The city was divided after the second War World and East Berlin became the capital of East Germany and West Berlin remained a West Germany enclave surrounded by the Berlin Wall from 1961 to 1989 then the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany.



Berlins typical dish is simple and yet satisfying it is plain fare best know as Boulette fried meatballs. Referring to drinks the Berliner Weilie beer with juice is considered well-known even beyond the citys boundaries

There are countless places in Berlin for shopping sprees flea markets and antique markets, cheap bargain stores and the whole spectrum in between.

The city offers clothing of all varieties, from up market to cheap. Luxury designers are based at the west end of Kurfrstendamm and in Friedrichstrasse.

One of the best is the Turkish market on Maybachufer. The big market halls, where you can buy everything from fruit and vegetable over meat and dairy products to clothing are typical for Berlin

The gay scene is one of the biggest and wildest in Europe.

The large television tower, adjacent to City Hall, stands as a beacon to the city. The tower is taller than the Eiffel Tower and offers views of the city below. The Berlin Television Tower has been marking the centre of Berlin since 1969. Every year up to 1.2 million visitors. The highlight of the World Cup Year in 2006 was when the spherical part of our tower was transformed into a magnet.

Berlins waterways offer the unique possibility of viewing at both the citys sights and the vicinity of Berlin from the waterside. The Havel the Spree, and another three rivers, as well as six canals flow through the town, creating over 13000 hectares lakes and 80km waterways. This makes the region Berlin Brandenburg a paradise for water sports enthusiasts.

Berlin has more than 170 museums and collections. They offer everything from the ancient to the ultra modern to the Egyptian Nefertiti, the Greek Pergamon Altar, the painters of the Brucke and the Bauhaus and works by Baselitz and Beuys.

The Pergamon is Berlins prime museum with 850,000 visitors a year. Hardly surprising, given its three outstanding collections under one roof, the Antiquity Collection, the Museum of the Near East and the Museum of Islamic Art.