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Location: Par La Mer - French Steakhouse -
LUXE LA [ NOHO] Community luxesl.com/
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Purse: Dahlia - Sara - Clutch - Tropical Pink
Outfit: Bauhaus - Rachel Coat & Skirt
Hair: KUNI - Queenie
Accessories: Movement and Coco Tote
Shoes: REIGN.- DOLLY PLATS with Reign - Over the Knee Socks
Pompeii was founded in the 8th century B.C. by the Oscans, a tribe of peasants and shepherds. By the 6th century B.C. the area was under Greek influence. About 400 B.C. the city was conquered by the Samnites. Rome conquered Pompeii in 80 B.C.
By 79 A.D. Pompeii was a city covering 160 acres with a population of 20,000. Sixty percent of the inhabitants were free and 40% were slaves.
Prior to the eruption of Vesuvius, Pompeii was a thriving city. Then it was buried with so little warning that Pompeii was literally frozen in time.
Photo Equipment: Sony DSC-H7 / Sony VF-74CP Circular PL Filter
The Trigg-Smartt Building is located at the southwest corner of Broad Street & 7th Avenue in Downtown Chattanooga and is an architecturally and historically significant structure of the city's 1880 boom period. The building was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under criteria A,B, and C because of its association with the 1880's boom period of Chattanooga, its association with prominent businessmen James N. Trigg, James P. Smartt, and John O. Fowler, and its architectural style. It is a Victorian Commercial style building with strong Richardsonian Romanesque influences.
The Trigg-Smartt Building is the only surviving building in the area from the commercial boom of the 1880's and one of the few remaining examples of that phenomenon remaining in the city. Built to house two prominent wholesale concerns, the building is perhaps the oldest wholesale block remaining in downtown Chattanooga. The building is associated with three prominent business leaders of Chattanooga. Trigg, Smartt, and Fowler all owned large commercial properties and were very involved in the business community. In 1888, James N. Trigg was elected President of the Board of Trade of Chattanooga and James P. Smartt was elected to its Executive Committee. The building displays an elaborate cut stone facade which Is one of the finest examples of its type in the city's commercial district; and modernization's have not significantly altered the building.
The property at Broad Street & 7th Avenue was purchased in early 1888 by James N. Trigg, Charles A. Lyerly, James Polk Smartt, and John P. Richardson. While Lyerly and Richardson limited their involvement to the purchase and development of the property, James Trigg and James Smartt planned to locate their rapidly growing wholesale businesses there. Trigg housed his newly formed Trigg Dobbs & Company wholesale grocery business there and Smartt Brothers and Company moved its wholesale shoes and boots business into the building. When Trigg, Smartt, Lyerly, and Richardson bought the property, the City of Chattanooga was In the midst of an extraordinary economic boom. In 1886, a total of $1,076,347 was spent in building construction. And in 1887, real estate transactions — including 1,500 new residences — amounted to $13,264,555. In addition, twenty-five new business charters were incorporated. The year of 1887 had proven the most prosperous of the entire boom period. Population growth naturally paralleled this economic surge: in 1883 the population was 20,666; in 1885 it was 25,101; and in 1887 the population had jumped to 36,903.
James N. Trigg came to Chattanooga in 1869 from Wythe County, Virginia. From then until 1874, he worked as a bookkeeper for the Discount and Deposit Bank. In 1874, he and William J. Dobbs began work for W.W. Jackson wholesale groceries and, a few years later, Trigg purchased a half interest in the Jackson Company. The new firm of Jackson Trigg & Company prospered until January 1888 when Jackson retired. In that year Jackson Trigg & Company was dissolved and Trigg Dobbs & Company formed.
In 1875, J.P. Smartt began his wholesale and retail shoe business in Nashville with two partners. In 1878, he moved to Chattanooga and went into business with W.G. Oehmig. In 1884, the Smartt and Oehmig firm was succeeded by Smartt Brothers and Company with his brother, George Madison Smartt, becoming a member of the firm. (James Smartt was also director of the Chattanooga Savings Bank and of the Third National Bank. He was, in addition, historian of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park Commission.) Smartt Brothers and Company handled a general line of shoes, boots, and rubbers from leading manufacturers. By the early 1900's their business covered Tennessee, Kentucky, Northern Alabama, and Northern Georgia.
Prospering in the 1887 boom year, Jackson Trigg & Company increased sales by 50-75%, according to J.N. Trigg. Smartt Brothers similarly increased business by approximately 33%. By 1891, J.P. Smartt and J.N. Trigg were listed in the Chattanooga Times as having a worth of over $100,000 and were, therefore, some of the richest men in the city.
Until 1911, the Trigg-Smartt Building was owned and occupied primarily by Trigg Dobbs & Company and by Smartt Brothers and Company. In that year, James Trigg apparently sold his interest to Smartt and vacated the building, leaving Smartt Brothers as the sole tenant. The company remained there another two years, until 1913, at which time James P. Smartt died and the business left the building. Both Trigg Dobbs & Company and Smartt Brothers remained in business in the Chattanooga area well into the 1920's.
Until Smartt Brothers and Company vacated the building in 1913, the building functioned primarily as a wholesale block. In 1889, Trigg Dobbs and Company, and Smartt Brothers and Company were the building's only occupants. By 1900, a manufacturers' grocery specialist, as it was called, became a tenant and remained there until 1909. Archer Paper Company located there for one year in 1905, and Chattanooga Hardware Company was there from 1910-1911. From 1913-1918, the building housed a variety of tenants. Included were Grandview Coal and Timber Company, several real estate and civil engineering offices, a typewriter business, a public stenographer's office, a bond office, a manicurist, Interstate Life & Accident Company, and Clay Manufacturing Company. Betts Engineering and Interstate Life & Accident Company occupied the building during this period longer than any of the other businesses during this period. In 1918, an up-and-coming furniture company, Sterchi Brothers Furniture Company, bought and occupied the building. J. Calvin Sterchi & his son-in-law, John O. Fowler, established the business in 1911. In 1919, the business became known as Sterchi Brothers and Fowler. Ten years later, in 1929, John O. Fowler formed his own company with his two brothers, Frank & Ben, and moved the new business to the 600 block of Broad Street. Sterchi Brothers and Fowler remained in the Trigg-Smartt Building until 1939.
In 1939, John O. Fowler, his brothers, and two sons moved Fowler Brothers Company into the Trigg-Smartt Building where he had begun his furniture business in 1919. Extensive renovation by the prominent local architectural firm of Crutchfield & Law accompanied the 1939 move at a cost of $38,000. Polished pink granite adorned the entire storefront facades along Broad Street & 7th Avenue, and the interior was modernized to reflect a rapidly growing business. The preceding year, in 1938, in fact, John Fowler reported that sales amounted to more than five times what they had been when business began. In that year alone, he reported more than a 33% sales increase. By now, Fowler Brothers Furniture Company had become the largest furniture business in the state of Tennessee and one of the largest in the Southeast.
