History UsefulNotes / Berlin

* Music/DavidBowie's ''Berlin'' trilogy are three albums recorded in Berlin and breathing a very specific city atmosphere: ''[[Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum Low]]'', ''Music/{{Heroes}}'', and ''Music/{{Lodger}}'' (with ''Music/StationToStation'', recorded in Los Angeles but inspired in part by Bowie's European travels, serving as an "introduction" and/or a bridge to his previous, soul/funk-influenced work, ''Music/YoungAmericans''). The latter album has a title track, ''Heroes'', which specifically mentions UsefulNotes/TheBerlinWall. In Berlin it's almost seen as an anthem and Bowie even recorded a German version of it.

* Music/DavidBowie's ''Berlin'' trilogy are three albums recorded in Berlin and breathing a very specific city atmosphere: ''Music/StationToStation'', ''[[Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum Low]]'' and ''Music/{{Heroes}}''. The latter album has a title track, ''Heroes'', which specifically mentions UsefulNotes/TheBerlinWall. In Berlin it's almost seen as an anthem and Bowie even recorded a German version of it.

From then on, the history of Berlin coincides with the history of Germany in general. At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Germany was declared a republic in Berlin and the political street fights there got so nasty that the constitutional assembly for the German Reich was moved to Weimar, hence the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic. In 1920, the almost bi-million city of Berlin was enlarged another and the last time, doubling its population to almost four million people. 20s Berlin despite is weak economy, political instability and the large cloud of inevitable doom that carries all retrospective perspectives of the time, is often regarded as the epitome of 20th Century Modernism. It was the age of Creator/BertoltBrecht and Music/KurtWeill, the cartoons of George Grosz, amazing advances in architecture, Music/ArnoldSchoenberg's atonal music, the development of Cabaret and other night-clubs celebrated in later fictions and of course GermanExpressionism in the films of Creator/FritzLang and Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau. It was a cosmopolitan city that was even reknowned for being a gay capital. Like all good parties, it didn't last forever.

After the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic fell for ThoseWackyNazis that caused UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and that was lost to the Germans and made the Berlin population plummet to about three million (where it essentially remained since then), the Allies divided the old Reich capital akin to the rest of what remained of Germany, with the French in the northwest, the British in the west, the Americans in the south, and the Soviets in the east. Berlin suffered greatly under being the playball of the superpowers in the upcoming UsefulNotes/ColdWar, leading to its division. East Berlin was quickly integrated into the structures of UsefulNotes/EastGermany, serving as its capital. West Berlin survived the Soviet blockade of 1948/49 via the Berlin Airlift, keeping its status as an island of the free world amid the red sea of communism. For many years, it was easy to flee from the East to the West via Berlin. To turn off this leak in the Iron Curtain, the GDR built the infamous death trap commonly called the BerlinWall on August 13, 1961.

In 1415, Elector Frederick I got the throne over the Margraviate of Brandenburg, ending Berlin's existence as a Hanseatic city and starting the century-long legacy of the Hohenzollern dynasty. After severe losses due to the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, "Great Elector" Frederic William made a hell of a deal to (re-)populate his war-torn country and prevent future suffering from any games great powers might potentially play. The biggest deal was the edict of Potsdam from 1685, essentially an invitation to persecuted French Protestants, the Huguenots, to live in Brandenburg.[[note]]There were still French-language Huguenot schools in Berlin and wider Brandenburg until the early 20th century, and some of Berlin's more prominent families come from this background (e.g. the de Maizières, who have held several high-ranking posts in modern Germany).[[/note]] The lion's share of the 15,000 that came settled in Berlin, which has always been supported as a strongpoint in the area. In essence, this should become the cornerstone of Berlin as the lone metropolis in the rural sea of Brandenburg as it's known to this day.

In 1701, Brandenburg-Prussia become the [[{{Prussia}} Kingdom of Prussia]], retaining Berlin as its capital. With Prussia growing the following two centuries (e.g. Silesia, Rhineland, Hannover and others), Berlin became the capital of an ever-growing country and therefore a magnet for more and more people, making it especially distinct from the surrounding Brandenburg which also affected its dialect. In essence, the growth of Berlin was the result of the sheer willpower of its rulers.

* If you're at an airport, you're definitely not in the eastern half. East Berlin's airport was built at Schönefeld, outside the city limits; since reunification, it has been expanded into the modern Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport. The Tegel airport, built in the French sector at the time of the Berlin Airlift, was supposed to have closed years ago, but remains open for the moment. Tempelhof, Berlin's original airport, was closed in 2008. The military airfield at Gatow, which lies near the city's western limits, was a [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Air Force]] base for nearly five decades after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII; the [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht Bundeswehr]] took it over in 1994, but have since then mostly operated it as a museum.

