History UsefulNotes / Berlin

* ''Aimée & Jaguar'', the [[BasedOnATrueStory story of a lesbian romance between a Jew and a non-Jew]] during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* ''Series/BerlinStation'', a spy drama series launched in 2016.
* ''Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis'', an experimental (silent) documentary film from 1927.
* ''Film/TheBourneSupremacy''.
* ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}''. Set in UsefulNotes/WeimarGermany.
* Creator/FritzLang's ''Doctor Mabuse'' trilogy -- ''Film/DrMabuseTheGambler'', ''Film/TheTestamentOfDrMabuse'' and its post-war sequel of sorts, ''Film/Die1000AugenDesDrMabuse''.
* ''Film/{{Downfall|2004}}''. The city in ruins during the final days of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.

* ''The Good German''. Set in Berlin and Potsdam just after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, before the division of Germany.

* ''Film/{{Hanna}}''
* ''VideoGame/Hitman3'', the third mission in the game is set around a nightclub and nuclear reactor in Berlin [[spoiler: where Agent 47 hunts down ICA agents that were sent to kill him and Olivia Hall after the Constant ambushes Lucas Grey.]]
* Wim Wenders' films ''Der Himmel über Berlin'' (aka ''Film/WingsOfDesire'' and ''The Sky over Berlin'') and ''In weiter Ferne, so nah!'' (''Faraway, So Close!'').

* ''Film/{{M}}'', directed by Creator/FritzLang and featuring Creator/PeterLorre.
* ''Literature/{{Mephisto}}'' by Klaus Mann.
* ''Film/{{Olympia}}'', the official film of the 1936 Olympic Games, directed by Leni Riefenstahl.

* ''Film/TornCurtain''

* ''Series/BabylonBerlin'' is set in late 1920s Weimar-era Berlin, with all the expected vibrant colours, jazzy parties, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick political extremism]].

* ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. It is a city of warehouses. [[spoiler:[[BlackHumor "Where's my house?"]] [[GallowsHumor "Where's my house?"]]]]

* If you're at an airport, you're as good as being in the Eastern half... but only since UsefulNotes/TheNewTwenties. East Berlin's airport was built at Schönefeld, outside the city limits; since reunification, it has been expanded into the modern Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport, which opened in late 2020, [[RescuedFromDevelopmentHell nine years behind schedule]]. Berlin's previous primary airport, Tegel, was built in the French sector at the time of the Berlin Airlift and decommissioned in 2021 once everything moved to Schönefeld; it is currently being redeveloped into high-tech office space. Tempelhof, Berlin's original airport, was closed in 2008. The small military airfield at Gatow, which lies near the city's western limits, was a [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Air Force]] base for nearly five decades after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII; the [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht Bundeswehr]] took it over in 1994, but have since then mostly operated it as a museum.

* If you're at an airport, you're definitely not in the eastern half. East Berlin's airport was built at Schönefeld, outside the city limits; since reunification, it is being expanded into the modern Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport, to open [[DevelopmentHell some time in the 2020s or so...]]. The Tegel airport, built in the French sector at the time of the Berlin Airlift, was supposed to have closed years ago, but remains open for the moment. Tempelhof, Berlin's original airport, was closed in 2008. The small military airfield at Gatow, which lies near the city's western limits, was a [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Air Force]] base for nearly five decades after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII; the [[UsefulNotes/WeAreNotTheWehrmacht Bundeswehr]] took it over in 1994, but have since then mostly operated it as a museum.

* Creator/FritzLang's ''Doctor Mabuse'' trilogy -- ''Film/DrMabuseTheGambler'', ''Film/DasTestamentDesDoktorMabuse'' and its post-war sequel of sorts, ''Film/Die1000AugenDesDrMabuse''.

* ''Literature/EmilAndTheDetectives'' and a few other books by Erich Kästner - e. g. ''Pünktchen und Anton'' and ''Fabian'' - are partially or entirely set in Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. Most of them were filmed more than once.

In 1157, a count called [[AwesomeMcCoolname Albert the Bear]] founded the Margraviate of Brandenburg and became its first Margrave and really kicked off German East Colonization. Settlements arose along the glacial valley of the lower Spree River and at the narrowest point of said valley, the settlement of Cölln (not to be confused with ''Köln'' (Cologne) at the Rhine River) was founded on the nearby river isle and the nucleus of the actual town of (Old) Berlin was found on the river's right bank. In 1309, these two towns got a common city hall. The year 1237 as the accepted foundation date of Berlin is actually the year of the first documental mention of Cölln, the actual Old Berlin first mentioned in 1244.

* If the little men on the traffic lights (known as Ampelmännchen) are wearing [[NiceHat hats]], you are very likely to be in the eastern half. However, this method is somewhat hit and miss, since the Eastern version was seen as [[RuleOfCool cooler]] and has even been adapted in many German cities, so you find the one or other in the western half.

If you're lucky, you might see some of West Berlin's (extremely vibrant) music scene and nightlife (being one of the early centers of so-called "{{Krautrock}}" and Music/DavidBowie (the albums ''Music/StationToStation'', ''[[Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum Low]]'', ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum'', ''Music/{{Lodger}}'') and [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]] (the albums ''Music/TheIdiot'' and ''Music/LustForLife'') both having recorded there on the basis of its reputation).

