General Plan and Description

From 1961 to 1989 the two cities were divided by the Berlin Wall, built by East Germany to cut off mass emigration to the West. Portions of the wall were torn down in 1989, and East Germany eased travel restrictions to West Berlin. By 1992 the remainder of the wall had been dismantled. In general, Berlin has a fairly modern appearance, as many areas were destroyed during World War II and rebuilt.

Prewar Berlin was composed of the central city and numerous suburbs, villages, and farm areas, divided among 20 semiautonomous districts. The center of the city was the area along Unter den Linden, the main thoroughfare, and around the Pots-damer Platz, the main square. In this area were found imposing government, university, and other public buildings as well as the main commercial center.

Today, all the streets between eastern and western Berlin that were blocked by the wall are reconnected. The Kurfürstendamm, with its many shops, sidewalk cafes, restaurants, theaters, and hotels, is one of the city's busiest and most fashionable streets. The Red Town Hall, located between the Palace of the Republic and Alexanderplatz, is Berlin's administrative center. Berlin has many residential areas. Some of the newer ones include Märkisches Viertel to the north, Hansa-Viertel near the Tiergarten, and Gropiusstadt to the south.

One of the most distinctive features of Berlin is the abundance of green space provided by its many parks and forests. Some of the largest forests include Grune-wald, Spandau, Tegel, and Köpenick.