Editing Berlin (section)

== 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.<ref name="germany-capital"/> 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.<ref name="nazi-capital"/> 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.<ref name="nazi-collapse"/>

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]].<ref name="nazi-aftermath"/>

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]].<ref name="germany-history"/> 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.