ATC (band)

They called for a general strike the next day, June 17; the general strike and protest marches turned into rioting and spread throughout East Germany. Construction workers building the showpiece Stalin-Allee in East Berlin went on strike on June 16, 1953, to demand a reduction in recent work-quota increases. West Germany, formed on 23 May 1949 from the American, British and French Zones, had its capital in Bonn. East Berlin became the capital of East Germany when the country was formed from the Soviet Occupation Zone in October 1949.

The blockade lasted almost an entire year, ending when the Soviets once again allowed ground access to West Berlin on May 11, 1949. The western Allies undertook a massive logistical effort to supply the western sectors of the city through the Berlin Airlift, known by the Berliners as "die Luftbrücke" (The Air-Bridge). In response to Allied efforts to fuse the American, French, and British sectors of western Germany into a federal state, American refusal to grant the Soviets war reparations from industrial areas of western Germany, and to a currency reform undertaken by the western powers without Soviet approval, the Soviets blocked ground access to West Berlin on June 26, 1948, in what became known as the "Berlin Blockade". The council continued to govern West Berlin, with the same rotating leadership policy, though now only amongst France, Great Britain, and the United States.

Though the city was initially governed by a Four Power Allied Control Council with a leadership that rotated monthly, the Soviets withdrew from the council as East-West relations deteriorated and began governing their sector independently. Berlin's unique situation as a city half controlled by Western forces in the middle of the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany made it a natural focal point in the Cold War. This practice also continued in East Berlin and the Soviet occupation zone after 1945. The Soviets used the time from May 1945 to July 1945 to dismantle industry, transport and other facilities in West Berlin, including removing railway tracks as reparations for German war damage in the Soviet Union.

They handed the American, British and French sectors (later known as West Berlin) to the American and British Forces in July, 1945; the French occupied their sector a little later. The Soviet victors of the Battle of Berlin immediately occupied all of Berlin. Greater Berlin was divided into four sectors by the Allies under the London Protocol of 1944: one each for. The so called "Stunde Null" marked a new beginning for the city.

By the end of the Second World War, up to 70% of Berlin had been destroyed by concerted Allied air raids and street fighting. Hitler's Reich Chancellory was demolished by Soviet occupation authorities, red marble from the Chancellory was used to renovate the adjacent war damaged subway station U-Bahnhof Mohrenstraße and the remaining rubble was used in the construction of Soviet War Memorial at Treptower Park in Berlin. Hermann Göring's Reichsluftfahrtministerium (National Ministry of Aviation), Tempelhof International Airport, Olympiastadion, and a series of streetlights on the East-West Axis on Kaiserdamm and Straße der 17 Juni are all that remain. Today only a few structures bear witness to the large-scale plans of Germania.

Hitler also thought the Allied airstrikes very practical, mostly because it made demolishing the old Berlin so much cheaper. But the construction never started, as Hitler decided it would be madness to start such a project during a war. The project was to finish in 1950, and Berlin was to be re-named "Germania" on that occasion. It was projected to be a monument commemorating those fallen during World War I and World War II.

Additionally, halfway down the avenue there would have been a huge arch 117 meters high, and so large that the Arc de Triomphe in Paris would fit inside it. At the other end you would have had the new railway station and next to it Tempelhof Airport. From The Great Hall, a southbound avenue was planned, the Avenue of Victory, 23 meters wide and 5.6 km long. It was planned to be large enough to hold 170,000 people, and the sweat and heat produced by those people was predicted to be able to generate clouds and rain inside the dome.

Peter's Basilica in Rome and with an enormous dome. On the site of todays Parliamentary offices (Paul-Löbe-Haus) adjacent to the Reichstag, Speer planned to construct The Great Hall, 250 meters high and seven times broader than St. (Berlin was and is a center of left-wing political activity in Germany, and its residents largely opposed the Nazis' rise to power.) Therefore he and his architect Albert Speer made enormous plans for the new Berlin. During this period, Adolf Hitler had great plans to transform Berlin, because he thought that Berlin was one of the ugliest cities in the world, and he hated it.