In March 1985, Fowler Brothers announced that it would close its Downtown Chattanooga store. Shortly afterward on June 26, 1986, the Trigg-Smartt Building was added to the NRHP for the criteria referenced above. All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/1753bb6a-5708-4a51-a11...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
Aruba, a small island in the Dutch Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, has a dry climate, sunny beaches and gentle waves. Constant winds produce a cool breeze and tilt trees (like the famous divi-divi) to the southwest. The European influence appears in the architecture, characterized by the Dutch gables painted in tropical pastel tones. This is also evident in the coexistence of the local language, Papiamento, with English, Dutch and Spanish. The country does not have fresh water but it has desalinated water of excellent quality and you can safely drink tap water. The small country is a major producer and exporter of aloe vera (aloe vera) and is strong in the financial and fishing sectors, in addition to logistical services in the oil sector. It is a small island with a lot of sun and wind all the time, which favors the country's main economic activity, tourism. Its area is 179 km2 (69.1 mi2) and is densely populated by approximately 110,000 inhabitants (2020 Census) and has a per capita income of just over US$25,000 p.a. The country's capital is Oranjestad.
Aruba, pequena ilha do Caribe holandês ao largo da costa da Venezuela, tem clima seco, praias ensolaradas e ondas suaves. Ventos constantes produzem uma brisa fresca e inclinam as árvores (como a famosa divi-divi) para o sudoeste. A influência europeia aparece na arquitetura, caracterizada pelas empenas holandesas pintadas em tons pastel tropicais. Isso também fica evidente na convivência do idioma local, o papiamento, com o inglês, o holandês e o espanhol. O país não tem água doce mas tem água dessalinizada de ótima qualidade e vc pode tomar agua da torneira com segurança. O pequeno país é um grande produtor e exportador de aloé vera (babosa) e é forte no setor financeiro e de pesca além de serviços logísticos na área petroleira. É uma pequena ilha com muito sol e vento o ano todo o que favorece a principal atividade econômica do país, o turismo. Sua área é de 179 km2 (69.1 mi2) e é densamente povoada por aproximadamente 110.000 habitantes (Censo de 2020) e tem uma renda per capita de pouco mais de US$ 25,000 a.a. A capital do país é Oranjestad.
Aruba, een klein eiland in de Nederlandse Caraïben voor de kust van Venezuela, heeft een droog klimaat, zonnige stranden en zachte golven. Constante winden produceren een koel briesje en kantelen bomen (zoals de beroemde divi-divi) naar het zuidwesten. De Europese invloed komt terug in de architectuur, gekenmerkt door de Hollandse gevels geschilderd in tropische pasteltinten. Dit blijkt ook uit het naast elkaar bestaan van de lokale taal, Papiamento, met Engels, Nederlands en Spaans. Het land heeft geen zoet water maar wel ontzilt water van uitstekende kwaliteit en je kunt er veilig kraanwater drinken. Het kleine land is een belangrijke producent en exporteur van aloë vera (aloë vera) en is sterk in de financiële en visserijsector, naast de logistieke dienstverlening in de oliesector. Het is een klein eiland met de hele tijd veel zon en wind, wat de belangrijkste economische activiteit van het land, het toerisme, bevordert. Het gebied is 179 km2 (69,1 mi2) en is dichtbevolkt met ongeveer 110.000 inwoners (telling van 2020) en heeft een inkomen per hoofd van de bevolking van iets meer dan 25.000 dollar per jaar. De hoofdstad van het land is Oranjestad.
Aruba, una piccola isola dei Caraibi olandesi al largo della costa del Venezuela, ha un clima secco, spiagge assolate e onde dolci. I venti costanti producono una brezza fresca e inclinano gli alberi (come i famosi divi-divi) a sud-ovest. L'influenza europea appare nell'architettura, caratterizzata dai timpani olandesi dipinti in toni pastello tropicali. Ciò è evidente anche nella coesistenza della lingua locale, il papiamento, con l'inglese, l'olandese e lo spagnolo. Il paese non ha acqua dolce ma ha acqua desalinizzata di ottima qualità e si può bere tranquillamente l'acqua del rubinetto. Il piccolo paese è un importante produttore ed esportatore di aloe vera (aloe vera) ed è forte nei settori finanziario e della pesca, oltre ai servizi logistici nel settore petrolifero. È una piccola isola con tanto sole e vento tutto il tempo, il che favorisce la principale attività economica del paese, il turismo. La sua area è di 179 km2 (69,1 mi2) ed è densamente popolata da circa 110.000 abitanti (censimento 2020) e ha un reddito pro capite di poco superiore a US $ 25.000 all'anno. La capitale del paese è Oranjestad.
Aruba, una pequeña isla en el Caribe holandés frente a la costa de Venezuela, tiene un clima seco, playas soleadas y olas suaves. Los vientos constantes producen una brisa fresca e inclinan los árboles (como el famoso divi-divi) hacia el suroeste. La influencia europea aparece en la arquitectura, caracterizada por los frontones holandeses pintados en tonos pastel tropicales. Esto también es evidente en la coexistencia del idioma local, el papiamento, con el inglés, el holandés y el español. El país no tiene agua dulce pero tiene agua desalada de excelente calidad y se puede beber agua del grifo sin peligro. El pequeño país es un importante productor y exportador de aloe vera (sábila) y es fuerte en los sectores financiero y pesquero, además de los servicios logísticos en el sector petrolero. Es una isla pequeña con mucho sol y viento todo el tiempo, lo que favorece la principal actividad económica del país, el turismo. Su área es de 179 km2 (69.1 mi2) y está densamente poblada por aproximadamente 110,000 habitantes (Censo 2020) y tiene un ingreso per cápita de poco más de US$25,000 p.a. La capital del país es Oranjestad.
