97-725: The Wriezen Railway is a line in the northeast of the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg . It runs from Berlin to Werneuchen and formerly extended via Wriezen to Jädickendorf (now Godków in Poland). Its terminus in Berlin from 1903 to 1949 was the Wriezener Bahnhof (Wriezen line station). The predominantly single-track line has operated only between Berlin-Lichtenberg station and Werneuchen since December 2006. The line formerly branched off at Friedrichsfelde Ost from
194-712: A 2016 terrorist attack linked to ISIL , a truck was deliberately driven into a Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church , leaving 13 people dead and 55 others injured. In 2018, more than 200,000 protestors took to the streets in Berlin with demonstrations of solidarity against racism, in response to the emergence of far-right politics in Germany . Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) opened in 2020, nine years later than planned, with Terminal 1 coming into service at
291-546: A Prussian Field Marshal, revoked the promise previously given by his father to provide land for the construction of the railway. In the meantime, however, its alignment was fixed and in 1889 funds were approved for its construction from Berlin to Wriezen. The eastern section from Wriezen to Königsberg opened to traffic on 20 December 1892. The western section between Lichtenberg-Friedrichsfelde (then located outside of Berlin, now Berlin-Lichtenberg ) and Werneuchen opened to traffic on 1 May 1898. Stations were built in all towns along
388-501: A Slavic-derived name: Pankow , Steglitz-Zehlendorf , Marzahn-Hellersdorf , Treptow-Köpenick , and Spandau . Of Berlin's ninety-six neighborhoods, twenty-two bear a Slavic-derived name: Altglienicke , Alt-Treptow , Britz , Buch , Buckow , Gatow , Karow , Kladow , Köpenick , Lankwitz , Lübars , Malchow , Marzahn , Pankow , Prenzlauer Berg , Rudow , Schmöckwitz , Spandau , Stadtrandsiedlung Malchow , Steglitz , Tegel and Zehlendorf . The earliest human settlements in
485-481: A camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ), and the Stalag III-D prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities. During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed during 1943–45 Allied air raids and the 1945 Battle of Berlin . The Allies dropped 67,607 tons of bombs on the city, destroying 6,427 acres of the built-up area. Around 125,000 civilians were killed. After
582-691: A center of the Enlightenment , but also, was briefly occupied during the Seven Years' War by the Russian army. Following France's victory in the War of the Fourth Coalition , Napoleon Bonaparte marched into Berlin in 1806 , but granted self-government to the city. In 1815, the city became part of the new Province of Brandenburg . The Industrial Revolution transformed Berlin during
679-782: A city district separate from Brandenburg. In the early 20th century, Berlin had become a fertile ground for the German Expressionist movement. In fields such as architecture, painting and cinema new forms of artistic styles were invented. At the end of the First World War in 1918, a republic was proclaimed by Philipp Scheidemann at the Reichstag building . In 1920, the Greater Berlin Act incorporated dozens of suburban cities, villages, and estates around Berlin into an expanded city. The act increased
776-517: A combined state of Berlin and Brandenburg is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of the Basic Law stipulates that a state fusion requires a federal law. However, a clause added to the Basic Law in 1994, Article 118a, allows Berlin and Brandenburg to unify without federal approval, requiring a referendum and a ratification by both state parliaments. In 1996, there
873-417: A microclimate, with heat stored by the city's buildings and pavement . Temperatures can be 4 °C (7 °F) higher in the city than in the surrounding areas. Annual precipitation is 570 millimeters (22 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Snowfall mainly occurs from December through March. The hottest month in Berlin was July 1834, with a mean temperature of 23.0 °C (73.4 °F) and
970-424: A monumental ensemble. The National Socialist regime embarked on monumental construction projects in Berlin as a way to express their power and authority through architecture . Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer developed architectural concepts for the conversion of the city into World Capital Germania ; these were never implemented. NSDAP rule diminished Berlin's Jewish community from 160,000 (one-third of all Jews in
1067-485: A new bridge was built next to the old bridge for the railway. The old bridge was now used only as a road bridge. In February 1945, both bridges were blown up by German troops. The Oder then became the boundary between Germany and Poland . After that the line was owned by Deutsche Reichsbahn as far as the border, the rest was taken over by Polish State Railways . The reconstruction of the Oder bridge lasted until 1955, but
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#17327943179541164-433: A platform tunnel was opened. This was the third cemetery station on the line, because the next stop after Friedrichsfelde Friedhof station, Marzahn station is also at a cemetery. The introduction of suburban operations was rejected in 1913, as the cost for doubling the track and the elimination of busy level crossings was considered too high. The main reason given was that very few settlements existed and no major settlement
