Berlin

The story of Berlin

Berlin's name almost certainly comes from an old Slavic word for swamp, 'berl', though the city long ago adopted a bear as its punning mascot. Twin trading towns, Berlin and Cölln, faced each other across the Spree from the 13th century and merged under the Hohenzollerns, who turned a sandy backwater into Prussia's capital.

The 20th century used Berlin as its stage: imperial collapse, the electric 1920s of cabaret and cinema, Nazi catastrophe, and then a city sawn in half, the Wall stood from 1961 to 1989, and its fall remains Europe's happiest plot twist. Reunified Berlin rebuilt itself into a capital of museums, memorials, and unfinished airports.

Curiosities: Berlin has more bridges than Venice, around 960; Museum Island packs five world-class museums onto one river islet; the currywurst was invented here in 1949 with ketchup from British soldiers; and Berlin's techno club culture is officially recognised cultural heritage.