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Interesting Facts
- The Olympia Stadion is one of the few Nazi-built structures still intact and in use. Built for the 1936 Olympic games, the stadium was intended to showcase Hitler's "master race" athletes. But African-American Jesse Owens dashed those plans by winning four gold medals. Today, Berlin even has a street named after Owens.
- Berlin is a very musical city. It boasts three professional opera houses, four semi-professional opera companies, eight major symphony orchestras, ten chamber orchestras, hundreds of choruses, and a plethora of bands and DJs playing everything from minimal house, to doom-metal, punk and jazz.
- Since reunification, Berlin has had two city centers. On one side is Alexanderplatz (the television tower), which was built as the emblem of the "capital of the German Democratic Republic" and marks the historical center of Berlin, Berlin-Mitte. On the other side, the blue Mercedes Star placed on the Europa Center designates the location of the Kurfstendamm, which is the busy center of the western area.
- Gedenkstätte Plötzensee is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Nazi regime. It occupies the old execution chamber in Plötzensee prison. Between 1933 and 1945, over 2500 political prisoners were killed here either by hanging or by guillotine.
- Berlin's zoo, Zoologischer Garten (Zoological Gardens), is world famous and situated in the heart of Berlin. During World War II, the zoo was almost completely destroyed, and only 93 animals survived. Today, it houses 14,000 animals representing some 1500 species. It is one of the largest zoos in the world.
- Berlin has more than 2500 parks and green spaces, providing its urban inhabitants with a much appreciated "green lung" and space to relax outside their apartments. During the summer you'll find the locals soaking up the sun, having BBQs, playing frisbee and soccer, or cycling through. Some highlights include the Tiergarten, the Volkspark Friedrichshain, Treptower Park, and the Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg.
- The city is home to 150 theaters, offering thousands of performances each year – children's and youth theater performances alone account for over 1100 of them. Berliners are also fond of the cinema, as evidenced not only by the annual Berlinale Filmfestspiele in February, but by the 265 movie theaters in town. In fact, Berlin has the highest concentration of movie theaters in Germany.
- Berlin is HUGE! In fact, it is the largest city in Germany and occupies an area eight times greater than Paris. It boasts a population of nearly 3.5 million!
- To say that Berlin has had a difficult past would be an understatement. Much of the city was destroyed during World War II and was later divided by Allied Powers. The American, British and French sectors took West Berlin, and the Russians took the East. The division was made structural in 1961 when the East side built the Berlin Wall, which stood for 28 years. In 1990, less than a year after the fall of the wall, Germany was formally reunited.
- There are more museums in Berlin than there are rainy days! There are over 170 museums from which to choose, including 17 state museums; many offer extended hours on Thursday and free admission the last four hours.