1261-540: A rapid population increase in Berlin. 1920s Berlin was the third-largest city in the world by population. After World War II and following Berlin's occupation, the city was split into West Berlin and East Berlin , divided by the Berlin Wall . East Berlin was declared the capital of East Germany, while Bonn became the West German capital. Following German reunification in 1990, Berlin once again became
1358-633: A simple halt on a single track as it still is. The extension to Wriezen became operable only in August 1947, since the tracks from Werneuchen to Wriezen had been destroyed in April 1945 by a military railway plough . Wriezener Bahnhof was reopened in May 1947 as the terminus in Berlin, but in December 1949 it was permanently closed for passenger traffic. Of the station’s buildings only an administration building
1455-413: A small margin, largely based on support in former West Berlin , Brandenburg voters disapproved of the fusion by a large margin. It failed largely due to Brandenburg voters not wanting to take on Berlin's large and growing public debt and fearing losing identity and influence to the capital. Berlin is in northeastern Germany, in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography , part of
1552-472: Is Germany 's capital and largest city by area and by population . With over 3.85 million inhabitants, it has more population within in its city limits than any other city in the European Union . The city is also one of the states of Germany , and is the third smallest state in the country in terms of area. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg , and Brandenburg's capital Potsdam
1649-550: Is also served by S-Bahn line S 7 . After Ahrensfelde the line turns more to the east, along the road to Bad Freienwalde . After Tiefensee, the line swung away from the road, running to the east for a while, and then to the north, where about 55 km from the junction with the Eastern Railway, it used to reach its terminus at Wriezen. From here, there were connections to Eberswalde , Frankfurt (Oder) , Angermünde and Königsberg in der Neumark (now Chojna ). Trains on
1746-468: Is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany; it stands as a symbol of eventful European history and of unity and peace. The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament. It was remodeled by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990s and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of
1843-500: Is connected the Berlin-Nordost freight yard on the outer ring. From 1976 the electric S-Bahn operated to Marzahn, serving two intermediate stations at Springpfuhl on the outer ring and Karl Maron (now Poelchaustraße ) just past the junction. The local trains were cut back to start at Marzahn. The trains were initially used mainly by construction workers. The housing estate, built out of pre-fabricated, pre-stressed concrete ,
1940-467: Is nearby. The urban area of Berlin has a population of over 4.5 million and is therefore the most populous urban area in Germany. The Berlin-Brandenburg capital region has around 6.2 million inhabitants and is Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr region, and the fifth-biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union . Berlin was built along the banks of
2037-615: Is not served, although it is now the centre of a district with a population that has grown to 160,000. After 1990, the name of Poelchaustraße station was changed to honour Harald Poelchau rather than Karl Maron. The S-Bahn line was designated as line S 7 and, in the years after 1990, the Regionalbahn service was called R 7. On 18 April 1998, passenger services were discontinued from Tiefensee to Wriezen. Trains from Berlin then operated only to Tiefensee (every two hours) or Werneuchen (hourly). Wriezen station has since only been served by
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#17327943179542134-587: Is preserved. Trains have since started and ended again in Berlin-Lichtenberg station . The second phase of planning for an S-Bahn began in the 1960s and had more concrete results than that of 30 years earlier. Major satellite developments were planned in Marzahn and Ahrensfelde; the S-Bahn would ensure access to the central city. Since 1971, trains have no longer run on the traditional route along
2231-673: Is the most visited zoo in Europe. Babelsberg Studio is the world's first large-scale movie studio complex and the list of films set in Berlin is long. Berlin is also home to three World Heritage Sites : Museum Island , the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin , and the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates . Other landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate , the Reichstag building , Potsdamer Platz ,
2328-671: The Forum Fridericianum along with, the Berlin State Opera , Charlottenburg Palace , Gendarmenmarkt , Alte Kommandantur , as well as the City Palace . The tallest buildings in Berlin are spread across the urban area, with clusters at Potsdamer Platz , City West , and Alexanderplatz . Over one-third of the city's area consists of green and open-space, with the Großer Tiergarten , one of
