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Just as Berlin has spent most of its most recent years divided, it begun as two Wendish villages –Berlin and Kölln. These two villages were merged in 1307 and became the double-city of Berlin- Kölln. But by the 1440’s the cities lost their independence and Elector Friedrich broke up the administrative council. Over 40 years later the city finally became a residential city under Friedrich’s nephew Johann.
After this the city blossomed and continued to do so until some time round 1618 when the Thirty Years War began. Once this war began Munich’s growth ceased and the city stopped to grow as it had been previously. By the end of the war in 1448 there was only 6,000 people left in the city.
Towards the end of the 20th century, Berlin is best known for the wall which divided the city for nearly 30 years. Initially erected in 1961, the Berlin Wall was built by the East German Government to stop the East Berliners travelling to the west. Eventually, after 28 years standing, the wall began to come down bit by bit and Berlin was reinstated as the German capital. Even though the wall has come down, passing through both sides of the city is a pretty unique experience.
Today Berlin is still, and will for a long time, be known as the city with the dividing wall. There is a lot much more to the city guide than that – it has an extremely vibrant nightlife, it oozes culture and has more to offer visitors than any other German city.
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