* Music/DavidBowie's ''Berlin'' trilogy are three albums recorded entirely or partly in Berlin (particularly the famous "Hansa-by-the-Wall" studio) and breathing a very specific city atmosphere: ''[[Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum Low]]'', ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum'', and ''Music/{{Lodger}}'' (with ''Music/StationToStation'', recorded in Los Angeles but inspired in part by Bowie's European travels, serving as an "introduction" and/or a bridge to his previous, soul/funk-influenced work, ''Music/YoungAmericans''). The title track of ''Heroes'' specifically mentions the UsefulNotes/BerlinWall. In Berlin it's almost seen as an anthem and Bowie even recorded [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXV3rlr9G04a German version of it]].

''Berlin'' is also the title of a wrist-slittingly depressing [[Music/{{Berlin}} album]] by Music/LouReed.

* The works of Creator/MarcUewKling who lives and works in Berlin are usually set very firmly in Berlin

Throughout the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, Berlin was "The CityOfSpies" (a title that has also been held by Lisbon, Tangiers, Beirut, Istanbul, and Film/{{Casablanca}} at various points in their history), and the Glienicke Bridge, which links (West) Berlin and Potsdam, was the most well-known venue for the exchange of captured spies. SpyFiction from that period will almost always mention Berlin.

With the [[UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag political climate in the world changing]], Berlin got directly affected. The Berlin Wall became obsolete when the GDR opened its borders to the West on November 9, 1989. Less than a year later, Berlin once again became the capital of a [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic (re-)united Germany]]. But it had yet to take until 1999 until the all-German government and parliament finally moved back to Berlin (post-war and pre-unification, the capital of West Germany had been {{UsefulNotes/Bonn}}, in case you're wondering) and during much of TheNineties, Berlin was dubbed as the biggest construction site of Europe.

Berlin, capital of united UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany 1871]][[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic -]][[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany 1945]] and again since [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic 1990]] as well as partial capital of UsefulNotes/EastGermany and - depending on whom you ask[[note]]The West German "Basic Law" (i.e. its constitution) did not specify a capital until after reunification and the Soviets insisted that Berlin remained under four power control and was thus not a part of West Germany. While the West German government sat in [UsefulNotes/Bonn] for the duration of partition, the West German government on occasion did "capital-y" things in Berlin like electing UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfGermany (a largely ceremonial position) in Berlin[[/note]] - partial ''de jure'' capital of West Germany and a major world city. According to P. J. O'Rourke, "the city that Music/IggyPop moved to because New York wasn't decadent enough." Though P.J. followed it up by saying, "Forget it. We bombed the place flat in WWII, and they rebuilt it as a pretty good imitation of Minneapolis."

Berlin, capital of united UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany 1871]][[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic -]][[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany 1945]] and again since [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic 1990]] as well as partial capital of UsefulNotes/EastGermany and - depending on whom you ask[[note]]The West German "Basic Law" (i.e. its constitution) did not specify a capital until after reunification and the Soviets insisted that Berlin remained under four power control and was thus not a part of West Germany. While the West German government sat in [UsefulNotes/Bonn] for the duration of partition, the West German government on occasion did "capital-y" things in Berlin like electing the (largely ceremonial) UsefulNotes/PresidentsOfGermany in Berlin[[/note]] - partial ''de jure'' capital of West Germany and a major world city. According to P. J. O'Rourke, "the city that Music/IggyPop moved to because New York wasn't decadent enough." Though P.J. followed it up by saying, "Forget it. We bombed the place flat in WWII, and they rebuilt it as a pretty good imitation of Minneapolis."

Berlin, capital of united UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany 1871]][[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic -]][[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany 1945]] and again since [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic 1990]] as well as partial capital of UsefulNotes/EastGermany and - depending on whom you ask[[note]]The West German "Basic Law" (i.e. its constitution) did not specify a capital until after reunification and the Soviets insisted that Berlin remained under four power control and was thus not a part of West Germany. While the West German government sat in [UsefulNotes/Bonn] for the duration of partition, the West German government on occasion did "capital-y" things in Berlin like electing the (largely ceremonial) UsefulNotes/PresidentsofGermany in Berlin[[/note]] - partial ''de jure'' capital of West Germany and a major world city. According to P. J. O'Rourke, "the city that Music/IggyPop moved to because New York wasn't decadent enough." Though P.J. followed it up by saying, "Forget it. We bombed the place flat in WWII, and they rebuilt it as a pretty good imitation of Minneapolis."

Berlin, capital of UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany 1871]][[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic -]][[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany 1945]] and again since [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic 1990]] and a major world city. According to P. J. O'Rourke, "the city that Music/IggyPop moved to because New York wasn't decadent enough." Though P.J. followed it up by saying, "Forget it. We bombed the place flat in WWII, and they rebuilt it as a pretty good imitation of Minneapolis."