2425-666: The Alte (old) Oder still exists at Wriezen. On the Polish side, there were passenger services between Godków (Jädickendorf) and Siekierki (Zäckerick-Alt Rüdnitz) until 31 July 1991. Freight traffic ended in late 1999. After a special excursion to Siekierki in 2002, the line was closed. After the political change in East Germany ( Die Wende ) in 1990, regional services were again extended to Berlin-Lichtenberg. They go from Ahrensfelde to Lichtenberg without stopping. Even Marzahn station
2522-517: The Berlin Wall around West Berlin, and events escalated to a tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie . West Berlin was now de facto a part of West Germany with a unique legal status, while East Berlin was de facto a part of East Germany. John F. Kennedy gave his " Ich bin ein Berliner " speech on 26 June 1963, in front of the Schöneberg city hall, located in the city's western part, underlining
2619-698: The Burgundians followed. In the 7th century Slavic tribes, the later known Hevelli and Sprevane , reached the region. In the 12th century the region came under German rule as part of the Margraviate of Brandenburg , founded by Albert the Bear in 1157. Early evidence of middle age settlements in the area of today's Berlin are remnants of a house foundation dated 1270 to 1290, found in excavations in Berlin Mitte . The first written records of towns in
2716-635: The Eastern Railway and ran to the north. Just after the first curve, there was Friedrichsfelde Friedhof station, serving Berlin's central cemetery. After two more curves, the line ran to the north-northeast. The section within the Berlin outer ring is not used today, trains now branch off the outer ring after Springpfuhl station on to the Wriezen line. Marzahn and Ahrensfelde both have freight yards and passenger stations. The line to Ahrensfelde
2813-750: The Karl-Marx-Allee heads east, an avenue lined by monumental residential buildings, designed in the Socialist Classicism style. Adjacent to this area is the Rotes Rathaus (City Hall), with its distinctive red-brick architecture. In front of it is the Neptunbrunnen , a fountain featuring a mythological group of Tritons , personifications of the four main Prussian rivers, and Neptune on top of it. The Brandenburg Gate
2910-949: The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe , and the Berlin Wall Memorial . Berlin has numerous museums , galleries, and libraries. [REDACTED] Margraviate of Brandenburg 1237–1618 [REDACTED] Brandenburg-Prussia 1618–1701 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Prussia 1701–1867 [REDACTED] North German Confederation 1867–1871 [REDACTED] German Empire 1871–1918 [REDACTED] Weimar Republic 1918–1933 [REDACTED] Nazi Germany 1933–1945 [REDACTED] Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949 [REDACTED] West Germany 1949–1990 [REDACTED] East Germany 1949–1990 [REDACTED] Germany 1990–present Berlin lies in northeastern Germany. Most of
3007-511: The Spree river, which flows into the Havel in the western borough of Spandau . The city incorporates lakes in the western and southeastern boroughs, the largest of which is Müggelsee . About one-third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks and gardens , rivers, canals, and lakes. First documented in the 13th century and at the crossing of two important historic trade routes , Berlin
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3104-611: The Wayback Machine and still impacts urban planning decisions. Walter Momper, the mayor of West Berlin, became the first mayor of the reunified city in the interim. City-wide elections in December 1990 resulted in the first "all Berlin" mayor being elected to take office in January 1991, with the separate offices of mayors in East and West Berlin expiring by that time, and Eberhard Diepgen (a former mayor of West Berlin) became
3201-783: The end of World War II in Europe in May 1945, Berlin received large numbers of refugees from the Eastern provinces. The victorious powers divided the city into four sectors, analogous to Allied-occupied Germany the sectors of the Allies of World War II (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) formed West Berlin , while the Soviet Union formed East Berlin . All four Allies of World War II shared administrative responsibilities for Berlin. However, in 1948, when
3298-423: The 19th century; the city's economy and population expanded dramatically, and it became the main railway hub and economic center of Germany. Additional suburbs soon developed and increased the area and population of Berlin. In 1861, neighboring suburbs including Wedding , Moabit and several others were incorporated into Berlin. In 1871, Berlin became capital of the newly founded German Empire . In 1881, it became
3395-502: The 20th century. 17% of Berlin's buildings are Gründerzeit or earlier and nearly 25% are of the 1920s and 1930s, when Berlin played a part in the origin of modern architecture . Devastated by the bombing of Berlin in World War II many of the buildings that had survived in both East and West were demolished during the postwar period. After the reunification, many important heritage structures have been reconstructed , including
3492-549: The Eastern Railway line, Schlesischer Bahnhof quickly developed to Berlin's "Gate to the East". Until World War I , trains ran from the German capital via Königsberg to Saint Petersburg ( Nord Express ) and to Moscow as well as to Vienna , Budapest , and Constantinople via Breslau and Kattowitz . During the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire , numerous Jewish refugees arrived here to travel on to