Aruba, eine kleine Insel in der niederländischen Karibik vor der Küste Venezuelas, hat ein trockenes Klima, sonnige Strände und sanfte Wellen. Konstante Winde erzeugen eine kühle Brise und neigen Bäume (wie das berühmte Divi-Divi) nach Südwesten. Der europäische Einfluss zeigt sich in der Architektur, die durch die in tropischen Pastelltönen gestrichenen holländischen Giebel gekennzeichnet ist. Dies zeigt sich auch in der Koexistenz der lokalen Sprache Papiamento mit Englisch, Niederländisch und Spanisch. Das Land hat kein Süßwasser, aber entsalztes Wasser von ausgezeichneter Qualität und Leitungswasser kann bedenkenlos getrunken werden. Das kleine Land ist ein bedeutender Produzent und Exporteur von Aloe Vera (Aloe Vera) und ist neben logistischen Dienstleistungen im Ölsektor stark im Finanz- und Fischereisektor. Es ist eine kleine Insel mit viel Sonne und Wind, was die wichtigste wirtschaftliche Aktivität des Landes, den Tourismus, begünstigt. Seine Fläche beträgt 179 km2 (69,1 mi2) und ist mit etwa 110.000 Einwohnern (Volkszählung 2020) dicht besiedelt und hat ein Pro-Kopf-Einkommen von knapp über 25.000 US-Dollar pro Jahr. Die Hauptstadt des Landes ist Oranjestad.
Aruba, une petite île des Caraïbes néerlandaises au large des côtes du Venezuela, a un climat sec, des plages ensoleillées et des vagues douces. Des vents constants produisent une brise fraîche et inclinent les arbres (comme le fameux divi-divi) vers le sud-ouest. L'influence européenne apparaît dans l'architecture, caractérisée par les pignons hollandais peints dans des tons pastel tropicaux. Cela est également évident dans la coexistence de la langue locale, le papiamento, avec l'anglais, le néerlandais et l'espagnol. Le pays ne dispose pas d'eau douce mais il dispose d'une eau dessalée d'excellente qualité et vous pouvez boire l'eau du robinet en toute sécurité. Le petit pays est un important producteur et exportateur d'aloe vera (aloe vera) et est fort dans les secteurs financier et de la pêche, en plus des services logistiques dans le secteur pétrolier. C'est une petite île avec beaucoup de soleil et de vent tout le temps, ce qui favorise la principale activité économique du pays, le tourisme. Sa superficie est de 179 km2 (69,1 mi2) et est densément peuplée d'environ 110 000 habitants (recensement de 2020) et a un revenu par habitant d'un peu plus de 25 000 $ US par an. La capitale du pays est Oranjestad.
تتمتع أروبا ، وهي جزيرة صغيرة في منطقة البحر الكاريبي الهولندية قبالة سواحل فنزويلا ، بمناخ جاف وشواطئ مشمسة وأمواج لطيفة. تنتج الرياح المستمرة نسيمًا باردًا وتميل الأشجار (مثل ديفي ديفي الشهير) إلى الجنوب الغربي. يظهر التأثير الأوروبي في العمارة التي تتميز بالجملونات الهولندية المطلية بدرجات ألوان الباستيل الاستوائية. وهذا واضح أيضًا في تعايش اللغة المحلية ، البابيامينتو ، مع الإنجليزية والهولندية والإسبانية. لا يوجد في البلاد مياه عذبة ولكنها تحتوي على مياه محلاة بجودة ممتازة ويمكنك شرب مياه الصنبور بأمان. تعد الدولة الصغيرة منتجًا ومصدرًا رئيسيًا للصبار (الألوة فيرا) وهي قوية في قطاعي المال وصيد الأسماك ، بالإضافة إلى الخدمات اللوجستية في قطاع النفط. إنها جزيرة صغيرة بها الكثير من الشمس والرياح طوال الوقت ، مما يفضل النشاط الاقتصادي الرئيسي للبلاد ، وهو السياحة. تبلغ مساحتها 179 كيلومترًا مربعًا (69.1 ميل 2) وهي مكتظة بالسكان بحوالي 110.000 نسمة (تعداد 2020) ويبلغ دخل الفرد فيها أكثر من 25000 دولار أمريكي بقليل. عاصمة البلاد هي أورانجيستاد.
ベネズエラ沖のオランダのカリブ海にある小さな島、アルバは、乾燥した気候、太陽が降り注ぐビーチ、穏やかな波に恵まれています。絶え間ない風が涼しい風を生み出し、木々を（有名なディビディビのように）南西に傾けます。ヨーロッパの影響は、熱帯のパステル トーンで描かれたオランダの切妻を特徴とする建築に現れます。これは、地元の言語であるパピアメント語と、英語、オランダ語、スペイン語が共存していることにも明らかです。この国には真水はありませんが、優れた品質の淡水化された水があり、水道水を安全に飲むことができます。この小さな国は、アロエベラ (アロエベラ) の主要な生産国および輸出国であり、石油部門の物流サービスに加えて、金融および漁業部門に強みを持っています。それは国の主要な経済活動である観光に有利な、常に太陽と風がたくさんある小さな島です。その面積は 179 km2 (69.1 mi2) で、約 110,000 人の住民 (2020 年の国勢調査) が密集しており、1 人あたりの収入は年間 25,000 米ドル強です。国の首都はオラニエスタッドです。
Sunday's sunrise wasn't a stunner, but the Lee Big-Stopper can always add a little fun.
And a note to D800E users -- I finally succeeded in producing moire! The railing on the pier was enough to get it going. Haha!
Throughout history we’ve had influencers in our lives. For most of us it began with our parents. Then came tribal leaders and religions. Over time, these have often been changed to fit the needs and wants, of self anointed influencers. Then came enforcers for leaders, groups and religions. These enforcers often becoming self serving and influenced. We’ve had groups emerge like lynch mobs, the KKK. These groups had tremendous influence. Now we have mobs emerging to disrupt the brave Americans putting themselves in harms way; to protect the lives of total strangers.
We selected congressional leaders to represent us. These politicians becoming influenced by their corporate sponsors. Being indebted, to the point they no longer represent us. They fill their pockets and those of their corporate sponsors. We have a President that’s letting tens of thousands, of Americans die. While he protects himself. We have a President that’s letting millions of tons of food rot in America’s Farmlands. While millions of American families go hungry. We have politicians taking break after break. While many Americans making low wages die; trying to provide for their families, themselves. This is not about Republicans or Democrats. This is not about our constitution; that I and many in my family’s long history, have severed to protect. This is about compassion, doing what’s right. This is about holding our elected and appointed officials accountable. It’s about educating ourselves; something else that has fallen to the wayside. It’s about making the hard choices of change.
Many Americans are watching, the thousands of influencers on YouTube. While their corporate sponsors are slipping their products in the foreground. They should be finding ways to help others in need, finding ways to rid us of these career politicians.
As I set in my room with my door open; because my neighbors stomp at my door, pass my room. They perform skits in the hallway to annoy, harass, keep me sleep deprived. As Yosemite’s Mobbing Community follows me to the Post Office, throughout the park; to harass, mob, belittle, discredit me. I wounder who is influencing them. Maybe our new Acting Superintendent can shed some light on that?
