Around
750 The ‘Heveller’ built the villa ‘Spandow’ (Spandau), the first
colony in the region of Berlin.
1232 Spandau gains town privileges.
1237 The trade settlement Cölln is recorded in a charter for the
first time. The first document about the settlement of Berlin, built
around Nikolai Church, dates from 1244.
1307 Berlin and Cölln set up a common council.
1415 A Nürnberg viscount is granted the border region of
Brandenburg in fief. The Elector Friedrich I lays the foundation of the
500-year-old Hohenzollern dynasty.
1436 Berlin and Cölln gain the Johanniter villages Tempelhof,
Mariendorf, Marienfelde and Richardsdorf (Rixdorf, since 1912 Neukölln)
1443-1451
On the shore of the Spree the first city castle is being built for
elector Friedrich II.
1486 Berlin becomes the residence of the Elector of Brandenburg.
1539
Elector Joachim II starts the Reformation in Kurbrandenburg. Berlin
becomes the leading city of the Protestantism.
1618-48 The Thirty Years War has a devastating effect on the
population. Berlin reduced to just 6,000 inhabitants.
1640-1668
Under Friedrich Wilhelm, the ‘Big Elector’ of Brandenburg, the
population grows over 20.000.
1647
Between the castle and the zoo the avenue ‘Unter den Linden’ is being
built for the Big Elector.
From
1685
Immigration of protestant huguenots who were persecuted in France.
1701 The Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg crowns himself King
of Prussia, and turns Berlin into his court capital.
1709
The cities Berlin, Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt and
Friedrichstadt are being united in the community of Berlin with
approximately 60.000 inhabitants.
1732 The old ramparts are taken down and replaced by toll bars.
1740-86 Frederic the Great turns Berlin into one Europe’s major
capitals and a centre of the Enlightenment.
Around 1800
Berlin has over 170.000 inhabitants and is the most important industrial
city of Prussia.
1806
Napoleon enters the Prussian capital through the Brandenburger Tor.
Until 1808 Berlin remains under French occupation.
1810 Foundation of the university. Revival of the sciences,
literaure, music and theatre.
1813
Berlin becomes the centre of the ‘wars of liberation’ (1813-1815)
against Napoleon.
1838
The first railroad track in Berlin goes from Potsdam through Zehlendorf
to the station Potsdamer Platz.
1848 Failure of the March Revolution. Berlin develops into an
industrial city.
1871
King William I is crowned Emperor at Versailles. Berlin is now the
capital of the new German Empire. Berlin grows into a city with more
than a million inhabitants. These years are called the ‘Gründerjahre’,
years of economic revival. Social housing for the working classes.
Cultural life is boosted.
1882
Opening of the Berlin city tracks. The ring line is 22km long and goes
all around Berlin, the city tracks go right through the centre.
1894
Opening of the Reichstag building.
1895
Inauguration of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (church).
1902
The first subway goes above- and underground between the Warschauer
Brücke and the ‘Knie’ (Ernst-Reuter-Platz). Soon Berlin possesses one of
the most efficient traffic systems in the world.
1905
Berlin counts over 2 million inhabitants. Most people live in tight
rental barracks or are huddled together in unworthy basements.
1906
With the opening of the Teltow canal (from Köpenick to Potsdam) Berlin
becomes one of the largest inner harbours of Europe.
1918 The Emperor is deposed after the November Revolution.
1920 A large number of suburbs and towns is incorporated. Greater
Berlin has 4 million inhabitants. In spite of the worldwide economic
crisis of 1929 (there are 600,000 unemployed Berliners) and political
unrest Berlin enjoys the Golden Twenties, a decade of artistic
creativity.
1932
With 173.000 Jews (4.3% of the population) Berlin is the fifth largest
Jewish community in the world.
1933 The national-socialists assume power. The 1936 Summer
Olympics are one mighty propaganda spectacle for the nazis.
1936
The Summer Olympics are growing into a propaganda spectacle.
1938 Crystal Night (Kristallnacht, 9-10 November). More than 80
synagogues and countless Jewish shops are destroyed.
1941
Beginning of the mass deportation of Berlin Jews to concentration and
destruction camps.
1942
At the Wannsee conference on January 20 plans and decisions are being
made for the extermination of the Jews.
1943-1945
Terrible airborn attacks of the Western allies on Berlin, approx.
50.000 people are
killed.
1944
The attack on Hitler on July 20 in Eastern Prussia fails. The
conspirators, lead by colonel Claus Graf Schenk von
Stauffenberg, are being executed in the Bendler-Block (which is now a
memorial).
1945
Adolf Hitler commits suicide on April 30 in the bunker of the
Reichschancellery. The military forces capitulate on May 8. The largely
destroyed city is being divided in four sectors and governed by the
allies.
1948 The Soviets blockade Berlin. A political partition is
installed. An airlift keeps West-Berliners alive for more than a year.
1948
Problems at the Humboldt university (East Berlin) lead to the foundation
of the ‘free university’ in West Berlin.
1949
In Bonn the Constitution of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland is being
declared. (West) Berlin becomes, with restrictions of the allies, a
confederation. In October the Deutsche Demokratische Republik is
proclaimed in East Berlin. East Berlin becomes the capital and the seat
of the government of the DDR.
1953 Popular rising in East-Berlin (17 June).
1961 Construction of the Wall on 13 August.
1971 A treaty signed by the four occupying powers guarantess the
right of way between the Federal Republic and West-Berlin, and
facilitates visits to East-Berlin by West-Berliners.
1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November.
1990 The two Germanies are officially reunited on 3 October.
1991 Once more Berlin becomes the capital of Germany as well as
its political centre.
1994 The Allied troops leave Berlin. An historic era has thus
ended.
1995 The artist Christo wraps up the Reichschancellery in cloth.
Millions of spectators flock to the city on the River Spree.
1997 First stonelaying of the Federal Chancellor’s official
residence.
1998 Potsdamer Platz is officially opened as ‘the new centre of
Berlin’.
1999 Johannes Rau is elected Chancellor. The Federal Government
moves to Berlin.