3589-735: The Federal Republic of Germany was founded in West Germany and eventually included all of the American, British and French zones, excluding those three countries' zones in Berlin, while the Marxist–Leninist German Democratic Republic was proclaimed in East Germany . West Berlin officially remained an occupied city, but it politically was aligned with the Federal Republic of Germany despite West Berlin's geographic isolation. Airline service to West Berlin
3686-729: The German history of Silesia were repressed by the German Democratic Republic . Following the division of Germany, the station was, together with Berlin-Lichtenberg , one of two major railway stations in East Berlin . The Berlin Wall ran only 200 metres (660 ft) away from the station; today that part is the East Side Gallery , the longest remaining fragment of the wall. Express trains ran from Ostbahnhof to Leipzig , Halle , and Dresden . The station
3783-702: The Huguenot immigration. Many other immigrants came from Bohemia , Poland , and Salzburg . Since 1618, the Margraviate of Brandenburg had been in personal union with the Duchy of Prussia . In 1701, the dual state formed the Kingdom of Prussia , as Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg , crowned himself as king Frederick I in Prussia . Berlin became the capital of the new Kingdom, replacing Königsberg . This
3880-575: The Minister of Trade, Commerce and Public Works, Heinrich von Achenbach charged the Mayor of Wriezen with the preparatory work for a railway from Berlin via Wriezen to Konitz (now Chojnice ). Thus the government had agreed to the modified route. In 1886, the financing of the Wriezen–Jädickendorf line was secured under a state guarantee. In 1888, the son of the count, Gottlieb von Haeseler , later
3977-780: The Museumsinsel U-Bahn station opened in 2021, which completed all new works on the U5. A partial opening by the end of 2020 of the Humboldt Forum museum, housed in the reconstructed Berlin Palace , was postponed until March 2021. On 16 September 2022, the opening of the eastern wing, the last section of the Humboldt Forum museum, meant the Humboldt Forum museum was finally completed. It became Germany's currently most expensive cultural project. The legal basis for
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4074-517: The Second World War. Construction of the railway bridge over the Oder started in 1890. The construction project consisted of two bridges and a causeway in between. Since there were no other bridges in the vicinity, it was built so that it could also be used as a road bridge. In 1910, the bridges were raised by 1.60 metres and the bridges bearings are reinforced to allow heavier trains to operate and larger boats to sail under it. In 1930,
4171-458: The US support for West Berlin. Berlin was completely divided. Although it was possible for Westerners to pass to the other side through strictly controlled checkpoints, for most Easterners, travel to West Berlin or West Germany was prohibited by the government of East Germany. In 1971, a Four-Power Agreement guaranteed access to and from West Berlin by car or train through East Germany. In 1989, with
4268-623: The Western Allies extended the currency reform in the Western zones of Germany to the three western sectors of Berlin, the Soviet Union imposed the Berlin Blockade on the access routes to and from West Berlin, which lay entirely inside Soviet-controlled territory. The Berlin airlift , conducted by the three western Allies, overcame this blockade by supplying food and other supplies to the city from June 1948 to May 1949. In 1949,
4365-436: The area of Berlin from 66 to 883 km (25 to 341 sq mi). The population almost doubled, and Berlin had a population of around four million. During the Weimar era , Berlin underwent political unrest due to economic uncertainties but also became a renowned center of the Roaring Twenties . The metropolis experienced its heyday as a major world capital and was known for its leadership roles in science, technology, arts,
4462-403: The area of modern Berlin are dated around 60,000 BC. A deer mask, dated to 9,000 BC, is attributed to the Maglemosian culture . In 2,000 BC dense human settlements along the Spree and Havel rivers gave rise to the Lusatian culture . Starting around 500 BC Germanic tribes settled in a number of villages in the higher situated areas of today's Berlin. After the Semnones left around 200 AD,
4559-419: The area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. Spandau is first mentioned in 1197 and Köpenick in 1209. 1237 is considered the founding date of the city. The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties, and profited from the staple right on the two important trade routes , one was known as Via Imperii , and the other trade route reached from Bruges to Novgorod . In 1307
4656-452: The beginning of the 2006/2007 timetable on 10 December 2006. There are still substantial freight operations to Ahrensfelde and Werneuchen. Since 2006 the municipality of Ahrensfelde and the state of Brandenburg have planned to build a new station in the Ahrensfelde-Rehhahn industrial area on the initiative of a local hotelier. The station was originally planned to go into operation in December 2008. This date could not be met because, although
4753-459: The capital of all of Germany. Due to its geographic location and history, Berlin has been called "the heart of Europe". The economy of Berlin is based on high tech and the service sector , encompassing a diverse range of creative industries , startup companies , research facilities, and media corporations. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail traffic and has a complex public transportation network . Tourism in Berlin makes
