BERLIN, Germany, capital of the empire and of the kingdom of Prussia, 180 miles south east of Hamburg. The river Spree, here nearly 200 feet wide, spanned by several fine bridges, flows through the centre of the city, com municating through the Elbe with the North Sea, and also having canal communication with the river Oder and the Baltic Sea.
History.— No account of the earliest settle ment of Berlin has come down to us, but it is supposed that the city was founded during the decade from 1230 to 1240. Indeed, the Mar graves John I and Otto III are said to have established the city as a stronghold against the Slays. The name Berlin is probably of Slavic origin, although some scholars trace the word to €Barlein,)) from the fact that a bear appears on the coat of arms of the city. The new city, or town, was situated on the old commercial highway which led from Leipzig to Stettin and was known especially as a market for herring, grain and wood. Cologne •(Colonic), the near-by sister city on the river Spree, seems to have been established as an independent munici pality simultaneously with Berlin and was united. with Berlin, temporarily, in the year 1307. Though the margrave had his castle in the city, the municipal government was left to the mayor and aldermen, who enjoyed full sway.
In 1134 the mark of Brandenburg had come into the hands of Albrecht the Bear, of the house of Ascan, to which family also belonged the founders of Berlin who ruled in common. After the extinction of this family (1323) the German emperor, Ludwig of Bavaria, gave Brandenburg to his son Ludwig as a fief, who in 1351 passed it to his brother, Ludwig the Roman. His successor, Otto the Lazy, sold the mark to the Emperor Karl IV (1373). Karl's son, the Emperor Sigismund, appointed Friedrich von Hohenzollern, Burggrave of Nu remberg, viceroy of the mark in 1411 and made him an elector in 1415. This increased dignity, which indeed had already been worn by Ludwig the Roman, gave the ruler of the mark an im portance that redounded to the good of the country and of the city. The first Hohenzollern had a difficult position to fill, in that he had to put down a rebellious and, in part, thievish nobility. This nobility, especially the family of
Quitzows, did great damage to the trade of Berlin (1406-10). Just as his father had had to contend with the nobility, Frederick II, the second Hohenzollern, had to fight against the populace of Berlin-Cologne. Soon after he un dertook the government he began a strong citadel in Cologne, on the bank of the Spree.
This same citadel, enlarged and extended during the centuries, now serves the present emperor both as a residence, and as the palace where he receives his princely guests. With the building of the citadel the margrave removed to Berlin,. and the result was that Berlin' and Cologne had to surrender much of their au thority to him. At first the cities had become involved in a dispute over constitutional and administrative matters and had called in Fred erick II as arbiter ; but soon they were quarrel ling with the prince himself, and he defeated both of them.
Since Berlin-Cologne has been the residence of the Hohenzollerns the history of the city has been intimately connected with that of the reign ing family. The rulers have always been par ticularly interested in building up the city. In this respect the work of the Great Elector, Fred erick William (1640-88), was noteworthy. He added two new wards to the city, Friedrichs werder and Dorotheenstadt, built magnificent fortifications (though later these were re moved), and summoned architects and engineers from Holland to finish the palace and lay out public grounds, as the Lustgarten and the Lin den-promenade. His successor, Frederick III, the first king of Prussia, added to the city Friedrichstadt and other suburbs. Supported by artists like Schluter and Eosander he enlarged and beautified the palace and gave the city a number of fine statues and public buildings, par ticularly the Zenghaus, which is one of Berlin's conspicuous monuments of architecture. The fine equestrian statue of the Great Elector, on the bridge near the palace is by Schliiter. Fred erick William I was especially interested in building private residences. He made presents of building-lots and even furnished lumber gratis and made other concessions.