It remained Germany's capital during the Weimar Republic and under the Nazis' Third Reich. Although it was the residence of the Prussian kings, Berlin's population did not greatly expand until the 19th century, mainly after becoming the capital of the German Empire in 1871. The overall impression one gets when visiting Berlin today is one of great discontinuity, visibly reflecting the many ruptures of Germany's difficult history in the 20th century. In 1709, Berlin-Cölln was joined together with 'Friedrichswerder', the 'Dorotheenstadt' and 'Friedrichstadt' under the name of Berlin, with 60,000 inhabitants.

In January 18, 1701, Frederick III was crowned King Frederick I in Prussia and made Berlin the capital of the new kingdom of Prussia. From 1688 on the Friedrichstadt was built and settled. Some years later (from 1674 on), the Dorotheenstadt was constructed in a bow of the river Spree northwest of the Spreeinsel (Spree Island), where the Palace was situated. The boulevard is called Unter den Linden.

A boulevard with six rows of trees was laid down between the park Tiergarten and the Palace in 1647. During his government Berlin reached 20,000 inhabitants and became significant among the cities in Central Europe for the first time. In 1640 Frederick William took regency in the principality of Brandenburg. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Berlin's population shrank from 10,000 to 6,000.

In 1576, the bubonic plague killed about 4,000 people in the city. At that time Berlin-Cölln numbered about 8,000 inhabitants. The first City Palace was built on the embankment of the river Spree from 1443 to 1451. Not much is left of these ancient communities, although some remainders can be seen in the Nikolaiviertel near the Rotes Rathaus, and the Klosterkirche, close to today's Alexanderplatz.

Their urban development took place in parallel for 400 years, until Cölln and Berlin were finally unified under the name of Berlin in 1709, including the suburbs Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt, and Friedrichstadt. Both cities formed a trade union in 1307, and participated in the Hanse. Unfortunately, the great town center fire of 1830 damaged most written records of those early days. Cölln is first mentioned on October 28th, 1237 in documents; Berlin in 1244.

The city developed out of two settlements, Berlin and Cölln, on both sides of the river Spree, in today's borough Mitte. Berlin itself is one of Europe's younger cities, with its origin in the 12th century. Spandau and Köpenick, which had been protected with barriers around 825, had been the major settlements and later towns in the area until the early 11th century. This seems to be the closest settlement to the area which is today known as Berlin and was called Spandow (todays Spandau).

The Heveller founded another place at the river Havel in about 750. Close to the river Spree in todays borough of Berlin Köpenick the Sprewanen were found. The Heveller settled at the river Havel with their central settlement in Brennabor which later has become the town of Brandenburg. At about 720 two Slavic tribes settled in the Berlin region.

see also: History of Berlin. The district mayors form the council of mayors, called Rat der Bürgermeister under leadership of the Regierende Bürgermeister (governing mayor) to advise the Senat. Though the Boroughs of Berlin are not independent municipalities, the political power of the district-parliaments is quite weak and dependent on the Senat of Berlin. Each Borough is governed by a so called Bezirksamt consisting of five Stadträte (town councillors) and a mayor. The Bezirksamt is elected by the district-parliament, the so called Bezirksverordnetenversammlung.

For a map and a list of the old and new borough names, see Boroughs of Berlin. Berlin is subdivided into 12 boroughs, called Bezirke, which have been merged from the previously existing 23 boroughs, effective since January 1, 2001. The current Senat consists of a coalition of the social democrat SPD and the socialist PDS. The city and state parliament is called the Abgeordnetenhaus or House of Representatives.

Presently, this office is held by Klaus Wowereit (SPD); for earlier mayors, see the list of Mayors of Berlin. The governing mayor is mayor of the city and representative of the Bundesland (state) at the same time. Berlin is governed by the Senat of Berlin which consists of the Regierender Bürgermeister (governing mayor) and up to 8 senators, holding ministerial portfolios. Since the day of the German reunification, October 3, 1990, it is one of the three city states, together with Hamburg and Bremen that form the present 16 German Bundesländer.

Berlin used to be part of Brandenburg, but became a separate city state in 1920. It is enclosed by the German state (Bundesland) of Brandenburg, and constitutes a state of its own. Berlin is located on the rivers Spree and Havel in the northeast of Germany. It is also the second-largest city in the European Union after London.

