Top 20 Facts about the city of Berlin

Top 20 Facts about the city of Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate Image: Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to Berlin, Germany, one of the biggest and most beautiful cities around. Did you know that Berlin is almost ten times bigger than Paris? The city has ATM Machines that dispenses gold! Yes, gold, the valuable stone. Have a seat and discover more of the German capital has in store for you!

1. It is a city of museums

The German capital boasts of a total of 180 museums!!!!! These are more than the rainy days the city experiences in a year! Even if you are a fan of adventure and museums, you cannot explore all of these in one trip! Altes, Neues, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode and Pergamon Museums are situated on one island which has been named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. What an excuse to go back to Berlin!!!!!!

2. City of festivals

If you are a music lover, then Berlin is a city you will love. One of the most outstanding things about the city is the numerous festivals that take place there all year round. Helene Beach Festival, Berlin Atonal, Nation of Gondwana, Pop-Kultur, Citadel Music Festival are just some of the few. Most of the festivals take place during the summer.

3. City of nine castles

Image: Pixabay

Berlin has nine Schosschen –little castles all around the city, and they are beautiful! The most popular are Schloss Charlottenberg, Köpenicker Schloss and Schloss Schönhausen, but you will find others that will fascinate you as well!

4. The Berlin Wall

Image: Pixabay

One of Germany’s most notable things would be the Berlin wall; which was brought down in 1989. The Berlin Wall, built-in 1961, divided Germany into East and West Germany. It was meant to stop citizens from moving from East Germany to West Germany. The ruling Communist Party in East Germany, had reinforced the wall, but in 1989, the wall fell; after the fall of East Germany. This meant the end of dictatorship and the unification of Berlin. Nowadays, you will find the remains of the wall with graffiti- in different parts of Berlin. 

5. The Brandenburg Gate 

How do you tell that Berlin is Berlin? Well, the Brandenburg Gate will tell you that you are in Berlin. 

The Berlin Wall was brought down in the late 80s and the Brandenburg Gate is a sign of reunification for Berlin; East and West Berlin. The 18th Century monument was commissioned by Friedrich William 11, the Prussian King! It was the sign of a divided Germany; but now, it is the sign of peace and unity. It has a depiction of the statue of the goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses! 

6. Victory Column 

Image: Pixabay

The victory column, also known as ‘Golden Lizzie’ is a sight to behold. It even survived World War 11. Hitler moved it to Großer Sternin from Königsplatz  

7. Beautiful churches and cathedrals 

Europe has the best churches in the world. Churches and cathedrals play an integral part in the cultural and historical aspects of most Europeans and Berlin have lots of Beautiful and amazing churches and cathedrals! St Mary’s Church is one of the oldest churches in Germany, dating back to the 13th Century has the painting ‘Dance of the Death’ which is 22 Meters from the ground as its main attraction is a must-visit. Another one is the Berlin Cathedral in Mitte, Berlin, the French Cathedral, Berlin which dates back to the 17th Century, St Nichola’s Church which is the oldest church in Berlin and St Hedwig’s Church among many others. The interiors, exteriors, and history attached to these churches and cathedrals are amazing. 

8.  Holocaust Memorial 

Image: Pixabay

The Holocaust Memorial took about 17 years to build! The memorial was designed by American architect Peter Eisenman, is a depiction and a reminder of the Jews who died during the Nazi Regime. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews is a place to visit.

9.  Longest beer garden

The longest beer garden in the world, which is 2.2km long is located in Berlin! More than 240 breweries from around the world converge in aa stretch of over 2.2KMS selling some of the best beers around! There are also live bands so there is a lot of music for people to enjoy as they stroll and taste the beer!

10. Checkpoint Charlie 

Image: Pixabay

Checkpoint Charlie was the crossing point between East and West Berlin. It was decommissioned on 22nd June 1990 though you can still visit this place, which has a replica of things that were used then; which were created to replace the original one; even the guards are dressed in uniform and you can get your passport stamped!!! It got the name from the phonetic alphabet- the other checkpoints were Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. You can also buy souvenirs there.

11.  Most people in Berlin are ‘Auslanders’

It would surprise you to know that one in every four people in Berlin is an actual Berliner. The rest are not born and bred there. It is a cosmopolitan city which means you can find people who speak English! There are an estimated 4.5 million people from 190 countries in the world! 

12. BVG

BVG, the city’s line of transport (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Trams, and busses) are said to travel an equivalent of 8.7 times around the earth every day, combined. Mmmmmmh.

13. Everyone needs the right ticket

Image: Wikimedia Commons

To use the public transportation in Berlin, you will need the right ticket, and the system is so strict that if a conductor finds you with a wrong ticket or the wrong ticket, you are fined or worse, could find yourself in jail! Imagine that!

14.  The Eastside Gallery

The Eastside Gallery, a 1.3KM stretch is an open-air gallery wall; it is part of the Berlin Wall which was converted into a gallery- it is covered in graffiti done by artists from all around the wall. It even has the famous pieces ‘The Fraternal Kiss’ or ‘My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love’ which was a photo of a kiss shared by Brezhnev the Soviet Leader and Erich Honecker the East Germany Leader. This is one of the longest open-air galleries in the world!

15. You can hire a museum

Have a party, some extra Euros and no venue? No problem! In Berlin, you can hire a museum for a night for only 8,000 Euros!

16. Home of technology

Berlin-born tinkerer Konrad Zuse invented the world’s first programmable computer in 1941, making him the father of the modern computer.

17. Lots of canals!

Image- Pixabay

The city has more canals than either Amsterdam or Venice, with over 180 KM of waterways, it is arguably one of the cities where you can tour the city using boats on one of the canals!

18. A very robust Turkish population 

It will not be a surprise to find a big population of Turkish people on the streets of Berlin. It has the biggest population of Turks outside of Turkey; that’s why the Doner Kebap is so popular!

19. Curry Wurst

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Apart from the Doner Kebap, which is a popular dish in Berlin, Curry Wurst, a sausage in curry is very popular, synonymous with Germany, and is served in all food joints you will find. Don’t miss it!

20. Amazing Christmas markets 

Berlin has over 80 Christmas Markets that are beautiful!!!! There is a guided tour of monumental areas like Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall during this period. The Christmas market offers different places to eat while learning about the history of Germany and mostly Berlin!