Thank you for visiting my photostream and reading the truth.
This is my sister Jessica. She's pretty BA. My parents are always afraid that she's a bad influence on me. But what they don't realize is that what does influence me is my sister's ability to accept other's differences and show compassion to everyone. Idk, that doesn't seem like a bad thing to me.
HAPPY NATIONAL SIBLING DAY. :) (I'm a day late)
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The Ishak Pasha Palace has an extravagant feel to it and was definitely conceived more as a pleasure dome than as a defensive castle. Yet the Russians also occupied it on other occasions and they are blamed by the Turks for the blackened cooking residues that coat the walls of rooms deigned for more elegant puposes. They also run off with the gold-plated doors of the entrance during the 1917 invasion, and these are now in a museum in Moscow.
Ishak Pasha Palace, Eastern Turkey
Studio 26 assignment - Nature Morte.
I chose this image for my final submission as it's the one where I achieved the best lighting in camera. It needed very little work in processing.
This guy is only about 1/2 inch top to bottom. I lay flat on my (rather round) belly in the middle of my neighbor's lawn to get this shot. Yes, I was under the influence, but fortunately, not of drink or drugs...
Inspired by the last portrait of the late brilliant Heath Ledger.
I have often wondered how folks take such moody portraits, so I had a play, this is my real fist attempt at using light to create a mood. I'm sure now that I have tried it I will be trying lots more things, I am still learning so I will improve.
Sometimes we all have battles with our conscience, I have them pretty much everyday, I am without a doubt my own worst enemy. So it feels like I have my own devils, maybe I do ............
Cake Eileen wearing the Dragon robe from the Go East collection paired with a bodysuit from the Silkstone Collection.
Beautiful MG TF replica in British Racing Green in Akaroa in New Zealand. The French tricolore flies in the background revealing a significant French influence in this historic little harbour town.
A French sea captain agreed in 1838 to purchase land in the area from local chiefs, and settlers arrived in New Zealand from Rochefort in France in 1840. On arrival they discovered that the British had in the meantime named the area the Banks Peninsula, after the famous naturalist Joseph Banks, who had accompanied James Cook. Given that they had set sail on the understanding that they owned the land, the French were allowed to settle, and they originally named the town Port Louis-Philippe.
Strobist: AB1600 with gridded 60X30 softbox camera right. AB800 with gridded HOBD-W overhead. AB800 with Softlighter II camera left. AB800 with 7 inch flagged reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.
Berlin (/bərˈlɪn/, German: [bɛɐ̯ˈliːn] ( listen)) is the capital of Germany, and one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.5 million people,[4] Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union.[5] Located in northeastern Germany on the banks of Rivers Spree and Havel, it is the centre of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which has about six million residents from over 180 nations.[6][7][8][9] Due to its location in the European Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one-third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.[10]
First documented in the 13th century, Berlin became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417-1701), the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945).[11] Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world.[12] After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989).[13] Following German reunification in 1990, the city was once more designated as the capital of all Germany, hosting 158 foreign embassies.[14]
Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science.[15][16][17][18] Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, research facilities, media corporations, and convention venues.[19][20] Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail traffic and has a highly complex public transportation network. The metropolis is a popular tourist destination.[21] Significant industries also include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, clean tech, biotechnology, construction, and electronics.
Modern Berlin is home to renowned universities, orchestras, museums, entertainment venues, and is host to many sporting events.[22] Its urban setting has made it a sought-after location for international film productions.[23] The city is well known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, and a high quality of living.[24] Over the last decade Berlin has seen the emergence of a cosmopolitan entrepreneurial scene.[
History
Etymology
The origin of the name Berlin is uncertain. It may have its roots in the language of West Slavic inhabitants of the area of today's Berlin, and may be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/birl- ("swamp").[26] Folk etymology connects the name to the German word for bear, Bär. A bear also appears in the coat of arms of the city.[
12th to 16th centuries
The earliest evidence of settlements in the area of today's Berlin are a wooden rod dated from approximately 1192[28] and leftovers of wooden houseparts dated to 1174 found in a 2012 digging in Berlin Mitte.[29] The first written records of towns in the area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. Spandau is first mentioned in 1197 and Köpenick in 1209, although these areas did not join Berlin until 1920.[30] The central part of Berlin can be traced back to two towns. Cölln on the Fischerinsel is first mentioned in a 1237 document, and Berlin, across the Spree in what is now called the Nikolaiviertel, is referenced in a document from 1244.[28] The former (1237) is considered to be the founding date of the city.[31] The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties. In 1307 they formed an alliance with a common external policy, their internal administrations still being separated.[32][33]
In 1415, Frederick I became the elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which he ruled until 1440.[34] During the 15th century his successors would establish Berlin-Cölln as capital of the margraviate, and subsequent members of the Hohenzollern family ruled until 1918 in Berlin, 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 the town citizens against the building culminated in 1448, in the "Berlin Indignation" ("Berliner Unwille").[35][36] This protest was not successful, however, and the citizenry lost many of its political and economic privileges. After the royal palace was finished in 1451, it gradually came into use. From 1470, with the new elector Albrecht III Achilles, Berlin-Cölln became the new royal residence.[33] Officially, the Berlin-Cölln palace became permanent residence of the Brandenburg electors of the Hohenzollerns from 1486, when John Cicero came to power.[37] Berlin-Cölln, however, had to give up its status as a free Hanseatic city. In 1539, the electors and the city officially became Lutheran.[
17th to 19th centuries
The Thirty Years' War between 1618 and 1648 devastated Berlin. One third of its houses were damaged or destroyed, and the city lost half of its population.[39] 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.[40] With the Edict of Potsdam in 1685, Frederick William offered asylum to the French Huguenots.[41] By 1700, approximately 30 percent of Berlin's residents were French, because of the Huguenot immigration.[42] Many other immigrants came from Bohemia, Poland, and Salzburg.[43]
Since 1618, the Margraviate of Brandenburg had been in personal union with the Duchy of Prussia. In 1701, however, the dual state formed the Kingdom of Prussia, as Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg now crowned himself as king Frederick I in Prussia. Berlin became the capital of the new Kingdom. This was a successful attempt to centralise the capital in the very outspread 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".[32]
In 1740, Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great (1740–1786), came to power.[44] Under the rule of Frederick II, Berlin became a center of the Enlightenment.[45] 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.[46] In 1815, the city became part of the new Province of Brandenburg.[47]
The Industrial Revolution transformed Berlin during the 19th century; the city's economy and population expanded dramatically, and it became the main railway hub and economic centre 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.[48] In 1871, Berlin became capital of the newly founded German Empire.[49] In 1881, it became a city district separate from Brandenburg.[50]
20th to 21st centuries