* If you're at an airport, you're definitely not in the eastern half. East Berlin's airport was built at Schönefeld, outside the city limits; since reunification, it has been expanded into the modern Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport. The Tegel airport, built in the French sector at the time of the Berlin Airlift, was supposed to have closed years ago, but remains open for the moment. Tempelhof, Berlin's original airport, was closed in 2008. The military airfield at Gatow, which lies near the city's western limits, was a [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Air Force]] base for nearly five decades after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII; the [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht ‎Bundeswehr]] took it over in 1994, but have since then mostly operated it as a museum.

* If you're at an airport, you're definitely not in the eastern half. East Berlin's airport was built at Schönefeld, outside the city limits; since reunification, it has been expanded into the modern Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport. The Tegel airport, built in the French sector at the time of the Berlin Airlift, was supposed to have closed years ago, but remains open for the moment. Tempelhof, Berlin's original airport, was closed in 2008.

* ''[[Film/TheBourneSeries The Bourne Supremacy]]''.

* ''Before the Storm'', [[DichterAndDenker Theodor Fontane's]] first novel, and ''Literature/DerStechlin'', his last one, are set partly in Berlin, partly in the countryside of Brandenburg. And so are a number of Fontane's other works. The novellas ''L'Adultera'', ''Schach von Wuthenow'' and ''Die Poggenpuhls'' for instance are predominantly set in Berlin.

Berlin, capital of Germany [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany 1871]][[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic -]][[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany 1945]] and again since [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic 1990]] and a major world city. According to P. J. O'Rourke, "the city that [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]] moved to because New York wasn't decadent enough." Though P.J. followed it up by saying, "Forget it. We bombed the place flat in WWII, and they rebuilt it as a pretty good imitation of Minneapolis."

From then on, the history of Berlin coincides with the history of Germany in general. At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Germany was declared a republic in Berlin and the political street fights there got so nasty that the constitutional assembly for the German Reich was moved to Weimar, hence the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic. In 1920, the almost bi-million city of Berlin was enlarged another and the last time, doubling its population to almost four million people. 20s Berlin despite is weak economy, political instability and the large cloud of inevitable doom that carries all retrospective perspectives of the time, is often regarded as the epitome of 20th Century Modernism. It was the age of Creator/BertoltBrecht and Creator/KurtWeill, the cartoons of George Grosz, amazing advances in architecture, Arnold Schoenberg's atonal music, the development of Cabaret and other night-clubs celebrated in later fictions and of course GermanExpressionism in the films of Creator/FritzLang and Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau. It was a cosmopolitan city that was even reknowned for being a gay capital. Like all good parties, it didn't last forever.

* If you're in the Zoologischer Garten, you're in the western half.

Throughout the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, Berlin was "The CityOfSpies" (a title that has also been held by Lisbon, Tangiers, Beirut, Istanbul, and {{Casablanca}} at various points in their history). SpyFiction from that period will almost always mention Berlin.

* Creator/FritzLang's ''Dr. Mabuse'' trilogy -- ''Film/DrMabuseTheGambler'', ''Film/DasTestamentDesDoktorMabuse'' and its post-war sequel of sorts, ''Film/Die1000AugenDesDrMabuse''.

* Creator/FritzLang's ''Dr. Mabuse'' trilogy -- ''Film/DoctorMabuseTheGambler'', ''Film/DasTestamentDesDoktorMabuse'' and its post-war sequel of sorts, ''Film/Die1000AugenDesDrMabuse''.

* ''Before the Storm'', [[DichterAndDenker Theodor Fontane's]] first novel, and ''Der Stechlin'', his last one, are set partly in Berlin, partly in the countryside of Brandenburg. And so are a number of Fontane's other works. The novellas ''L'Adultera'', ''Schach von Wuthenow'' and ''Die Poggenpuhls'' for instance are set entirely in Berlin and its close surroundings.

From then on, the history of Berlin coincides with the history of Germany in general. At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Germany was declared a republic in Berlin and the political street fights there got so nasty that the constitutional assembly for the German Reich was moved to Weimar, hence the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic. In 1920, the almost bi-million city of Berlin was enlarged another and the last time, doubling its population to almost four million people. 20s Berlin despite is weak economy, political instability and the large cloud of inevitable doom that carries all retrospective perspectives of the time, is often regarded as the epitome of 20th Century Modernism. It was the age of Creator/BertoltBrecht and Creator/KurtWeill, the cartoons of George Grosz, amazing advances in architecture, Arnold Schoenberg's atonal music, the development of Cabaret and other night-clubs celebrated in later fictions and of course GermanExpressionism in the films of Creator/FritzLang and Creator/FWMurnau. It was a cosmopolitan city that was even reknowned for being a gay capital. Like all good parties, it didn't last forever.

