Berlin, Capital and federal city in Germany
Berlin serves as both national capital and a state within the republic. Wide districts link through underground and tram lines, each area keeping its own squares and clusters of shops while rivers and canals cross the built terrain, adding reference points across the urban layout.
Settlements arose in the thirteenth century, then the site grew into a Prussian royal seat before becoming the core of an empire that survived two global conflicts. A concrete wall divided the area for nearly thirty years until crowds dismantled it in 1989, reuniting the separated parts and closing the chapter.
Residents speak plainly and skip ceremony, preferring openness to smooth etiquette in everyday conversations. Travelers from regions with gentler manners may sense the directness as brusque, yet many grow to appreciate the frankness that makes exchanges clearer and simpler.
Public transport operates often and reaches most neighborhoods, though carriages fill quickly between seven and nine in the morning. Staying within one district for an afternoon makes walking or pedaling easier than switching lines often, especially when exploring details and sensing how streets work.
Several neighborhoods keep Turkish bakeries run by families who arrived decades ago, where locals queue early for fresh simit and lahmacun. These shops reveal how migration reshaped daily routines and mixed languages with customs in ways that mark the rhythm of ordinary life and continue influencing the streets today.
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