Berlin [ bɜˈlɪn] (German [beɐˈliːn]) is the national capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,387,404 inhabitants (as of September 2004); down from 4.5 million before World War II. Hafen Neukölln (Port Neukölln) - with only 19,000 m² the smalest port; transshipment of building materials. Osthafen (Eastport) - the area of 57,500 m² is still in use, but partly under urban redevelopment. Südhafen (Southport) - an area of about 103,000 m² for transshipment of pieced and heavy goods.

Westhafen (Westport) - largest port in Berlin with an area of 173,000 square meters; transshipment of grain, pieced and heavy goods. Berlin Airports Website (http://www.berlin-airport.de). Tempelhof International Airport (THF), to close 2006. Tegel International Airport (TXL), to close after BBI starts operations (in 2007).

Schönefeld International Airport (SXF), to be expanded and renamed Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BBI) in 2007. A map of the current Public Transport Network (http://www.bvg.de/images/sunetz_aktuell.pdf) (BVG). All means of public transport, U- & S- Bahn, Trams, Buses and Ferries can be accessed with the same ticket. Passenger Ferry.

Bus,. Straßenbahn, a tram system mainly located in eastern Berlin. S-Bahn, mostly overground urban railway system. U-Bahn, Metro subway system.

90°. WMF (Café Moskau) wmfclub.de (http://www.wmfclub.de/). Watergate water-gate.de (http://www.water-gate.de/). Tresor tresorberlin.com (http://www.tresorberlin.com/).

Sternradio. Steinhaus steinhaus-berlin.de (http://www.steinhaus-berlin.de/). Soda Club at Kulturbrauerei. SO36.

Sage Club sage-club.de (http://www.sage-club.de/). Polar.tv. Matrix. Maria am Ostbahnhof clubmaria.de (http://www.clubmaria.de/).

Magnet magnet-club.de (http://www.magnet-club.de/). Knaack Club knaack-berlin.de (http://www.knaack-berlin.de/). Kinzo. Kato.

Kalkscheune kalkscheune.de (http://www.kalkscheune.de/). Icon. Big Eden. Bastard (Prater).

Arena. 2BE Club (Old WMF Location). Komische Oper. Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

Deutsche Oper. Renaissance Theater. Maxim Gorki Theater [44] (http://www.gorki.de). Grips-Theater.

Theater des Westens [43] (http://www.theater-des-westens.de). Berliner Ensemble [42] (http://www.berliner-ensemble.de). Deutsches Theater [41] (http://www.deutsches-theater.de). Volksbühne [40] (http://www.volksbuehne-berlin.de).

Schaubühne [39] (http://www.schaubuehne.de). Prussian Palaces and Gardens in Berlin [38] (http://www.spsg.de/index.php?id=1&sessionLanguage=en). Berlin Wall Documentation Center [37] (http://www.berliner-mauer-dokumentationszentrum.de/index_e.html). Museum of Medical History [36] (http://www.charite.de/kompakt/english/p8.00_frame.html).

German Museum of Technology [35] (http://www.dtmb.de/index_en.html). Museum of Natural History [34] (http://www.museum.hu-berlin.de/home.asp?lang=1). Flick Collection [33] (http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/FCFC/hbflickausse.html). F.C.

Berlin Picture Gallery (Gemaeldegalerie) [32] (http://www.museen-berlin.de/gg/e/s.html). The Berggruen Collection (Picasso and his Age) [31] (http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/shb/e/s.html). Vitra Design Museum [30] (http://www.design-museum.de/berlin.php). Museum of European Cultures [29] (http://www.museen-berlin.de/mek/e/s.html).

Kaethe Kollwitz Museum [28] (http://www.dhm.de/museen/kollwitz/english/home.htm). German Film Museum [27] (http://www.berlin-tourist-information.de/english/veranstaltungen/e_ve_filmmuseum.html). Deutsche Guggenheim Museum [26] (http://www.deutsche-bank-kunst.com/guggenheim/e/). Broehan Museum [25] (http://www.broehan-museum.de/home1.htm).