In the early 20th century, Berlin had become a fertile ground for the German Expressionist movement.[51] In fields such as architecture, painting and cinema new forms of artistic styles were invented. At the end of World War I 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 the area of Berlin from 66 to 883 km2 (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, 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. NSDAP rule effectively destroyed Berlin's Jewish community, which had numbered 160,000, representing one-third of all Jews in the country. Berlin's Jewish population fell to about 80,000 as a result of emigration between 1933 and 1939. After Kristallnacht in 1938, thousands of the city's persecuted groups were imprisoned in the nearby Sachsenhausen concentration camp or, starting in early 1943, were shipped to death camps, such as Auschwitz.[52] During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed in the 1943–45 air raids and during the Battle of Berlin. Around 125,000 civilians were killed.[53] After the end of the war in Europe in 1945, Berlin received large numbers of refugees from the Eastern provinces. The victorious powers divided the city into four sectors, analogous to the occupation zones into which Germany was divided. The sectors of the Western Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom and France) formed West Berlin, while the Soviet sector formed East Berlin.[54]
All four Allies shared administrative responsibilities for Berlin. However, in 1948, when the Western Allies extended the currency reform in the Western zones of Germany to the three western sectors of Berlin, the Soviet Union imposed a 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.[55] In 1949, 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 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 that was not recognized by the western powers. East Berlin included most of the historic center of the city. The West German government established itself in Bonn.[56] In 1961, East Germany began the building of the Berlin Wall between East and 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 in 1963 underlining the US support for the Western part of the city. Berlin was completely divided. Although it was possible for Westerners to pass from one to the other side through strictly controlled checkpoints, for most Easterners travel to West Berlin or West Germany was prohibited. In 1971, a Four-Power agreement guaranteed access to and from West Berlin by car or train through East Germany.[57]
In 1989, with 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 the official German capital. In 1991, the German Parliament, the Bundestag, voted to move the seat of the (West) German capital from Bonn to Berlin, which was completed in 1999. Berlin's 2001 administrative reform merged several districts. The number of boroughs was reduced from 23 to 12. In 2006, the FIFA World Cup Final was held in Berlin.
Geography
Topography
Berlin is situated in northeastern Germany, in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography, part of 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, Berlin's westernmost borough, 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 Großer Wannsee. A series of lakes also feeds into the upper Spree, which flows through the Großer Müggelsee in eastern Berlin.[58]
Substantial parts of present-day Berlin extend onto 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 the west of Berlin. The highest elevations in Berlin are the Teufelsberg and the Müggelberge in the city's outskirts, and in the center the Kreuzberg. While the latter measures 66 m (217 ft) above sea level, the former both have an elevation of about 115 m (377 ft). The Teufelsberg is in fact an artificial hill composed of a pile of rubble from the ruins of World War II.
Climate
Berlin has an Maritime temperate climate (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification system.[59] There are significant influences of mild continental climate due to its inland position, with frosts being common in winter and there being 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 cool 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 a microclimate, with heat stored by the city's buildings. Temperatures can be 4 °C (7 °F) higher in the city than in the surrounding areas.[60]
Annual precipitation is 570 millimeters (22 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Snowfall mainly occurs from December through March.
Cityscape
Berlin's history has left the city with a highly eclectic array of architecture and buildings. The city's appearance today is predominantly shaped by the key role it played in Germany's history in the 20th century. Each of the national governments based in Berlin — the Kingdom of Prussia, the 1871 German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, East Germany, and now the reunified Germany — initiated ambitious (re-)construction programs, with each adding its own distinctive style to the city's architecture.
Berlin was devastated by bombing raids, fires and street battles during World War II, and many of the buildings that had remained after the war were demolished in the post-war period in both West and East Berlin. Much of this demolition was initiated by municipal architecture programs to build new residential or business quarters and main roads. Many ornaments of pre-war buildings were destroyed following modernist dogmas. While in both systems and in reunified Berlin, various important heritage monuments were also (partly) reconstructed, including the Forum Fridericianum with e.g., the State Opera (1955), Charlottenburg Palace (1957), the main monuments of the Gendarmenmarkt (1980s), Kommandantur (2003) and the project to reconstruct the baroque facades of the City Palace. A number of new buildings is inspired by historical predecessors or the general classical style of Berlin, such as Hotel Adlon.
Clusters of high-rise buildings emerge at e.g., Potsdamer Platz, City West and Alexanderplatz. Berlin has three of the top 40 tallest buildings in Germany.
Architecture
The Brandenburg Gate is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany. The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, 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 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.
The Gendarmenmarkt, a neoclassical square in Berlin the name of which derives from the headquarters of the famous Gens d'armes regiment located here in the 18th century, is bordered by two similarly designed cathedrals, the Französischer Dom with its observation platform and the Deutscher Dom. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall), home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, stands between the two cathedrals.
The Museum Island in the River Spree houses five museums built from 1830 to 1930 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration and the construction of a main entrance to all museums, as well as the reconstruction of the Stadtschloss is continuing.[65][66] Also located on the island and adjacent to the Lustgarten and palace is Berlin Cathedral, emperor William II's ambitious attempt to create a Protestant counterpart to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. A large crypt houses the remains of some of the earlier Prussian royal family. St. Hedwig's Cathedral is Berlin's Roman Catholic cathedral.
Unter den Linden is a tree-lined east–west avenue from the Brandenburg Gate to the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss, and was once Berlin's premier promenade. Many Classical buildings line the street and part of Humboldt University is located there. Friedrichstraße was Berlin's legendary street during the Golden Twenties. It combines 20th-century traditions with the modern architecture of today's Berlin.
Potsdamer Platz is an entire quarter built from scratch after 1995 after the Wall came down.[67] To the west of Potsdamer Platz is the Kulturforum, which houses the Gemäldegalerie, and is flanked by the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Berliner Philharmonie. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a Holocaust memorial, is situated to the north.[68]
The area around Hackescher Markt is home to the fashionable culture, with countless clothing outlets, clubs, bars, and galleries. This includes the Hackesche Höfe, a conglomeration of buildings around several courtyards, reconstructed around 1996. The nearby New Synagogue is the center of Jewish culture.
The Straße des 17. Juni, connecting the Brandenburg Gate and Ernst-Reuter-Platz, serves as the central East-West-Axis. Its name commemorates the uprisings in East Berlin of 17 June 1953. Approximately half-way from the Brandenburg Gate is the Großer Stern, a circular traffic island on which the Siegessäule (Victory Column) is situated. This monument, built to commemorate Prussia's victories, was relocated 1938–39 from its previous position in front of the Reichstag.
