The capital of Germany, Berlin, is the second largest city in the country as well as one of German's 16 federal states. During the 12th century, the region fell under German rule as part of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. The Margraviate of Brandenburg, founded by Albert I the Bear in 1157, was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806.
The first German settlements were founded near the end of the 12th century in what is now Berlin, by German merchants, and later, it merged formally with another settlement, Kölln, into the town of Berlin-Kölln. In 1160, Albert I established a fortress in the settlement of Spandau, on the Spree and Havel Rivers. Unfortunately, most of the written records from the time were lost in a fire in the town center and then the Thirty Years War in 1618, when a third of the buildings were destroyed and Berlin lost half of its population.
In 1415, Frederick I, of the House of Hohenzollern, ruled the Margraviate until his death in 1440. The House of Hohenzollern ruled until 1918, first as electors of Brandenburg and later as kings of Prussia, and eventually, as emperors of Germany.
Frederick III was crowned the Prussian king, thus changing his name to Frederick and made Berlin the royal residence city in 1701, and the capital city of the new Kingdom of Prussia. In 1710, the five cities of Berlin, Kölln, Dorotheenstadt, Friedrichstadt, and Friedrichswerder were merged as the Royal Capital and Residence of Berlin which became the center of culture and the arts and of the army. The population expanded from 12,000 in 1670 to 61,000, in 1712 including about 6,000 Huguenot refugees from France.
During the reign of King Friedrich Wilhelm I, from 1713 to 1740, Berlin was enlarged as the king sought to build the greatest military in the world. In need of soldiers, he encouraged Protestants from Switzerland and France to immigrate to the city. He built Berlin's first major hospital and the first medical school, and given that he wanted his soldiers to be able to read and write, he started primary education institutions.
The population ballooned up to 400,000 during the first part of the 19th century, and Berlin was the fourth largest city in Europe. In 1815, Berlin became part of the Province of Brandenburg, and it became the capital of that province in 1827, remaining so until 1843.
In 1848, much of Europe was involved in revolutions. France was was engaged in revolutions which led to King Louis-Phiilippe of France abdicating, thus ending the Orleans monarchy and giving rise to the French Second Republic, as the king was exiled in Britain. In Vienna, students took to the streets, demanding an elected government, and later added that the government increase wages.In October of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I fled to Moravia, and in December, he abdicated the throne, which was taken up by his nephew, Franz I. Denmark relented to the revolutionaries, who were against the absolutism of the government; the king accepted their new constitution and shared power with a parliament. In Hungary, the demands of freedom for the serfs were heeded, and the imperial governor of what is ow Budapest was forced to accept their 12 points, demands which included freedom of the press, absolute religious and civil equality, and a parliament which was elected by popular vote. There were dozens of other countries engaged in these revolutions.
In March, huge crowds of Berliners assembled in Berlin, demanding to address the King. Frederick William KV was caught off guard, and when confronted by the crowd, agreed to all of their demands, which included a constitution, freedom of the press, parliamentary elections, and Germany unification. But days later, he sent the army to re-occupy Berlin, and on March 13, the army charged a group of people who were leaving a meeting in the Tiergarten, a popular park in the city. The clash left one person dead and numerous others injured. On March 18, things had escalated. There was a particularly large demonstration going on. The army fired two shots, and the demonstrators, afraid that the full force of 20,000 soldiers would be coming after them, seized makeshift barricades and got ready to fight. They held out for 13 hours before the soldiers were ordered by the king to retreat. Hundreds of Berliners were killed in the battle.
On March 21, the King walked through the streets of Berlin in order to attend a mass funeral of those killed in the uprising. He released Polish prisoners who had been jailed for planning a rebellion, and he soon approved arming the citizens.
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Explains the part Berlin City Tours plays in its role as a one-stop booking portal for any boat, and all Berlin sightseeing imaginable the usual bus tour, but also offering bicycle, walking, Segue way and walking tours. All styles of tours are also offered, including multiple day bus tours to other capitals in Europe, nighttime pub crawls, and private sightseeing tours.
https://www.berlincitytours.com
Furnishes information on Berlin, Germany's thriving capital city. There is basic information on accommodation and the area's political system as well. The website also has a section for businesses interested in conducting business in this city, events and festivals, and places to shop..
https://www.berlin.de/en/
Built on the site of the original Esplanade, which itself was built in 1907, this hotel was the location of several meetings between the conspirators of the would-be assassins Adolf Hitler in the summer of 1944. It was destroyed by bombs the next winter and rebuilt in 1988. Find details about its Berlin offerings, with photographs, descriptions, and amenities relative to their rooms and suites as well as for the swimming pool, roof-top terrace, and conference rooms.
https://www.esplanade.de/en/
Located in Pariser Platz Square, and within walking distance of the Brandenburg Gate, this fine hotel communicates various items of information, among them, the details of its numerous suites and rooms, including a photo gallery for each one of them and a list of the room features and amenities for each, as well as the area of the room. Book online from any page on this website.
https://www.kempinski.com/en/berlin/hotel-adlon/
This organization , a registered society, is meant to support the maintenance of all of the ancient architecture in Berlin. Museum Island (Museumsinsel) is the main focus, due to the concentration of ancient buildings there. While most of Berlin is now modern, there are more than enough ancient buildings to keep members busy. Here is where one can read about their current projects, needs, and what parts of Berlin they are currently beautifying.
https://www.ghb-online.de/a-few-words-in-english.html
Working together with government, citizens, and businesses and headquartered in Berlin, this organization works to stop secret deals, abuse of power, and bribery in its quest to help to create a world which is free of corruption. On their website, they detail their missions, vision, and values, their strategies to get the job done, and some of their success stories. There is also a section for those who would like to join in, and a tool that can take donations right from the site.
https://www.transparency.org
