Berlin

Berlin is a city of unusually visible historical layers: Prussian avenues and courtyards, industrial districts, modernist estates, traces of the Wall and large areas rebuilt after reunification coexist within one metropolis. The Spree and Landwehr Canal structure the inner city, while lakes, forests, parks and allotments give many outer districts a much greener character than the centre suggests. Mitte concentrates national institutions and major landmarks, but everyday Berlin is strongly shaped by its Kieze, from dense Gründerzeit quarters in Kreuzberg, Neukölln or Prenzlauer Berg to villa areas, former villages and large post-war housing estates. The S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses connect these very different urban fabrics, although local life often remains focused on a few streets around shops, schools, cafés and parks. Berlin’s distinctive quality lies in this mixture of metropolitan scale and strong neighbourhood identities, with political history, migration, culture and constant redevelopment remaining visible in ordinary streets.