4850-448: The cities and villages in northeastern Germany bear Slavic languages -derived names. Typical Germanization for place name suffixes of Slavic origin are -ow, -itz, -vitz, -witz, -itzsch and -in , prefixes are Windisch and Wendisch . The name Berlin has its roots in the language of the West Slavs , and may be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/birl- ("swamp"). Of Berlin's twelve boroughs , five bear
4947-432: The city a popular global destination. Significant industries include information technology, the healthcare industry , biomedical engineering , biotechnology , the automotive industry , and electronics . Berlin is home to several universities such as the Humboldt University of Berlin , Technische Universität Berlin , the Berlin University of the Arts and the Free University of Berlin . The Berlin Zoological Garden
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#17327943179545044-403: The city lost half of its population. Frederick William , known as the "Great Elector", who had succeeded his father George William as ruler in 1640, initiated a policy of promoting immigration and religious tolerance. With the Edict of Potsdam in 1685, Frederick William offered asylum to the French Huguenots . By 1700, approximately 30 percent of Berlin's residents were French, because of
5141-513: The city. The East Side Gallery is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. It is the largest remaining evidence of the city's historical division. Berlin Ostbahnhof Berlin Ostbahnhof ( German for Berlin East railway station ) is a main line railway station in Berlin , Germany . It is located in the Friedrichshain quarter, now part of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough, and has undergone several name changes in its history. It
5238-512: The coldest was January 1709 , with a mean temperature of −13.2 °C (8.2 °F). The wettest month on record was July 1907, with 230 millimeters (9.1 in) of rainfall, whereas the driest were October 1866, November 1902, October 1908 and September 1928, all with 1 millimeter (0.039 in) of rainfall. Berlin's history has left the city with a polycentric metropolitan area and an eclectic mix of architecture. The city's appearance today has been predominantly shaped by German history during
5335-409: The country) to about 80,000 due to emigration between 1933 and 1939. After Kristallnacht in 1938, thousands of the city's Jews were imprisoned in the nearby Sachsenhausen concentration camp . Starting in early 1943, many were deported to ghettos like Łódź , and to concentration and extermination camps such as Auschwitz . Berlin hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics for which the Olympic stadium
5432-432: The emigration harbors in Hamburg and Bremerhaven . The station was severely damaged by strategic bombing during World War II and had to be completely rebuilt by the East German railway, the Deutsche Reichsbahn . In 1950 it was renamed Berlin Ostbahnhof , as upon the implementation of the Oder–Neisse line , the former Silesia province was now largely a part of Poland , and its German population expelled. Memories of
5529-430: The end of October, and flights to and from Tegel Airport ending in November. Due to the fall in passenger numbers resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic , plans were announced to close BER's Terminal 5, the former Schönefeld Airport , beginning in March 2021. The connecting link of U-Bahn line U5 from Alexanderplatz to Hauptbahnhof, along with the new stations Rotes Rathaus and Unter den Linden, opened on 4 December 2020,
5626-474: The end of the Cold War and pressure from the East German population, the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November and was subsequently mostly demolished. Today, the East Side Gallery preserves a large portion of the wall. On 3 October 1990, the two parts of Germany were reunified as the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin again became a reunified city. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city experienced significant urban development Archived 16 December 2023 at
5723-410: The extension of the line from Frankfurt to Breslau . After the NME lines were taken over by the Prussian state in 1852, the station was renamed Schlesischer Bahnhof ( Silesian Station). In 1867, the Old Ostbahnhof (also called Küstriner Bahnhof ), the terminus of the Prussian Eastern Railway line was opened, located slightly north of the present Ostbahnhof station. In 1882 the Old Ostbahnhof
5820-432: The extension to Königsberg, which was opened in 1892, usually continued to Berlin on the Wriezen Railway. In 1866, the Eberswalde–Frankfurt (Oder) railway was opened. According to the initial plans of 1863, it was intended that there would be a perpendicular link from Berlin via Freienwalde and Zehden (now Cedynia ) towards Neumark arise, but this line was not built. Around 1870, Alexis Graf (count) von Haeseler, who
5917-443: The first elected mayor of a reunited Berlin. On 18 June 1994, soldiers from the United States, France and Britain marched in a parade which was part of the ceremonies to mark the withdrawal of allied occupation troops allowing a reunified Berlin (the last Russian troops departed on 31 August, while the final departure of Western Allies forces was on 8 September 1994). On 20 June 1991, the Bundestag (German Parliament) voted to move