The Kurfürstendamm is home to some of Berlin's luxurious stores with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at its eastern end on Breitscheidplatz. The church was destroyed in the Second World War and left in ruins. Nearby on Tauentzienstraße is KaDeWe, claimed to be continental Europe's largest department store. The Rathaus Schöneberg, where John F. Kennedy made his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner!" speech, is situated in Tempelhof-Schöneberg.
West of the center, Schloss Bellevue is the residence of the German President. Schloss Charlottenburg, which was burnt out in the Second World War is the largest historical palace in Berlin.
The Funkturm Berlin is a 150 m (490 ft) tall lattice radio tower at the fair area, built between 1924 and 1926. It is the only observation tower which stands on insulators and has a restaurant 55 m (180 ft) and an observation deck 126 m (413 ft) above ground, which is reachable by a windowed elevator.
Demographics
On 31 December 2014, the city-state of Berlin had a population of 3,562,166 registered inhabitants[4] in an area of 891.85 km2 (344.35 sq mi).[69] The city's population density was 3,994 inhabitants per km2. Berlin is the second most populous city proper in the EU. The urban area of Berlin comprised about 4 million people making it the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union.[5] The metropolitan area of the Berlin-Brandenburg region was home to about 4.5 million in an area of 5,370 km2 (2,070 sq mi). In 2004, the Larger Urban Zone was home to about 5 million people in an area of 17,385 km2 (6,712 sq mi).[9] The entire Berlin-Brandenburg capital region has a population of 6 million.[70]
National and international migration into the city has a long history. In 1685, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France, the city responded with the Edict of Potsdam, which guaranteed religious freedom and tax-free status to French Huguenot refugees for ten years. The Greater Berlin Act in 1920 incorporated many suburbs and surrounding cities of Berlin. It formed most of the territory that comprises modern Berlin and increased the population from 1.9 million to 4 million.
Active immigration and asylum politics in West Berlin triggered waves of immigration in the 1960s and 1970s. Currently, Berlin is home to about 200,000 Turks,[71] making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey. In the 1990s the Aussiedlergesetze enabled immigration to Germany of some residents from the former Soviet Union. Today ethnic Germans from countries of the former Soviet Union make up the largest portion of the Russian-speaking community.[72] The last decade experienced an influx from various Western countries and some African regions.[73] Young Germans, EU-Europeans and Israelis have settled in the city.[
International communities
In December 2013, 538,729 residents (15.3% of the population) were of foreign nationality, originating from over 180 different countries.[76] Another estimated 460,000 citizens in 2013 are descendants of international migrants and have either become naturalized German citizens or obtained citizenship by virtue of birth in Germany.[77] In 2008, about 25%–30% of the population was of foreign origin.[78] 45 percent of the residents under the age of 18 have foreign roots.[79] Berlin is estimated to have from 100,000 to 250,000 non-registered inhabitants.[80]
There are more than 25 non-indigenous communities with a population of at least 10,000 people, including Turkish, Polish, Russian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Serbian, Italian, Bosnian, Vietnamese, American, Romanian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Austrian, Ghanaian, Ukrainian, French, British, Spanish, Israeli, Thai, Iranian, Egyptian and Syrian communities.
The most-commonly-spoken foreign languages in Berlin are Turkish, English, Russian, Arabic, Polish, Kurdish, Vietnamese, Serbian, Croatian and French. Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Serbian and Croatian are heard more often in the western part, due to the large Middle Eastern and former-Yugoslavian communities. English, Vietnamese, Russian, and Polish have more native speakers in eastern Berlin.
Religion
More than 60% of Berlin residents have no registered religious affiliation.[82] The largest denominations in 2010 were the Protestant regional church body of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) (a church of united administration comprising mostly Lutheran, and few Reformed and United Protestant congregations; EKBO is a member of the umbrellas Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and Union Evangelischer Kirchen (UEK)) with 18.7% of the population,[83] and the Roman Catholic Church with 9.1% of registered members.[83] About 2.7% of the population identify with other Christian denominations (mostly Eastern Orthodox)[84] and 8.1% are Muslims.[85] 0.9% of Berliners belong to other religions.[86] Approximately 80% of the 12,000 (0.3%) registered Jews now residing in Berlin[84] have come from the former Soviet Union.
Berlin is the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Berlin and EKBO's elected chairperson is titled bishop of EKBO. Furthermore, Berlin is the seat of many Orthodox cathedrals, such as the Cathedral of St. Boris the Baptist, one of the two seats of the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of Western and Central Europe, and the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral of the Diocese of Berlin (Patriarchate of Moscow).
The faithful of the different religions and denominations maintain many places of worship in Berlin. The Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church has eight parishes of different sizes in Berlin.[87] There are 36 Baptist congregations (within Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany), 29 New Apostolic Churches, 15 United Methodist churches, eight Free Evangelical Congregations, six congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an Old Catholic church, and an Anglican church in Berlin.
Berlin has 76 mosques (including three Ahmadiyya mosques), 11 synagogues, and two Buddhist temples, in addition to a number of humanist and atheist groups.
Government
City state
Since the reunification on 3 October 1990, Berlin has been one of the three city states in Germany among the present 16 states of Germany. The city and state parliament is the House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus), which currently has 141 seats. Berlin's executive body is the Senate of Berlin (Senat von Berlin). The Senate of Berlin consists of the Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) and up to eight senators holding ministerial positions, one of them holding the official title "Mayor" (Bürgermeister) as deputy to the Governing Mayor.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Left (Die Linke) took control of the city government after the 2001 state election and won another term in the 2006 state election.[88] Since the 2011 state election, there has been a coalition of the Social Democratic Party with the Christian Democratic Union, and for the first time ever, the Pirate Party won seats in a state parliament in Germany.
The Governing Mayor is simultaneously Lord Mayor of the city (Oberbürgermeister der Stadt) and Prime Minister of the Federal State (Ministerpräsident des Bundeslandes). The office of Berlin's Governing Mayor is in the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). Since 2014 this office has been held by Michael Müller of the SPD.[89] On 26 August 2014, Wowereit announced his resignation as of 11 December 2014.[90]
The total annual state budget of Berlin in 2007 exceeded €20.5 ($28.7) billion including a budget surplus of €80 ($112) million.[91] The total budget included an estimated amount of €5.5 ($7.7) bn, which is directly financed by either the German government or the German Bundesländer.[
Boroughs
Berlin is subdivided into twelve boroughs (Bezirke). Each borough contains a number of localities (Ortsteile), which often have historic roots in older municipalities that predate the formation of Greater Berlin on 1 October 1920 and became urbanized and incorporated into the city. Many residents strongly identify with their localities or boroughs. At present Berlin consists of 96 localities, which are commonly made up of several city neighborhoods—called Kiez in the Berlin dialect—representing small residential areas.
