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 The City divided - reunified
making history with every step.
Capital of Germany, but also
a mecca for daydreamers and nightowls.

Berlin is full of contradictions,
a building site of the future.
And still a safe, casual place
surrounded by 10.000 lakes.

 

History No other city in Germany has, in the last 100 years, played such a prominent role in history as Berlin: Industrialization, Inflation, Nazis and World War II, allied occupation, Berlin Wall, Cold War, "Economic Miracle" (in the West) and Socialism (in the East), Glastnost and the fall of the Wall.

Population Berlin has over three million inhabitants, more than any other city in Germany. Two million West Germans ("Wessis") and one million East Germans ("Ossis") live together in the re-unified city. In the district of Kreuzberg, there are over 200,000 Turks. With more and more immigrants from the Russia, Poland and other former East Block countries moving to Berlin, it has become the geographical point where eastern Europe meets western Europe.

Buildings The bombs of the second World War have not left much of Berlin -- there are other cities in the world which are more beautiful. Nevertheless, Berlin is the most urban city in Germany: wide streets and symbolic monuments, such as the Reichstag (House of Parliament), Brandenburger Tor, as well as a few meters of the Wall.

Culture No where in Germany will you find so many artists, musicians, writers and actors living in one place as here. Berlin has more than 100 public and private theaters, countless cinemas, and plays host to film festivals. There are also three opera houses, the Berliner Philharmonie, famous museums, more than 200 galleries, three universities, and academies for acting, photography, design and fashion.

Atmosphere As the Wall still stood, Berlin's function was to be a showcase for capitalism, a shop window for those in the East to gaze into; the East was grey and dismal, the West bright and colorful. West Berlin was an island, but this island began to magically attract those who found living in 'good' West Germany too harmonic, those who had had enough of the economic wonderland, and those who found life in the small town too conservative. Even until today, this spirit of non-conformism, military draft-dodging and rebelling against out-of-date rules has left its mark on Berlin. Tolerance and liberty set the tone here. Perhaps it will stay that way.

   

 

 

 

 


Thomas Propp
"The Big City"
"Well, that is the question,
whether one is lucky
to live in a big city or
just to visit it."

 

Wes Tsuhako
(from Hawaii): about money,
shopping, customer service
and beer.
"Money can be changed..."



Thomas used to work
as a language teacher
at: Die Neue Schule
Currently, he is writing
a novel for children.
His homepage:
http://www.thomaspropp.de/		  

 

Getting around Berlin is a city of great distances. If you were to look at a map of the city, you would be under the impression that everything were close together but this, however, isn' t the real Berlin. So, either prepare yourself for long foot journeys or take the U-Bahn (subway). The 24-hour ticket costs about DM 10.00.

Here´s a tip concerning addresses in Berlin: the numbering of buildings begins on one side of the street, goes up until the end, then crosses over to the other side before coming back down again. That means if you are walking down (or up) a street, the addresses on one side (let's say the left) will increase while those on the other side (the right) decrease. It isn't very convenient but you get used to it.

The hottest tip, however, for those who find even the shortest of trips on foot too much is the DM 5.00 taxi fare. (now in Euro, "half piped"). But the catch is that this special rate applies only to distances of 1 km or less, and to those taxis which you wave down on the street. Just tell the driver your destination and finish off with a "zum Winkemann-Tarif".

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