Berlin History - The city of Berlin was the capital of Germany from 1871 to 1945. After this time, it was the capital of Prussia, and it wasn’t until the reunification of Germany on October 3rd 1990 that Berlin once again became the capital city of Germany.

Between 1949 and 1990, it was divided into East Berlin, the capital of the German Democratic Republic, and West Berlin. From 1961 to 1989, the infamous Berlin Wall carved this into a city of two halves, dividing not only friends, but families and lovers as well.

Berlin is a city that has seen many unstable times. Below, is a list of the major events that have shaped this magnificent city at its very beginnings:

1350 – The Black Death. Jews get the blame. Some Jews were attacked and some were executed.
1358 - Stralau acquired, former fishing village Stalauer Fischzug.
1376 – A major fire burns throughout the city.
1380 – Another fire devastates the majority of the city, along with the records of this early period.
1401-1410 – The period of the robber barons.
1411 - The Holy Roman Emperor gave Brandenburg to a member of the southern family, the Hohenzollerns. This was Friedrich, a descendant of the Margrave of Nünberg (Nuremberg).
1415 - Friedrich was sworn in as Margrave of Brandenburg.
1432 - The two municipalities of Berlin and Cölln were combined.
1440 - Friedrich II becomes Margrave of Brandenburg.
1442 – The combined municipalities of Berlin and Cölln are countermanded.
1443 - The Berliner Unwille happens in opposition to Friedrich II. But Friedrich manages to subdue the town, and a castle was built in Cölln.
1447 – The Berliners try to fight back.
1485 – Berlin becomes the Official Residence of the Hohenzollerns.

More recent events such as the Second World War, the Reich, and political upheaval continue to make Berlin one of the most historically chaotic cities in Europe.