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#17327943179546014-469: The flying school in Werneuchen. As a result, suburban fares, then and now, continue to Werneuchen. At that time, it was intended to extend electric train operations to Werneuchen. A pair of tracks for the S-Bahn was to be built as far as Ahrensfelde next to the existing track; after that mixed operations of long-distance and S-Bahn services was to be provided. Diesel railcars were to be operated for traffic between Berlin and Königsberg. This plan were thwarted by
6111-408: The humanities, city planning, film, higher education, government, and industries. Albert Einstein rose to public prominence during his years in Berlin, being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. In 1933, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power . Hitler was inspired by the architecture he had experienced in Vienna , and he wished for a German Empire with a capital city that had
6208-403: The largest and most popular parks in Berlin, located in the centre of the city. The Fernsehturm (TV tower) at Alexanderplatz in Mitte is among the tallest structures in the European Union at 368 m (1,207 ft). Built in 1969, it is visible throughout most of the central districts of Berlin. The city can be viewed from its 204-meter-high (669 ft) observation floor. Starting here,
6305-437: The line from Sternebeck until shortly before Wriezen (the 59.2 km point at the former Krautwurst junction). It is planned to construct a terminus for the heritage railway’s operations near the level crossing at Vevais. In 2002, Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn began operating passenger services between Berlin and Tiefensee and the service is now designated as OE 25. Passenger services were abandoned between Werneuchen and Tiefensee at
6402-420: The line from Wriezen to Godków was set aside for military purposes. No trains ever ran over the new Oder bridge. In 1984 (according to another source in 1976) on each side of the line new sidings were built branching off to the Oder dike. This was intended to support a technology developed by pioneers for building a parallel pontoon bridge for the railway in the event of possible damage to the bridge. The system
6499-503: The line. The middle section from Werneuchen to Wriezen was completed on 15 October 1898. This allowed trains to run all the way from Lichtenberg to Konigsberg. In 1903, the line was extended into Berlin. A satellite station was built north of the Silesian Station , which was then called Schlesischer Bahnhof (Wriezener Bahnsteig) , that is Silesian Station (Wriezen platform). In 1924, it was renamed Wriezener Bahnhof (Wriezen line station). Trains ran to Friedrichsfelde junction parallel with
6596-404: The low plateaus on both sides of the Spree Valley. Large parts of the boroughs Reinickendorf and Pankow lie on the Barnim Plateau, while most of the boroughs of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf , Steglitz-Zehlendorf , Tempelhof-Schöneberg , and Neukölln lie on the Teltow Plateau. The borough of Spandau lies partly within the Berlin Glacial Valley and partly on the Nauen Plain, which stretches to
6693-809: The lowest is the Spektesee in Spandau, at 28.1 meters (92 ft) elevation. Berlin has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) bordering on a humid continental climate ( Dfb ). This type of climate features mild to very warm summer temperatures and cold, though not very severe, winters. Annual precipitation is modest. Frosts are common in winter, and there are larger temperature differences between seasons than typical for many oceanic climates . Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 22–25 °C (72–77 °F) and lows of 12–14 °C (54–57 °F). Winters are cold with average high temperatures of 3 °C (37 °F) and lows of −2 to 0 °C (28 to 32 °F). Spring and autumn are generally chilly to mild. Berlin's built-up area creates
6790-412: The new Tiergarten tunnel, bypassing Ostbahnhof. The station opened on 23 October 1842 as Frankfurter Bahnhof , the terminus of an 81 km (50 mi) railway line to Frankfurt (Oder) via Fürstenwalde (Spree) . In 1845 the previously independent Berlin–Frankfurt railway merged into the Niederschlesisch-Märkische-Eisenbahngesellschaft ( Lower Silesian - Markish Railway Company, NME), aiming at
6887-507: The residents are willing to finance the construction of the station, no agreement has been reached on financing the costs of ongoing operations of the station and the level of fares. Therefore, the municipality wants a private operator. This is not provided for in the Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Railways , so a change in federal legislation would be required. Berlin Berlin ( / b ɜːr ˈ l ɪ n / bur- LIN , German: [bɛʁˈliːn] )
6984-531: The seat of the German capital from Bonn to Berlin, which was completed in 1999, during the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder . Berlin's 2001 administrative reform merged several boroughs, reducing their number from 23 to 12. In 2006, the FIFA World Cup Final was held in Berlin. Construction of the "Berlin Wall Trail" (Berliner Mauerweg) began in 2002 and was completed in 2006. In
