0428, 2488 GERMANY (Berlin) - Images of Berlin

2488 Berlin: 1. Siegessäule (Victory Column); 2. Art Deco stairs;
3. A view with new buildings; 4. Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate);
5. River Spree; 8. Reichstagsgebäude (Reichstag Building);

Posted on 24.12.2012, 25.04.2016
First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417-1701), the Kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918), the German Empire (1871-1918), the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) and the Third Reich (1933-1945). After WWII was divided into East Berlin (the capital of East Germany) and West Berlin (a West German exclave), and following the German reunification in 1990 it regained the status as the capital of Germany. In the 1920s it was the third largest municipality in the world, and now, with a population of 3.5 million people, is the second most populous city in the  European Union, after London.

0428 Berlin: 1. Konzerthaus Berlin; 2. Unter den Linden;
3. Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall); 4. Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace);
5 Reichstagsgebäude (Reichstag Building); 6. A view with new buildings;
7. Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral); 8. Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate).

Because is situated in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography, on both sides of the River Spree, which empties into the River Havel in its westernmost borough, around one third of the Berlin's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes. Of course that the history has left the city with a highly eclectic array of architecture and buildings, its appearance today being predominantly shaped by the key role it played in Germany's history in the 20th century.

The Fernsehturm (TV tower) at Alexanderplatz in Mitte is among the tallest structures in the European Union at 368 m (1,207 ft). Built in 1969, it is visible throughout most of the central districts of Berlin. Starting here the Karl-Marx-Allee heads east, an avenue lined by monumental residential buildings, designed in the Socialist Classicism style. Adjacent to this area is the Rotes Rathaus (City Hall), with its distinctive red-brick architecture. In front of it is the Neptunbrunnen, a fountain featuring a mythological group.

The Brandenburg Gate is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany. The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, was remodeled by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990. The East Side Gallery is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. The Gendarmenmarkt, a neoclassical square, is bordered by two similarly designed cathedrals, the Französischer Dom and the Deutscher Dom. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall) stands between the two cathedrals.

The Museum Island in the River Spree houses five museums built from 1830 to 1930 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Also located on the island is Berlin Cathedral, emperor William II's ambitious attempt to create a Protestant counterpart to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. St. Hedwig's Cathedral is Berlin's Roman Catholic cathedral. Unter den Linden is a tree-lined east-west avenue from the Brandenburg Gate to the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss, and was once Berlin's premier promenade. Friedrichstrasse was Berlin's legendary street during the Golden Twenties.

Potsdamer Platz is an entire quarter built from scratch after 1995. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a Holocaust memorial, is situated to the north of the square. West of the center, Schloss Bellevue is the residence of the German President. Schloss Charlottenburg, which was burnt out in the WWII is the largest historical palace in Berlin. The Oberbaumbrücke is Berlin's most iconic bridge, crossing the River Spree. It was completed in a brick gothic style in 1896, whereby the center portion has been reconstructed with a steel frame after having been destroyed in 1945.

About the stamps

The stamps are part of the series Blumen, about which I wrote here.

References
Berlin - Wikipedia

Sender 0428: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Berlin (Berlin / Germany), on 22.12.2011
Sender 2488: Ana
Sent from Berlin (Berlin / Germany), on 26.06.2015
Photo: Jurgen Henkelmann & Michael Haddenhorst