From then on, the history of Berlin coincides with the history of Germany in general. At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Germany was declared a republic in Berlin and the political street fights there got so nasty that the constitutional assembly for the German Reich was moved to Weimar, hence the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic. In 1920, the almost bi-million city of Berlin was enlarged another and the last time, doubling its population to almost four million people. '20s Berlin despite is weak economy, political instability and the large cloud of inevitable doom that carries all retrospective perspectives of the time, is often regarded as the epitome of 20th Century Modernism. It was the age of Creator/BertoltBrecht and Music/KurtWeill, the cartoons of George Grosz, amazing advances in architecture, Arnold Schoenberg's atonal music, the development of Cabaret and other night-clubs celebrated in later fictions and of course GermanExpressionism in the films of Creator/FritzLang and Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau. It was a cosmopolitan city that was even reknowned for being a gay capital. Like all good parties, it didn't last forever. The burning of the Reichstag building in February 1933 helped ThoseWackyNazis consolidate their power, and they were firmly in control by the time the city hosted the 1936 Olympics.

Berlin, capital of Germany [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany 1871]][[UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic -]][[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany 1945]] and again since [[UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic 1990]] and a major world city. According to P. J. O'Rourke, "the city that Music/IggyPop moved to because New York wasn't decadent enough." Though P.J. followed it up by saying, "Forget it. We bombed the place flat in WWII, and they rebuilt it as a pretty good imitation of Minneapolis."

!!!Specific examples

* ''Series/BabylonBerlin'', directed by Tom Tykwer (and others) is set in late 1920s Weimar-era Berlin, with all the expected vibrant colours, jazzy parties, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick political extremism]].

From then on, the history of Berlin coincides with the history of Germany in general. At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Germany was declared a republic in Berlin and the political street fights there got so nasty that the constitutional assembly for the German Reich was moved to Weimar, hence the UsefulNotes/WeimarRepublic. In 1920, the almost bi-million city of Berlin was enlarged another and the last time, doubling its population to almost four million people. 20s Berlin despite is weak economy, political instability and the large cloud of inevitable doom that carries all retrospective perspectives of the time, is often regarded as the epitome of 20th Century Modernism. It was the age of Creator/BertoltBrecht and Music/KurtWeill, the cartoons of George Grosz, amazing advances in architecture, Music/ArnoldSchoenberg's atonal music, the development of Cabaret and other night-clubs celebrated in later fictions and of course GermanExpressionism in the films of Creator/FritzLang and Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau. It was a cosmopolitan city that was even reknowned for being a gay capital. Like all good parties, it didn't last forever. The burning of the Reichstag building in February 1933 helped ThoseWackyNazis consolidate their power, and they were firmly in control by the time the city hosted the 1936 Olympics.

Berlin suffered more destruction than any other European city in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (barring UsefulNotes/{{Cologne}}, which was flattened to over 90%). Allied bombing raids and the invasion of the Red Army took a harsh toll on the city, making the population plummet to about three million, where it essentially remained since then. After UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler took his own life in a bunker and Germany surrendered, the Allies divided the old Reich capital akin to the rest of what remained of Germany, with the French in the northwest, the British in the west, the Americans in the south, and the Soviets in the east. Berlin suffered greatly under being the playball of the superpowers in the upcoming UsefulNotes/ColdWar, leading to its division. East Berlin was quickly integrated into the structures of UsefulNotes/EastGermany, serving as its capital. West Berlin survived the Soviet blockade of 1948/49 via the Berlin Airlift, keeping its status as an island of the free world amid the red sea of communism. For many years, it was easy to flee from the East to the West via Berlin. To turn off this leak in the Iron Curtain, the GDR built the infamous death trap commonly called the UsefulNotes/BerlinWall on August 13, 1961.

UsefulNotes/WeimarGermany's Berlin is a very vibrant and colourful place, comparable with Paris. TruthInTelevision here. Portrayals focus on the development of Cabaret culture, sexual egalitarianism and great night-life. Some fictions even portray it as a CityNoir setting. Interestingly a lot of the classic writers and directors of FilmNoir -- Creator/BillyWilder, Robert Siodmak, Creator/FritzLang -- were Berliners during the 20s and many of them admitted in interviews that their films about the American underbelly were often inspired by their memories of 20s Berlin, which came very close to resembling the exaggerated CityNoir landscape beloved in later fictions.

* ''VideoGame/Hitman3'', the third mission in the game is set around a nightclub and nuclear reactor in Berlin [[spoiler: where Agent 47 hunts down ICA agents that were sent to kill him and Olivia Hall after the Constant ambushes and kills Lucas Grey.]]

* ''VideoGame/Hitman3'', the third mission in the game is set around a nightclub in Berlin.

* ''VideoGame/Hitman3'', the third mission in the game would be set around a nightclub in Berlin.

In 1701, Brandenburg-Prussia become the [[UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} Kingdom of Prussia]], retaining Berlin as its capital. With Prussia growing the following two centuries (e.g. Silesia, Rhineland, Hannover and others), Berlin became the capital of an ever-growing country and therefore a magnet for more and more people, making it especially distinct from the surrounding Brandenburg which also affected its dialect. In essence, the growth of Berlin was the result of the sheer willpower of its rulers.