Berlin Germany

Berlin is the capital of Germany and also its largest city with a population of about 3.5 million people. It is the seat of German government and was often in the middle of German history. As a matter-of-fact in the 20th century no other town had such an impact on the European destiny than Berlin.

In the Middle Ages, Berlin was a centre of trade. At the end of the 17th century, it had about 20.000 habitants. During the 18th century the town of Berlin was appointed to the Residential City of Germany under the command of King Frederick I., also known as Frederick the Great. The town became a centre of building activities and representative buildings like the Armory, the Palace of the Crown Prince, the Opera Palace, the Staatsoper Opera House, the Prince Heinrich Palace, St. Hedwig’s Cathedral and the Old Library were built.

In recent history, many events of vital importance for the whole world took place in Germany’s capital. One of the worst was the Reichstag fire and the associated political takeover of the National Socialists in 1933. The Reichstag fire was interpreted by the authorities as a communist riot despite shaky evidence. It soon led to a suspension of civil rights and therefore the National Socialists could prosecute their political opponents on legal basis.