The historical centre of Berlin developed around the twin towns of Berlin and Cölln, which provided the crystallisation point for the capital of Prussia, and then of the German Reich. It also provided a platform for the mass assemblies of the National Socialists, and after the Second World War of the GDR, before providing the political stage for a unified Germany.
History:
In 1710, the five towns of Berlin, Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichsstadt were combined to form the city of Berlin, and in 1734 a city wall was erected so that taxes and duties could be collected. Over the next two centuries the classicist "Spree-Athens" grew under the influence of various architects, in particular Schinkel.
In the 19th century, industrialisation gradually began to make an impact on the region, with iron foundries being set up to the north of the city in what locals called "Fireland". With the start of the Steam Age and the introduction of the railway in Berlin (1838), industry began to develop more rapidly. From 1850 until 1870, a thousand new factories were set up along the banks of the river Spree.
The new building regulations and the development plans drawn up by Hobrecht in 1862 regulated the further growth of the inner city, and with the beginning of the First World War the population density was at a maximum.
The effects of the Second World War and the last weeks of fighting in the city left the city as a smoking pile of rubble. Two thirds of the residential and commercial buildings were unusable, and public buildings and cultural institutions were destroyed or heavily damaged.
The phase of reconstruction coincided with the start of the Cold War, and in 1949 the Mitte District was the political and cultural centre for the newly established East German state. The Tiergarten and Wedding Districts were in West Berlin and many of the links across the divide were broken, including roads and rail connections and the infrastructure, and many central institutions were robbed of their function.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the unification of Germany and the decision to relocate the seat of government and the German Bundestag to Berlin led to a spectacular building boom in particular in the Mitte District:
- New office buildings in the Friedrichstrasse, and along Unter den Linden, round the Potsdamer Platz, the reconstruction of the Pariser Platz close to the Brandenburg Gate, as well as the construction and refurbishment of government and parliament buildings, in particular the Reichstag and the Federal Chancellery.
- Traffic infrastructure developments including upgrading road and rail connections, new tram lines, and the construction of major road and railway tunnels under the Tiergarten to establish a north-south link.
The current Mitte District is the result of reforms in 2001, in which the former Mitte, Tiergarten and Wedding Districts were merged.
Statistics
- Area: 3,947 hectares
- Residents 2008: 328,428
- Ethnic minorities 2008: 28.2%
- Average income per household 2007: € 1,400/month
Source: Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (Statistical Office of Berlin-Brandenburg)
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Ministry of the Interior (11)
Gabriele Tergit Promenade
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