7081-399: The shortest path from Lichtenberg via Magerviehhof to Marzahn, but instead initially continue from Friedrichsfelde on the Eastern Railway east to Biesdorf Cross and from there north on the Berlin outer ring to Marzahn. This change lengthened the route. The old route was used for freight. Later, the connection was severed at the Eastern Railway. A remaining section is still used for freight and
7178-428: The tangential Eberswalde–Frankfurt line . Freight traffic was also discontinued between Tiefensee and Wriezen. The section between Wriezen and Tiefensee was closed on 15 December 1999. Southwest of Wriezen a short section of the line was dismantled to allow to building of a new section of the B 167 federal highway . From Tiefensee to Sternebeck the line is now used for operating draisines . A heritage railway operates on
7275-783: The town citizens against the building culminated in 1448, in the "Berlin Indignation" ("Berliner Unwille"). Officially, the Berlin-Cölln palace became permanent residence of the Brandenburg electors of the Hohenzollerns from 1486, when John Cicero came to power. Berlin-Cölln, however, had to give up its status as a free Hanseatic League city. In 1539, the electors and the city officially became Lutheran . The Thirty Years' War between 1618 and 1648 devastated Berlin. One third of its houses were damaged or destroyed, and
7372-616: The tracks of the Prussian Eastern Railway . This line remained unchanged until early 1945. A halt was opened in 1903 at the Magerviehhof (meat market) between the stations of Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde , and Marzahn . Werftpfuhl station opened in 1907. Ahrensfelde Friedhof (cemetery) station was opened in July 1908 as a temporary halt. In October 1910, a three-tracked station with a covered central platform and
7469-474: The two towns formed an alliance with a common external policy, their internal administrations still being separated. Members of the Hohenzollern family ruled in Berlin until 1918, first as electors of Brandenburg, then as kings of Prussia , and eventually as German emperors . In 1443, Frederick II Irontooth started the construction of a new royal palace in the twin city Berlin-Cölln. The protests of
7566-486: The underground car park from this period in front of the station remains (in 2006) unfinished and fenced off. A partly constructed hotel was demolished in the early 1990s. The name Hauptbahnhof remained long after the division of Berlin ended, until 1998, when the station was re-renamed Berlin Ostbahnhof , restoring the 1950-1987 name. One year later, work began to demolish the station and rebuild it once again, which
7663-455: The vast Northern European Plain which stretches all the way from northern France to western Russia. The Berliner Urstromtal (an ice age glacial valley ), between the low Barnim Plateau to the north and the Teltow plateau to the south, was formed by meltwater flowing from ice sheets at the end of the last Weichselian glaciation . The Spree follows this valley now. In Spandau, a borough in
7760-693: The west of Berlin, the Spree empties into the river Havel , which flows from north to south through western Berlin. The course of the Havel is more like a chain of lakes, the largest being the Tegeler See and the Großer Wannsee . A series of lakes also feeds into the upper Spree, which flows through the Großer Müggelsee in eastern Berlin. Substantial parts of present-day Berlin extend onto
7857-523: The west of Berlin. Since 2015, the Arkenberge hills in Pankow at 122 meters (400 ft) elevation, have been the highest point in Berlin. Through the disposal of construction debris they surpassed Teufelsberg (120.1 m or 394 ft), which itself was made up of rubble from the ruins of the Second World War. The Müggelberge at 114.7 meters (376 ft) elevation is the highest natural point and
7954-477: Was a successful attempt to centralise the capital in the very far-flung state, and it was the first time the city began to grow. In 1709, Berlin merged with the four cities of Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Friedrichstadt and Dorotheenstadt under the name Berlin, "Haupt- und Residenzstadt Berlin". In 1740, Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great (1740–1786), came to power. Under the rule of Frederick II, Berlin became
8051-591: Was again abandoned and Schlesischer Bahnhof was rebuilt on the present site when construction began on the Berlin Stadtbahn , an elevated railway through the Berlin city center built to link the city's major stations. The Stadtbahn was completed in 1886; two of the four tracks later came to form one of the main routes of the Berlin S-Bahn suburban railway. As the terminus of both the Silesian and
8148-649: Was again served by international trains like the Vindobona to Vienna. In 1987 the postwar building was demolished and the station began to be rebuilt as East Berlin's main station, grandly renamed Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Central Station). The plan called for a hotel and a large reception area for arriving Soviet bloc dignitaries. However, only part of the work was complete by the time of German reunification in 1990. A partially built staircase to
8245-426: Was also used for freight until 1965. The last passenger train ran in 1982. The line remained operational for military purposes. The tracks near the Oder bridge were used for the parking of freight wagons around 1990. Track on this section was dismantled by 2000 and a paved bicycle path was created in 2005. The old station buildings have been sold to private users and some of them have been well restored. The bridge over
