Berlin, the capital of Germany

Berlin is the capital of Germany and its most populous and largest city. However, there are no direct flights to and from mainland China or Hong Kong, which may be why these are not major tourist cities for Chinese people traveling to Germany. Berlin has a unique natural environment and rich cultural history, which is unmatched by any other city in Germany. Berlin straddles the Spree River, which flows into the Havel River, a tributary of the Elbe, in the western city of Spandau. The main topographic features are the many lakes in the western and southeastern administrative districts consisting of Spree, Havel and Damme, the largest of which is Lake Mugl. Due to its location on the European Plain, Berlin is subject to a temperate seasonal climate. About one-third of the city is made up of forests, parks, gardens, rivers, canals and lakes. The earliest evidence of human settlement in Berlin was discovered during excavations in the Mitte district, with remains of house foundations dating back to 1174, and wooden beams from around 1192. The area that is now Berlin dates back to the late 12th century. Spandau was first mentioned in 1197 and Köpenick in 1209, although these areas were not incorporated into Berlin until 1920. In the 13th century, Berlin became the intersection of two important historical trade routes and successively became the capital of the Margraveate of Brandenburg, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. It briefly became the world's third largest city after the 1920s. Occupied by the victorious powers after World War II, the city was divided up; West Berlin became a de facto enclave of West Germany, surrounded by the Berlin Wall and East German territory from August 1961 to November 1989. East Berlin was declared the capital of East Germany, while Bonn became the capital of West Germany. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, Berlin once again became the capital of all of Germany. Berlin contains three World Heritage Sites: Museum Island, the palaces and parks of Potsdam and Berlin and the modernist residential areas of Berlin. Figure 1 ~ Brandenburg Gate, Figure 2 ~ National Museum, Figure 3 ~ Berlin Cathedral, Figure 4 ~ Victory Column, Figure 5 ~ Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Figure 6 ~ Reichstag, Figures 7-10 ~ Checkpoint Charlie, Figures 11-12 ~ Spree River, Figures 13-17 ~ Berlin Wall #greentourism #travelgermany #WWIIrelics #staycation #berlin #museum #worldheritage #worldheritage #deutschland #berlin #unesco #riverview