of the wider Berlin–Brandenburg metropolitan region.

The city is divided into twelve boroughs. Dense residential districts surround the central borough of Mitte. Farther from the centre, the boroughs contain former villages and large housing developments. Lakes and woodland separate several outer neighbourhoods.

Berlin has a temperate climate. Summers are generally warm, while winters are cold with periods of frost. Rainfall occurs throughout the year.

History

Berlin developed beside the settlement of Cölln, which occupied an island in the Spree. Cölln was first recorded in 1237, while Berlin appeared in written records in 1244. The neighbouring settlements shared commercial functions and were later placed under one municipal government.

The rulers of Brandenburg established their residence in Berlin during the fifteenth century. The city expanded after the formation of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and served as its capital. New districts grew outside the medieval centre as the royal administration increased in size.

Industrial growth changed Berlin during the nineteenth century. Factories expanded around the city and railway lines connected it with other German regions. The population increased rapidly as workers moved into newly constructed residential districts.

Berlin became the capital of the German Empire following German unification in 1871. Government offices were established around the central districts, while industrial development continued along railway corridors. The Greater Berlin Act took effect on 1 October 1920. It incorporated neighbouring towns and rural communities, creating most of the present city boundary.

During the Weimar Republic, Berlin remained the seat of the national government. The city became a centre of publishing and public entertainment. Its theatres and film studios drew national audiences, while its universities expanded scientific research.

After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, the municipal government was brought under central political control. Berlin served as the capital of Nazi Germany and contained the principal offices of the regime. Authorities stripped Jewish residents of their civil rights and seized their property. Deportations later sent many residents to ghettos and extermination camps, where they were murdered.

Allied bombing damaged large areas of Berlin during the Second World War. Soviet forces entered the city during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945. Street fighting continued until the German defenders surrendered. Adolf Hitler died in Berlin on 30 April, and Nazi Germany surrendered in May.

The Allied powers divided Berlin into four occupation sectors. The political division of the city hardened during the Berlin Blockade of 1948 and 1949. The western sectors formed West Berlin, while the Soviet sector functioned as East Berlin and became the capital of East Germany.

East German authorities began constructing the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961. The barrier closed most movement between the two parts of the city. Border crossings reopened on 9 November 1989 after the East German government relaxed travel restrictions.

Berlin was formally reunited on 3 October 1990 as part of German reunification. On 20 June 1991, the Bundestag voted to transfer the seat of parliament from Bonn to Berlin. The Bundestag began meeting in the rebuilt Reichstag building in 1999, when most federal ministries also completed their move to the city.

Government

Berlin functions as both a municipality and a federal state. The Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin serves as the state parliament. It elects the Governing Mayor, who directs the Senate of Berlin.

Each borough operates through an elected district assembly and a district office. These bodies administer local services under the wider city-state government.

The Bundestag meets in the Reichstag building. The Federal Chancellery stands nearby in the government quarter beside the Spree. The Bundesrat meets in the former Prussian House of Lords, while Bellevue Palace serves as the principal official residence of the Federal President.

Economy and transport

Services form the largest part of Berlin's economy. Federal administration and the state government provide employment throughout the city. Universities support higher education, while research institutes conduct scientific work in several districts.

Software companies expanded after reunification. Berlin also developed a large media production sector. Tourism supports accommodation businesses, while the city's museums and event venues attract visitors throughout the year.

Manufacturing employs a smaller share of the population than it did before the Second World War. Pharmaceutical production remains established in the city. Electrical engineering also continues in several industrial areas. Construction increased during the redevelopment of central Berlin and the expansion of residential districts.

Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the main long-distance railway station. Regional railways connect the city with Brandenburg and other parts of Germany. The S-Bahn provides suburban rail services, while the U-Bahn serves much of the inner city. Trams operate mainly in eastern Berlin. Bus routes cover areas beyond the rail network.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport lies southeast of the city in Schönefeld. It handles the main passenger air traffic for the capital region.

The Spree and Havel remain navigable within Berlin. Canals connect the rivers with the wider German waterway network and provide routes for freight vessels and passenger boats.

Local connections

Otto Hoos was born in Berlin into the German branch of the Hoos family. He later served in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War.

Richard Schroeter moved to Berlin while he was an infant and was raised in Charlottenburg. He opened a bicycle shop in the district on 2 April 1962 and operated it until 22 April 2014. During a police raid, officers discovered an underground gambling establishment beneath the shop.

See also

• Germany
• Brandenburg
• Nazi Germany
• Second World War
• Battle of Berlin
• Berlin Wall
• Charlottenburg
• Otto Hoos
• Richard Schroeter