Each borough is governed by a borough council (Bezirksamt) consisting of five councilors (Bezirksstadträte) including the borough mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The borough council is elected by the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung). The boroughs of Berlin are not independent municipalities. The power of borough administration is limited and subordinate to the Senate of Berlin. The borough mayors form the council of mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister), led by the city's governing mayor, which advises the senate. The localities have no local government bodies.
Sister cities
Berlin maintains official partnerships with 17 cities.[93] Town twinning between Berlin and other cities began with sister city Los Angeles in 1967. East Berlin's partnerships were canceled at the time of German reunification and later partially reestablished. West Berlin's partnerships had previously been restricted to the borough level. During the Cold War era, the partnerships had reflected the different power blocs, with West Berlin partnering with capitals in the West, and East Berlin mostly partnering with cities from the Warsaw Pact and its allies.
There are several joint projects with many other cities, such as Beirut, Belgrade, São Paulo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Oslo, Shanghai, Seoul, Sofia, Sydney, New York City and Vienna. Berlin participates in international city associations such as the Union of the Capitals of the European Union, Eurocities, Network of European Cities of Culture, Metropolis, Summit Conference of the World's Major Cities, and Conference of the World's Capital Cities. Berlin's official sister cities are:
Capital city
Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. The President of Germany, whose functions are mainly ceremonial under the German constitution, has his official residence in Schloss Bellevue.[97] Berlin is the seat of the German executive, housed in the Chancellery, the Bundeskanzleramt. Facing the Chancellery is the Bundestag, the German Parliament, housed in the renovated Reichstag building since the government moved back to Berlin in 1998. The Bundesrat ("federal council", performing the function of an upper house) is the representation of the Federal States (Bundesländer) of Germany and has its seat at the former Prussian House of Lords.
Though most of the ministries are seated in Berlin, some of them, as well as some minor departments, are seated in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. Discussions to move the remaining branches continue.[98] The ministries and departments of Defence, Justice and Consumer Protection, Finance, Interior, Foreign, Economic Affairs and Energy, Labour and Social Affairs , Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Food and Agriculture, Economic Cooperation and Development, Health, Transport and Digital Infrastructure and Education and Research are based in the capital.
Berlin hosts 158 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many think tanks, trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations. Due to the influence and international partnerships of the Federal Republic of Germany as a state, the capital city has become a venue for German and European affairs. Frequent official visits, and diplomatic consultations among governmental representatives and national leaders are common in contemporary Berlin.
Economy
In 2013, the nominal GDP of the citystate Berlin experienced a growth rate of 1.2% (0.6% in Germany) and totaled €109.2 (~$142) billion.[99] Berlin's economy is dominated by the service sector, with around 80% of all companies doing business in services. The unemployment rate reached a 20-year low in June 2014 and stood at 11.0% .[100]
Important economic sectors in Berlin include life sciences, transportation, information and communication technologies, media and music, advertising and design, biotechnology, environmental services, construction, e-commerce, retail, hotel business, and medical engineering.[101]
Research and development have economic significance for the city. The metropolitan region ranks among the top-3 innovative locations in the EU.[102] The Science and Business Park in Adlershof is the largest technology park in Germany measured by revenue.[103] Within the Eurozone, Berlin has become a center for business relocation and international investments.[
Companies
Many German and international companies have business or service centers in the city. For some years Berlin has been recognized as a center of business founders in Europe.[105] Among the 10 largest employers in Berlin are the City-State of Berlin, Deutsche Bahn, the hospital provider Charité and Vivantes, the local public transport provider BVG, and Deutsche Telekom.
Daimler manufactures cars, and BMW builds motorcycles in Berlin. Bayer Health Care and Berlin Chemie are major pharmaceutical companies headquartered in the city. The second largest German airline Air Berlin is based there as well.[106]
Siemens, a Global 500 and DAX-listed company is partly headquartered in Berlin. The national railway operator Deutsche Bahn and the MDAX-listed firms Axel Springer SE and Zalando have their headquarters in the central districts.[107] Berlin has a cluster of rail technology companies and is the German headquarter or site to Bombardier Transportation,[108] Siemens Mobility,[109] Stadler Rail and Thales Transportation.[
Tourism and conventions
Berlin had 788 hotels with 134,399 beds in 2014.[111] The city recorded 28.7 million overnight hotel stays and 11.9 million hotel guests in 2014.[111] Tourism figures have more than doubled within the last ten years and Berlin has become the third most-visited city destination in Europe.
Berlin is among the top three congress cities in the world and home to Europe's biggest convention center, the Internationales Congress Centrum (ICC) at the Messe Berlin.[19] Several large-scale trade fairs like the consumer electronics trade fair IFA, the ILA Berlin Air Show, the Berlin Fashion Week (including the Bread and Butter tradeshow), the Green Week, the transport fair InnoTrans, the tourism fair ITB and the adult entertainment and erotic fair Venus are held annually in the city, attracting a significant number of business visitors.
Creative industries
Industries that do business in the creative arts and entertainment are an important and sizable sector of the economy of Berlin. The creative arts sector comprises music, film, advertising, architecture, art, design, fashion, performing arts, publishing, R&D, software,[112] TV, radio, and video games. Around 22,600 creative enterprises, predominantly SMEs, generated over 18,6 billion euro in revenue. Berlin's creative industries have contributed an estimated 20 percent of Berlin's gross domestic product in 2005.[
Media
Berlin is home to many international and regional television and radio stations.[114] The public broadcaster RBB has its headquarters in Berlin as well as the commercial broadcasters MTV Europe, VIVA, and N24. German international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle has its TV production unit in Berlin, and most national German broadcasters have a studio in the city including ZDF and RTL.
Berlin has Germany's largest number of daily newspapers, with numerous local broadsheets (Berliner Morgenpost, Berliner Zeitung, Der Tagesspiegel), and three major tabloids, as well as national dailies of varying sizes, each with a different political affiliation, such as Die Welt, Neues Deutschland, and Die Tageszeitung. The Exberliner, a monthly magazine, is Berlin's English-language periodical focusing on arts and entertainment. Berlin is also the headquarters of the two major German-language publishing houses Walter de Gruyter and Springer, each of which publish books, periodicals, and multimedia products.
Berlin is an important centre in the European and German film industry.[115] It is home to more than 1000 film and television production companies, 270 movie theaters, and around 300 national and international co-productions are filmed in the region every year.[102] The historic Babelsberg Studios and the production company UFA are located outside Berlin in Potsdam. The city is also home of the European Film Academy and the German Film Academy, and hosts the annual Berlin Film Festival. With around 500,000 admissions it is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world.
