To The Editor, Tower and Town, 03 May 2020

Berlin: Germany's Capital

Born and raised in Berlin I was delighted to find my former home featured by Raik Jarjis in ‘Unwrapping of Berlin’, May edition 2020. However as one could be left with the impression Berlin became a capital only in 1999, here is a brief outline of the city’s quite long history as a capital. Berlin and Kölln, twin communities at the river Spree, had been founded by the 13th century and became the most important trading post in the Mark of Brandenburg. Kölln merged with Berlin and eventually the various Electors (rulers) of Brandenburg set up their permanent residence in the town; in the process the famous ‘Unter den Linden ’ was laid out. From 1701 Berlin was the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia which had evolved out of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1871 capital of the German Empire, 1918 of the Weimar Republic, 1933 of the Third Reich. After WWII the Western Allies founded the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 and the Soviet Power the German Democratic Republic. The Soviet Sector of Berlin remained the capital of the GDR (unrecognised by the Western Allies) whilst Bonn became ‘Seat of Government’ for the FRG.

After the fall of the Wall the two German states concurred in their unification agreement that the new Government would sit in Berlin and for the Parliament to meet in the Building called Reichstag. The ‘German Reichstag’ of the article no longer made any decision as it had ceased to function in 1942. The badly damaged building was indeed wrapped, restored and is functioning as originally intended; it is now the home of the Bundestag, the German Parliament.

Ilse Nikolsky