Berlin is Germany’s capital and largest city, with a population of about 3.5 million.
Berlin was originally capital of Prussia, which expanded to become Germany in the 1800s.
The city was wrecked by Allied bombs in World War II.
After the War Berlin was left inside the new communist East Germany and split into East and West by a high wall.
East Berlin was the capital of East Germany; the West German capital moved to Bonn.
In 1989 the East German government collapsed and the Berlin Wall was torn down. East and West Germany were united in 1990 and Berlin was made capital again.
The Brandenburg Gate is a huge stone arch built in 1791. It now marks the boundary between east and west.
The Brandenburg Gate marked the boundary between East and West Berlin. In 1990 the east and west halves of the city were reunited.
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961. Anyone caught trying to cross from the east to the west was killed.
Kurfurstendamm is a famous shopping avenue. The Hansa quarter was designed by architects in the 1950s.
Since reunification many spectacular new buildings have been built in Berlin, including the refurbished Reichstag designed by Norman Foster.