Greater Berlin Act, Legislative statute in Berlin, Germany
The Greater Berlin Act of 1920 is a Prussian ordinance that merged numerous independent municipalities into a single administrative unit. The measure expanded the city territory to around 878 square kilometers, creating one of the largest cities in Europe.
The Prussian Parliament passed the ordinance on April 27, 1920, after years of debate about the future of the growing capital. Implementation followed on October 1 of the same year, ending the fragmentation of the region into dozens of administrative units.
The consolidation brought together areas with their own traditions under one administrative roof, from rural outskirts to industrial zones. Today street signs and place names recall the former independence of these districts, which still maintain their distinct character.
The effects of the ordinance show today in the structure of the boroughs, which visitors find on metro station signs and orientation boards. While exploring the city, one repeatedly encounters the boundaries and transitions between the formerly joined areas.
The ordinance established that the new city should have 20 administrative boroughs, a number that largely persisted until reunification in 1990. Some of the incorporated localities had fewer than 300 residents until then and became part of a city of millions overnight.
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