BERLIN', the capital of Prussia, and seat of the imperial government of Germany, one of the finest and most important cities of Europe, is situated on the Spree, in lat. 52° 30' n., long. 13" 24' east. The city is built upon a fiat sandy plain, which, though cultivated, is far from being fertile. The Spree, at this place about 200 ft. wide, with at current so sluggish as scarcely to be perceptible, divides the city into-two nearly equal parts, and communicates with the Oder and the Baltic by canals. A more unlikely site, in some respects, could hardly have been selected for a city, as, from its flatness. and the sandy character of the soil, much inconvenience results to the inhabitants: in summer, the heat reflected from the sand is very intense, and clouds of dust rise con tinually; while in winter, the cold is equally great. There being little or no declivity, water stagnates in the streets, producing effects which can easily be imagined. In tfin Friedrich's-strasse, about 2 m. long, there is not a foot of descent front one end to the other. Notwithstanding these natural disadvantages, however, the advance of the city. especially in late years, has been extraordinary. In 1861, the city covered an area of 14,000 acres, and in 1871 of 24.000 acres. In 1858, the pop. was 455,000; in 1871, it was 825,389 (including 21,000 soldiers); in 1875, 966,872. Although, as far hack as the 13th c., the central part of the present city was inhabited, B. was long little more than a fish. Mg-village; it was not till the great elector, Frederick William (1640-88), had united the separate duchies of which Prussia is now formed, that B. became of consequence as the most central town, and the capital of a large state. His successor, Frederick I., the first king of Prussia, followed the footsteps of his predecessor in enlarging and beautifying the capital; and at the close of his reign, in the end of the 17th c., the pop. numbered about 50,000. In the next century, it received accessions of French and Bohemian colo nists, driven into exile by religious persecution. Every inducement was then held out to bring foreigners to settle in the rising city. Under Frederick the great. B. continued to prosper. At his death, the inhabitants numbered 145,000. After the peace of 1815. B. increased with extraordinary rapidity, and, being the seat of government, a focus of the arts and sciences, and a great center of commercial enterprise, it has gradually risen to a position which fairly entitles it to its present rank as the metropolis of the Gentian empire.
The center of the city is now devoted almost exclusively to commerce, and round this part, extending considerably beyond the city boundaries, are congregated the residences of the citizens. Small towns and villages inc gradually being incor porated with the great city; Moabit has already disappeared as a separate com munity, and Charlottenburg. a town of 18,000 inhabitants, is likely soon to fol low. B. consists of ten different quarters and six suburbs, containing about 480 streets, 68 squares, 700 public buildings lineluding 60 churches), and 15,000 private houses (comprising 169,000 dwellings or suites of apartments). The himses are built of brick, plastered or stuccoed outside, and they soon acquire a faded appeamnee. The style of these has very much altered since 1864. Prior to that, the greater portion of the houses were of one, two, or three stories, but these are fast giving way to houses of four, five, and more stories, the larger ones predominating. The increase in the value of house-property has been enormous, and the result is that great numbers of the people are driven to take up their abode in cellars under-ground. About one tenth of the pop.
live in these cellars, huddled together in a manner that proves deleterious alike to their moral and their physical well-being. B. possesses a large number of very fine buildings. Of these may be mentioned the royal palace, the emperor's palace, and that of the crown prince; the royal library, which contains upwards of 700,000 volumes and 15,000 318S.: the museums, the arsenal, and the guard-house. Most. of those named are situated in the street " Cuter deu Linden" (so called from its double avenue of limes), one of the finest and most spacious streets in Europe. The city is further adorned throughout with numerous statues of military heroes, the equestrian statue of Frederick the great, by Rauch, being the most remarkable. 1u regard to educational institutions, B. occu pies a high position; in 1873, there were ten gymnasia, with 5333 scholars, 54 arts and higher schools, 91 public and 96 private middle and elementary schools, making in all 251 schools in the city. In addition to these, there were in the same year 59 kinder garten (infant-schools). The university, established in 1810, possesses a very high repu tation. Among the professors whose talents have rendered it famous arc to be found such names as those of Fichte, Hegel, and Schelling. The number of students attend ing the university averages about 2000. Among the numerous institutions of B. may be mentionedthe academy of sciences, by far the most important of the kind in Ger many; the academy of architecture; the naval and engineering colleges; several semina ries for teachers and missionaries; asylums for the deaf, dumb, and blind; besides many learned societies. In 1870, there were 18 theaters in Berlin. About 90 per cent of the pop. are Protestants, 6 per cent Roman Catholics, and 4 per cent Jews. Church-going, however, seems to be very much neglected: of the total number of Protestants, fewer than 2 per cent, on an average, attend divine worship on Sundays l The old museum contains antiquarian specimens, collections of coins, the gallery of ancient sculpture, the picture gallery,- with about 1500 paintings. The new museum contains a very extensive and valuable collection of casts arranged in 12 saloons; the Egyptian museum, a fine collection of engravings numbering upwards of 500,000, etc. Outside the celebrated Bradenburg gate (erected in imitation of the Propylrea at Athena, 70 ft. high, and 200 ft. wide) extends the Thiergarten, die largest and most important park near the town. To the s.w. of this lies the zoological garden, which has recently been considerably extended. Other places of interest worthy of mention are the aqua rium, the new synagogue, the exchange, the opera-house, the royal château of Monbi jou, the warrior's monument, and the monument of victory, 190 ft. high, recently erected in commemoration of the great victories of 1870-71, etc.
The commerce and manufactures of B. have increased so rapidly of late years, that it now ranks among the most important mercantile places of continental Europe. The staple commodities are grain, spirits, and wool. The principal branches of industry are engine-building, which gives employment to 14,700 workers iron-casting, and the manu facture of woolen and silk goods, and fancy articles; calico-printing is also largely engaged in. In respect of its publishing trade, B. now holds the second rank amongst German cities. In 1875, there appeared 3.53 journals, of which 33 were daily papers.