Infrastructure
Transport
Berlin's transport infrastructure is highly complex, providing a diverse range of urban mobility.[118] A total of 979 bridges cross 197 km (122 mi) of inner-city waterways. 5,422 km (3,369 mi) of roads run through Berlin, of which 77 km (48 mi) are motorways ("Autobahn").[119] In 2013, 1.344 million motor vehicles were registered in the city.[119] With 377 cars per 1000 residents in 2013 (570/1000 in Germany), Berlin as a Western global city has one of the lowest numbers of cars per capita.
Long-distance rail lines connect Berlin with all of the major cities of Germany and with many cities in neighboring European countries. Regional rail lines provide access to the surrounding regions of Brandenburg and to the Baltic Sea. The Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the largest grade-separated railway station in Europe.[120] Deutsche Bahn runs trains to domestic destinations like Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and others. It also runs an airport express rail service, as well as trains to several international destinations, e.g., Vienna, Prague, Zürich, Warsaw and Amsterdam.
Public transport
Airports
Flights departing from Berlin serve 163 destinations around the globe
Berlin has two commercial airports. Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL), which lies within the city limits, and Schönefeld Airport (SXF), which is situated just outside Berlin's south-eastern border in the state of Brandenburg. Both airports together handled 26.3 million passengers in 2013. In 2014, 67 airlines served 163 destinations in 50 countries from Berlin.[122] Tegel Airport is an important transfer hub for Air Berlin as well as a focus city for Lufthansa and Germanwings, whereas Schönefeld serves as an important destination for airlines like easyJet.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) will replace Tegel as single commercial airport of Berlin.[123] The new airport will integrate old Schönefeld (SXF) facilities and is scheduled to open not before 2017. Because of the rapid passenger growth at Berlin airports the capacities at the BER are already considered too small for the projected demand.
Cycling
Berlin is well known for its highly developed bicycle lane system.[124] It is estimated that Berlin has 710 bicycles per 1000 residents. Around 500,000 daily bike riders accounted for 13% of total traffic in 2009.[125] Cyclists have access to 620 km (385 mi) of bicycle paths including approximately 150 km (93 mi) of mandatory bicycle paths, 190 km (118 mi) (120 miles) of off-road bicycle routes, 60 km (37 mi) of bicycle lanes on roads, 70 km (43 mi) of shared bus lanes which are also open to cyclists, 100 km (62 mi) of combined pedestrian/bike paths and 50 km (31 mi) of marked bicycle lanes on roadside pavements (or sidewalks).[
From about the 1890s onwards Australia artists increasing came under the spell of two largely Parisian influences: Impressionism (which we won't look at here specifically because it is so well known), and Art Nouveau.
The Impressionist stream has certainly had the wider impact, but to me the most interesting developments came from those influenced by the highly fashionable Art Nouveau, which found its way into painting, sculpture and architecture.
Here are three very beautiful expressions of this influence in Australian art at the turn of the 20th century. The statue is by Bertram Mackennal and here is a short video introducing his work:
Some nice late afternoon light manages to exert influences over the Islands on Damodar River at Maithon West Bengal.
I'm under an NDA so I must keep the details to myself, BUT I was offered a job as a social media influencer. Can you imagine that? I asked them what the hours were and they said they expected me to be socializing all hours of the night and day. There were no benefits, no insurance, no holidays and they expected me to go on about all sorts of products like perfume and charcoal grills and TV shows that I've never even heard of. Silly. Benefits would have included having lunch with the above pictured executives, but my time is valuable, too.
I turned them down. Crazy, right?
ФЭД Микрон 2 (Fed Mikron 2) by Fed
Industar-81 - 2.8/38
Automatic mode (lightmeter on-board)
Kodak BW 400CN (expired)
Tetenal Colortec c41 (30° C)
Epson V600
Luisenstädtischer Kanal am Engelbecken / Berlin
Waterfilm is a series filmed in 2012 based on the idea of filming with a freehand camera for a period of exactly one minute.this series illustrates the meditative qualities of water in an urban environment It is my belief that the close observation of this essential element has the ability to influence our perceptions. Each film is intended to be a short meditation – take your time to feel it, but don’t swim away too far...
Yanomano
Orion III to me has always been one the most iconic SciFi spaceships in my generation. I have always wanted to use it in one of my moon photographs.
A sweeping view into the Chinatown–Rose Pak Station reveals one of the most distinctive public-art moments in San Francisco’s transit system. The arched concrete corridor frames a brilliant geometric tile installation that stretches across the far wall, forming a radiant mosaic of color, symmetry, and cultural resonance. Soft overhead lighting tracks the curve of the ceiling and falls evenly across the polished floor, allowing the tiled surface to become the visual anchor of the space. Reflections shimmer below the artwork, subtly doubling its pattern and giving the hallway a calm, almost meditative quality.
The tile composition itself is an intricate interplay of circular and petaled forms, echoing classical Chinese latticework, textile motifs, and the mathematical beauty of repeating geometry. Each tile quadrant introduces a new combination of color and pattern—some warm and earthy, others bright and playful, many referencing traditional Chinese decorative arts. Collectively they form an expansive tapestry that honors both the cultural history of the neighborhood and the contemporary design ambitions of the Central Subway project.
The Chinatown–Rose Pak Station was conceived not only as transportation infrastructure but as a celebration of community identity. Built deep beneath Stockton Street, the station is one of the most technically ambitious portions of the Central Subway, threading through dense urban layers while responding to a neighborhood defined by immigration, resilience, and continuity across generations. This particular corridor is a transitional space—neither platform nor street—but it carries the emotional weight of arrival. Commuters come through here on their way up into Chinatown’s street-level bustle, stepping from a serene, modernist tunnel into one of the city’s most historic and energetic districts.
The artwork reinforces that transition. The clean concrete envelope represents contemporary engineering, while the tile wall reintroduces ornament, cultural specificity, and a sense of handcrafted detail. It’s an intentional bridge between the present and the past, the subterranean quiet of the subway and the vibrancy of the neighborhood above. The installation also resonates with the station’s dedication to Rose Pak, the influential community advocate whose work shaped modern Chinatown and helped bring the Central Subway to life.
From a photographic standpoint, the symmetry of the frame highlights the corridor’s architectural precision. The centered perspective draws the viewer straight toward the art, while the smooth floor’s subtle reflections add visual depth. The absence of people emphasizes the station’s scale and the contemplative quality of the space—an unusual sense of stillness in a city that rarely pauses.