2002 Women's World Championship

population & structure

Berlin with its almost 4 million inhabitants is not just the biggest city, it’s also the capital of Germany. Besides its German inhabitants, there are people from all over the world to be found here. After the German reunification, the German government is now situated in Berlin. The city with its 12 districts stretches from Wannsee in the west to Müggelsee in the east. There are 3 airports in Berlin: Tegel (8 km from the city centre), Tempelhof (6 km) and Schönefeld (22 km) as well as efficient public transport, such as the S-Bahn and underground, bus and trains. Many S-Bahn and regional trains lead you around Berlin to its neighbouring state Brandenburg with its capital Potsdam. There you can visit the famous castles Sanssouci and Cecilienhof with their grounds.

Brandenburger Tor

Oberbaumbrigde

location & history

The city on the river Spree celebrated its 750th birthday in 1987. At that time, after building the wall in 1961, Berlin was still divided into two parts. Since the reunification in 1990 Berlin has been one city again. Pieces of the Berlin wall, as you can find in the district Ostbahnhof, document in a very impressive way the time of the Cold War. Symbols of the city‘s and country‘s changing history is the Brandenburg Gate and the nearby Reichstag, which is the seat of parliament today, and of course the TV-Tower at Alexanderplatz . Within the last ten years not just tradition has been restored, there has also been the creation of modernity, for example the Potsdamer Platz in the heart of Berlin. Berlin‘s biggest location for sports is the area around the Olympiastadium, built in 1933, which is being prepared right now for the soccer world championship in 2006.

sport & culture

Berlin is the Mecca of German sports and with its historical buildings a significant city of art and culture. Most of the past and present German Olympic heroes, Europe and world champions are Berliners. There are a lot of sportive possibilities for everyone. Berlin’s many parks and forests are tailor-made for walking and jogging. And there are more than 2,000 sport centres welcoming everyone. Modern areas for sports, such as the Europasportpark, the Velodrom and the Max Schmeling Halle, where the final of the Women`s Volleyball World Championship is going to take place, were built in the past years. Berlin is a stronghold of culture too. Its cultural variety and quality are hard to find anywhere else: The opera houses, more than 150 theatres and stage companies, 800 choirs and about 170 museums.

Olympic Stadion

Unter den Linden

sightseeing

Berlin has the flair of a large city, although it’s still Germanys biggest construction site.
It’s surrounded by idyllic countryside with many lakes for yachtsmen, oarsmen, canoeists and there’s a lot of forest for hiking. The prettiests and liveliests of Berlin’s neighbourhoods are Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain, working-class backwater in recent years. A wonderfully diverse café and pub scene has sprouted. Berlin’s most splendid boulevard extends for about 1.5 km from the Brandenburg Gate to Schlossplatz. Most major sights are strung out like pearls on both sides of this broad esplanade and provide a thorough introduction to the city’s fascinating past. Shopping experiences are everywhere, but especially the Ku’damm is Berlin’s premier shopping mile. Animal lovers just have to go to Zoologischer Garten or to Tierpark Friedrichsfelde, which are easy reach by underground or S-Bahn.

hotel & tourism

Berlin is one of the most popular destinations in Germany. That’s why there are lots of hotels of different categories, pensions, and hostels for every purse. Information can be obtained at the Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH, Phone: +49(0)30-250025. Those who don’t want to use a special bus or a taxi for sightseeing can take public transport for experiencing a remarkable part of Berlin. Bus lines, such as the bus number 129, will guide you from Hermannplatz, Kreuzberg to Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm to the smart Grunewald. Bus number 100 takes you from Zoologischer Garten through the Brandenburg Gate up to the boulevard Unter den Linden, a perfect sightseeing tour.