From then on, the history of Berlin coincides with the history of Germany in general. At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Germany was declared a republic in Berlin and the political street fights there got so nasty that the constitutional assembly for the German Reich was moved to Weimar, hence the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic. In 1920, the almost bi-million city of Berlin was enlarged another and the last time, doubling its population to almost four million people.

WeimarGermany's Berlin is a very vibrant and colourful place, comparable with Paris. TruthInTelevision here.

* ''Film/{{M}}'', directed by FritzLang and featuring PeterLorre.

* FritzLang's ''Film/DasTestamentDesDoktorMabuse'' and its post-war sequel of sorts, ''Film/Die1000AugenDesDrMabuse''.

* ''The Good German''. Set just after UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo, before the division of Germany.

* ''Film/{{M}}''.

* ''Film/DasTestamentDesDoktorMabuse''.

* ''Literature/BerlinAlexanderplatz'' and its radio play and movie adaptations.

* ''Film/LolaRennt'' (a.k.a. ''Run Lola Run'')

* ''Film/WeAreTheNight''.

* ''Film/{{Hanna}}''
* ''Film/LolaRennt'' (a.k.a. ''Run Lola Run'')

* Wim Wenders' films ''Der Himmel über Berlin'' (aka ''Film/WingsOfDesire'' and ''The Sky over Berlin'') and ''In weiter Ferne, so nah!'' (''Faraway, So Close!'').
* Creator/BillyWilder's ''Film/OneTwoThree''.

* ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}''. Set in WeimarGermany.
* ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. It is a city of warehouses. [[spoiler:[[BlackHumor "Where's my house?"]] [[GallowsHumor "Where's my house?"]]]]
* The {{Flash Forward}}s in the ''Series/{{Lost}}'' episode "The Economist" involve spies, murder, and intrigue in cold, gray Berlin.

* The only time Section 9 works with a foreign intelligence service in ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', they help German military intelligence to track down an international terrorist in Berlin. Within the show, the city had been destroyed and rebuild a second time somewhere in the 2020s or 30s (apparently to look like a Bavarian village).

* ''Film/GrandHotel''
* ''Literature/BerlinAlexanderplatz''
* ''Film/TornCurtain''

If you're lucky, you might see some of West Berlin's (extremely vibrant) music scene and nightlife (being one of the early centers of so-called "{{Krautrock}}" and Music/DavidBowie (the albums ''Music/StationToStation'', ''Music/{{Low}}'' and ''Music/{{Heroes}}'') and [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]] (the albums ''Music/TheIdiot'' and ''Music/LustForLife'') both having recorded there on the basis of its reputation).

* Music/DavidBowie's ''Berlin'' trilogy are three albums recorded in Berlin and breathing a very specific city atmosphere: ''Music/StationToStation'', ''Music/{{Low}}'' and ''Music/{{Heroes}}''. The latter album has a title track, ''Heroes'', which specifically mentions UsefulNotes/TheBerlinWall. In Berlin it's almost seen as an anthem and Bowie even recorded a German version of it.

If you're lucky, you might see some of West Berlin's (extremely vibrant) music scene and nightlife (being one of the early centers of so-called "{{Krautrock}}" and Music/DavidBowie and [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]] both having recorded there on the basis of its reputation).

* ''{{Hanna}}''

* ''Berlin Alexanderplatz''

After the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic fell for ThoseWackyNazis that caused UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and that was lost to the Germans and made the Berlin population plummet to about three million (where it essentially remained since then), the Allies divided the old Reich capital akin to the rest of what remained of Germany. Berlin suffered greatly under being the playball of the superpowers in the upcoming UsefulNotes/ColdWar, leading to its division. East Berlin was quickly integrated into the structures of UsefulNotes/EastGermany, serving as its capital. West Berlin survived the Soviet blockade of 1948/49 via the Berlin Airlift, keeping its status as an island of the free world amid the red sea of communism. For many years, it was easy to flee from the East to the West via Berlin. To turn off this leak in the Iron Curtain, the GDR built the infamous death trap commonly called the BerlinWall on August 13, 1961.

[[redirect:{{Berlin}}]]