Bauhaus Museum [24] (http://www.bauhaus-archiv.de/english/index.htm). Berlin State Gallery [23] (http://www.berlinischegalerie.de/en/71-1-1_0.htm). Museum of European Cultures. Hamburger Bahnhof (Museum for the Present - Berlin).

Jewish Museum Berlin. Old National Gallery (Old National Gallery), 19th-century painting and sculpture[22] (http://www.smpk.de/ang/e/s.html). Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), one of the last buildings by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Museum for Post and Telecommunication.

German Museum of Technology in Kreuzberg, located at the site of an old freight train hub. Museum Island with the Altes Museum, Pergamon Museum and Alte Nationalgalerie. Archenhold Observatory Archenhold-Sternwarte [21] (http://www.astw.de). Good-Bye Lenin!, set in Berlin in 1989.

Run Lola Run, filmed in post-reunification Berlin and Potsdam. Wings of Desire 1980's divided Berlin. Cabaret. One, Two, Three (Cold War).

The Blue Angel (1930´s Depression). Tierpark Friedrichsfelde, founded by the GDR in a historic castle park in eastern Berlin. Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Berlin's eldest zoo located in the city center. Technische Fachhochschule [18] (http://www.tfh-berlin.de).

Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler [17] (http://www.hfm-berlin.de). Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft [16] (http://www.fhw-berlin.de). Fachhochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft [15] (http://www.fhtw-berlin.de). Katholische Fachhochschule [14] (http://www.khsb-berlin.de/).

Evangelische Fachhochschule [13] (http://www.evfh-berlin.de). Alice-Salomon-Fachhochschule für Sozialarbeit/-pädagogik [12] (http://www.asfh-berlin.de). Universität der Künste [11] (http://www.udk-berlin.de). Charité [10] (http://www.charite.de) (Medical Faculty of Freie and Humboldt-Universität).

Technische Universität Berlin [9] (http://www.tu-berlin.de). Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin [8] (http://www.hu-berlin.de). Freie Universität Berlin [7] (http://www.fu-berlin.de). It is located in Friedrichshain and Mitte.

The Karl-Marx-Allee, a boulevard lined by monumental landmark buildings designed in the Socialist Classicism of the Stalin era. Juni connects the Brandenburg Gate in the East and Ernst-Reuter-Platz in the West, commemorating the uprisings in East Berlin of June 17, 1953. It features the golden Siegessäule (Statue of Victory), which used to stand in front of the Reichstag. The Straße des 17. Also nearby is the Zoologischer Garten, a zoo with the largest number of species.

The church was bombed out in World War II and its ruins have been preserved in their damaged state. Kurfürstendamm (Ku'damm), with the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church), which lies right at the top end of Kurfürstendamm, on Breitscheidplatz (underground station Kurfürstendamm). Friedrichstraße, Berlin's legendary street of the "Golden Twenties" which combines the tradition of the last century with modern architecture of today's Berlin. Part of Humboldt University is located there.

Many Classical buildings line the street. Unter den Linden is the street that heads east from the Brandenburg Gate. Power station Reutter. Power station Berlin-Wilmersdorf.

TV Tower Berlin-Mueggelberge. Radar facility Berlin-Teufelsbberg. Radio mast Berlin-Olympiastadium. Transmitter Berlin-Alley of Stallupone.

Radio mast Berlin-Scholzplatz. Transmitter Berlin-Britz. Richtfunkstelle Berlin-Frohnau. Fernmeldeturm Berlin (Berlin Telephone Tower).

Mueggelturm — A tower giving panoramic views over the Mueggelsee lake. Siegessäule [6] (http://www.berlin-tourist-information.de/cgi-bin/sehenswertes.pl?id=13353) — the monument at the Großer Stern situated in the middle of the Tiergarten where it was relocated during 1938 / 1939 from its previous position in front of the Reichstag . Bell Tower at the Olympic Stadium [5] (http://www.glockenturm.de) — is part of the Reichssportfeld complex, the tower offers a view of the Olympic Stadium and also of the Waldbühne. Berliner Dom [4] (http://www.berliner-dom.de) — situated next to the Lustgarten and the Berlin Cathedral which has a circular observation platform around the dome.

