West Berlin

West Berlin is the name for the western part of Berlin, in distinction with East Berlin in the time that West and East Germany were separate countries. The political division of Berlin began in 1948 in the form of four allied sectors, three of which later West Berlin studded. From 1949 to 1990 West Berlin was a single territory. The official name of West Berlin was Berlin (West); the GDR used the name West Berlin, while East Berlin used the name Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR.

Content

 * 1 History
 * 2 City Districts
 * 3 Mayors of West Berlin
 * 4 See also

History [ edit ]
The Rathaus Schöneberg was the political center of West Berlin and the location of John F. Kennedy 's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner "speech

Berlin was after the Second World War occupied by the allied forces of France , Britain and the United States in the West and theSoviet Union in the eastern part. These powers divided the city into four sectors. The three western sectors formed West Berlin, the eastern sector was East Berlin.

Berlin was in the middle of the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. Then in the western sectors of the German mark was introduced, explained Stalin that it was contrary to the collective agreements. In response, he closed the connections between the Western sectors of Berlin and West Germany off and thus began the blockade of Berlin . The Western Allies responded by an air bridge set: all goods needed by the city were transported by aircraft. On 12 May 1949, the blockade was lifted. The enclave of West Berlin was now from West Germany via the border crossing Helmstedt-Marienborn along a 170 kilometer route accessible.

In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (was West Germany ) was established. According to the West German constitution Berlin was a state of the Federal Republic. The four occupying powers accepted this part of the constitution is not. West Berlin was therefore not constitutionally part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The parliament of the Federal Republic in Bonn could not accept laws to West Berlin, this was by the Berlin House of Representatives to be done. West Berlin citizens had other identity than citizens of the Federal Republic and men who lived in West Berlin, had no service in the Bundeswehr, which West Berlin for young West German men was a popular residence.

West Berlin was an enclave within the GDR and the fact it was a West German exclave . It did not belong to the GDR, the area completely enclosed, and citizens of West Germany and West Berlin citizens were free to travel between these two areas and fro.

The construction of the Berlin Wallnear the Brandenburg Gate

From August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989 was West Berlin from East Berlin and the GDR separated by the Berlin Wall . The Wall had a number of border crossings, which Checkpoint Charlie is the best known. There was also train - and S-Bahn traffic aggregation possible. Border formalities for S-Bahn passengers were carried on Friedrichstrasse Station . These crossings could be used freely by West Germans and West Europeans. West Berliners on the other hand could only from the entry into force of the Four Powers Agreement visits in 1972 East Berlin. For most East Germans (except the elderly) the border remained closed.

Since the Wende 1989/1990 of East and West Berlin were again merged into one city. With the disappearance of the Wall and the administrative differences, differences in history and development of four decades has not disappeared. In many ways, West Berlin is still clearly distinguishable from East Berlin, even though it has a lot of effort all remnants of the division to brush off as much as possible. The significance of West Berlin in the city has declined since the reunification; the center of the former East Berlin,Berlin-Mitte, has resigned as Berlin city regained.

City Districts [ edit ]
West Berlin's city districts in 1990 Map of West and East Berlin border crossings, metro networks ( interactive map ) West Berlin was in 1990 in the following boroughs:
 * American sector
 * Kreuzberg
 * Neukölln
 * Tempelhof
 * Schöneberg
 * Steglitz
 * Zehlendorf
 * British sector
 * Tiergarten
 * Charlottenburg
 * Wilmersdorf
 * Spandau
 * French sector
 * Reinickendorf
 * Wedding

[Mayors of West Berlin edit ]
On 24 January 1991, Eberhard Diepgen Governing Mayor of Berlin from whole Berlin.