8342-411: Was an unsuccessful attempt of unifying the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. Both share a common history, dialect and culture and in 2020, there are over 225,000 residents of Brandenburg that commute to Berlin. The fusion had the near-unanimous support by a broad coalition of both state governments, political parties, media, business associations, trade unions and churches. Though Berlin voted in favor by
8439-487: Was built. During World War II , Berlin was the location of multiple Nazi prisons, forced labour camps, 17 subcamps of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp for men and women, including teenagers, of various nationalities, including Polish, Jewish, French, Belgian, Czechoslovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Romani, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Spanish, Luxembourgish, German, Austrian, Italian, Yugoslavian, Bulgarian, Hungarian,
8536-414: Was completed in 2002. Little remains of the 1980s structure except for an administrative block, some façade elements, and parts of the platform structure. The station has 11 tracks and 5 platforms. 5 tracks are used for main line and 4 for S-Bahn . 2 tracks are through tracks. The station is served by the following service(s): The Ostbahnhof was featured in the 2004 movie The Bourne Supremacy . In
8633-598: Was designated the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417–1701), Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), German Empire (1871–1918), Weimar Republic (1919–1933), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). Berlin served as a scientific, artistic, and philosophical hub during the Age of Enlightenment , Neoclassicism , and the German revolutions of 1848–1849 . During the Gründerzeit , an industrialization-induced economic boom triggered
8730-459: Was expected on the fields between Marzahn and Ahrensfelde. The Greater Berlin Act of 1 October 1920 meant that the city of Berlin extended to Ahrensfelde. Ahrensfelde station is just within Berlin, while Ahrensfelde village is just over the border. In 1938, the Wriezen line became one of the last lines in the Berlin area to be included in the suburban fare zone, following pressure from, among others,
8827-490: Was granted only to American, British and French airlines. The founding of the two German states increased Cold War tensions. West Berlin was surrounded by East German territory, and East Germany proclaimed the Eastern part as its capital, a move the western powers did not recognize. East Berlin included most of the city's historic center. The West German government established itself in Bonn . In 1961, East Germany began to build
8924-534: Was known as Berlin Hauptbahnhof from 1987 to 1998, a name now applied to Berlin's new central station at the former Lehrter station . Alongside Berlin Zoologischer Garten station it was one of the city's two main stations; however, it has declined in significance since the opening of the new Hauptbahnhof on 26 May 2006, and many mainline trains have been re-routed on the North–South mainline through
9021-520: Was opened. The rest of the German section of the line through the Oderbruch was dismantled in late 1945 as reparations to the Soviet Union . The line was restored during the reconstruction of the Oder bridge around 1955. In 1957, passenger traffic was resumed between Wriezen and Neurüdnitz , the last station before the Oder bridge. Operations on the line was divided into two sections, with passengers from Berlin having to change in Wriezen. The line
9118-403: Was shorter and easier to build. It was now planned instead to build a railway line through Wriezen, which was longer and avoided almost all settlements, with the exception of Wriezen, and ran across undulating undeveloped country. However, this route ran past the count’s estate. The line, as built, runs through uncommonly beautiful scenery, but the stations were mostly far from the towns. In 1873,
9215-607: Was still under construction; the district was completed three years after the opening of the S-Bahn. In 1980, the S-Bahn was extended by two stations to Otto-Winzer-Straße (now Mehrower Allee station ) and local trains were again cut back to start there. In 1982, the S-Bahn was extended to its current terminus at Ahrensfelde. Again the local trains on the Wriezen line (which ended mostly in Werneuchen) were cut back and now started in Ahrensfelde. In 1983 Ahrensfelde Nord station
9312-591: Was tested once in 1984 and was no longer operational in 1986. The Oder bridge built in 1955 still exists. In the region there are discussions about a possible opening of the bridge as a border crossing. Passenger operations between Berlin-Lichtenberg and Werneuchen, which was now in the Soviet occupation zone , were resumed in November 1945. Magerviehhof station remained permanently closed. The additional tracks at Ahrensfelde Friedhof station were eliminated and it became
9409-568: Was the administrator of the Landkreis (district) of Oberbarnim from 1845–1874 and had an estate in Harnekop , sought the implementation of these plans. He also offered to provide his own land free of charge, if necessary, for the establishment of the route of the line. It is it likely that the change of the route was due to Haeseler’s influence. In 1863 the route from Tiefensee along the existing highway through Freienwalde and Zehden to Königsberg
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