1970s style tower in the Berlin Borough of Steglitz with a café & bar at the top giving views over the south-west of Berlin. Bierpinsel — Literally "Beer Stick". Französischer Dom [3] (http://www.franzoesischer-dom-berlin.de) — located on Gendarmenmarkt in the very heart of the city, the platform of the cathedral offers unique views. Grunewaldturm [2] (http://www.grunewaldturm.de) — this 59-metre high historic tower stands on a hill in the Grunewald forest close to the Wannsee lake.

The whole of the city can be viewed from its 204-metre high observation platform. Berlin Television Tower [1] (http://www.berlinerfernsehturm.de/) — 368 metre high television tower, built in 1969 close to Alexanderplatz. Berliner Funkturm— the only observation tower in the world which stands on insulators! Open air observation deck which is ideal for photography!. This area was a centre of Jewish culture before the Nazis.

This includes the New Synagogue area in Oranienburger Straße (originally built in the 1860s in Moorish style with a large golden dome, and reconstructed in 1993), and the Hackesche Höfe, a conglomeration of several buildings around several courtyards, nicely reconstructed after 1996. Hackescher Markt, Spandauer Vorstadt and Scheunenviertel, the home to fashionable culture, with countless small clothing shops, clubs, bars, and galleries. A must-see for people who like modern city planning. The historic Potsdamer Platz was not rebuilt as it was divided by the Wall.

Potsdamer Platz, an entire quarter built from scratch after 1995. The museum, which is a private venture, exhibits interesting material about people who devised ingenious plans to leave the East, but is controversial in the city for its propagandistic Cold War didactics and publicity stunts that many consider tasteless. Checkpoint Charlie, remains and a museum about one of the crossing points (albeit restricted to Allied forces) in the Berlin Wall. Kennedy made his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner!" speech.

Rathaus Schöneberg with John-F.-Kennedy-Platz, whence John F. Rotes Rathaus(the Red City Hall), historic town hall famous for its distinctive red-brick architecture. East Side Gallery a memorial for freedom based on the last parts of the Berlin Wall. It is now a thoroughly Westernized shopping center.

Alexanderplatz, formerly East Berlin's major shopping center, and home to the Centrum-Warenhaus, which was the DDR's department store. The Fernsehturm is easily visible throughout most of the central districts of Berlin. The Fernsehturm, the TV tower, the highest building in the city at 368 m (1207 ft), and the second largest structure in Europe (after Moscow's Ostankino Tower). The Palace Square was renamed Marx-Engels-Platz at the same time.

The Palast der Republik is built on the site of the Berlin City Palace, which was demolished in 1950 by the Communists. Although it has some significance as a historical tourist attraction, the German Parliament voted for its demolition, which will commence in 2005. It is seen by some as ugly, former East Berliners remember with affection restaurants, shops, clubs, and the concerts that took place there in the 1980s. The Palast der Republik, the old East German parliament building.

The Tiergarten was largely deforested by 1948 because it served as a source of firewood for the devastated city. Tiergarten is Berlin's largest park and a masterpiece of park building. The Neptunbrunnen, a famous fountain in Berlin Mitte. Nikolaiviertel with the Nikolaikirche a historical city core founded in the 13th century.

Hedwig (St.-Hedwigs-Kathedrale). Cathedral of St. A large crypt houses the remains of the Prussian royal family. The Berliner Dom, a historic cathedral.

Berlin victory column, monument to Prussia's victories. Gendarmenmarkt, arguably the most beautiful square in Berlin surrounded by two famous cathedrals and the concert hall. Features a glass dome in which you can walk around and watch the parliamentarians from above. Reichstag building, the old and new seat of the German parliament, renovated by Sir Norman Foster.

The Brandenburg Gate appears on German Euro coins. The Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden, symbols of Berlin, Prussia, and now Germany. the Soviet Union, consisting of the Boroughs of Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Pankow, Weissensee, Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg, Treptow and Köpenick. France, consisting of the Boroughs of Wedding and Reinickendorf;.

the United Kingdom, consisting of the Boroughs of Tiergarten, Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf and Spandau;. the United States, consisting of the Boroughs of Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Tempelhof, Schöneberg, Steglitz and Zehlendorf;.