Berlin, the City

---

For me, Berlin seems to fly under the radar. Munich gets more attention, perhaps due to the fabulous Oktoberfest, and Stuttgart for its famous Mercedes automobiles. But Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany with 3.5 million residents (470,000 have passports from other countries). It is nine times larger (892 square kilometers) than Paris! And Bonn was the old capital before new German Parliament decided to return to Berlin in 1991. Further, Berlin is the second largest European capital by population, and fifth in area. There are 3809 Berliners per square kilometer, a rather high density given its past as a divided city. Remarkably, there are more kebab (Doner) shops here than Istanbul! In total, 175 museums, 4650 restaurants (Germans love their food), 900 bars, and 190 clubs and discos. I hope to find the one I went to back in 1971. But that is a story for another time. A favorite saying is that Berlin has more museums than rainy days! Since reunification, Berlin has been busy. The FIFA World Cup Finals in 2006 greatly improved the image of both Berlin, and Germany. Berlin continues to develop as a center of the music, dance, contemporary art and fashion world. Would you believe Berlin has more bridges than Venice? A total of 1700. Berlin has three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Museum Island, Modernism Housing Estates, and the Palaces and Parks of Berlin and Potsdam. Over 44% of Berlin is made up of parks, recreational areas, woods, and rivers. Berlin is the only city in the world with three active opera houses. Berlin also has nine castles. Berlin is home to the largest department store on continental Europe, KaDeWe, over 60,000 square feet of fashion, food, and housewares. Six U.S. Presidents have made speeches here, headlines by the famous JFK line, "Ich bin ein Berliner" in 1963. The famous Berlin dialect was largely derived from the Huguenots in the late 17th century. The most famous pastry in Berlin is a ‘doughnut’ filled with marmalade, known as the Berliner. Many of the city's landmarks date back to the time of Prussian kings from the House of Hohenzoller. The city's original name was Colln in 1237. It began as a trading post. The 1936 Olympic Games were held here, highlighted by the great African American athlete, Jesse Owens. Two of the best history books about Berlin: David Clay Large: Berlin
By far the best book about the city's history: It starts in 1871, when Berlin became the capital of the German Empire and covers the whole 20th century until shortly after the reunification. Christopher Clark: Iron Kingdom – The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600 – 1947
If you want to dig deeper into the history of the region and the conflicts that shaped it, Christopher Clarks book about the „Iron Kingdom“ is the right book for you. While full of facts and information it is always entertaining, funny and very well written.
Berlin has the largest train station in Europe. Russia lost 30 million soldiers when they liberated Berlin. No wonder they did not want to leave and built a wall to prove it! The population had a million more people before WW2 (total of 4.5 million). Complicating this is one of the lowest birthrates in the world. The economy of Germany is the strongest in Europe, and perhaps third only to the U.S. and China. The entire European Union depends on their participation. It will be interesting to see what they do after Brexit. The burden on Spain, Greece, and Italy may be too much to bear. Berlin lies at the same latitude as London, and the same longitude as Naples. Speaking of bars and clubs, they have not mandatory hours here! Even weirder is a toilet themed bar, Das Klo, with toilet seats instead of chairs. And toilet themed drink ware. Yuk! Germans love sausage. I got sick on sausage on a previous trip here. They even have a Currywurst Museum! The shock of losing WW1 caused riots in Berlin against the traditional imperial government. It was replaced by a democratic constitution in Weimar in 1919. We all know what happened after WW2. More than 6 million tourists visit Berlin each year. I was hoping to meet Mrs. Merkel, but I think she has bigger wurst to fry, don't you? But I do hope to find an old friend, who mysteriously dropped off of FB and email a few weeks ago. Trying to avoid me, or perhaps an untimely demise? I look forward to seeing Germany up close. It has been 45 years, though I have flown through Frankfurt many times, recently on my way back from the Trans Siberian Railway. I will be there by the time you wake up Monday morning.

---