Berlin: Difference between revisions
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=== History === |
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Unter den Linden, the second-broadest avenue in Europe<ref>Mott T. Greene (2015) ''Alfred Wegener : Science, Exploration, and the Theory of Continental Drift'' Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press p.1</ref>, stretches across Berlin from west to east. This grand boulevard derives its name from the meticulously arranged shade trees that flank its sides. Along its path, the avenue showcases neoclassical facades of ministries and palaces, while the Prussian State Library, Royal Opera, Friedrich-Wilhelms University, and Arsenal proudly display their pediments and porticoes. The journey along Unter den Linden culminates at the old Lustgarten, a magnificent parade ground facing the Imperial Palace on the Museum Island (Museum Insel), where the rich history of Berlin comes to life. |
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The Museum Insel (museum island) in the River Spree is the heart of Old Berlin, the site of the medieval towns of Berlin and Cölln, founded in the 13th century. By the 15th century, they had merged. Later, the construction of a castle had elevated the town to the "Seat of the Electors of Brandenburg" : the Hohenzollern , a family then just beginning its long climb up the ladder of imperial fortune. |
The Museum Insel (museum island) in the River Spree is the heart of Old Berlin, the site of the medieval towns of Berlin and Cölln, founded in the 13th century. By the 15th century, they had merged. Later, the construction of a castle had elevated the town to the "Seat of the Electors of Brandenburg" : the Hohenzollern , a family then just beginning its long climb up the ladder of imperial fortune. |
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Among these architectural adventures, that of the Imperial Palace was the greatest and most protracted. An enormous residence with eventually almost 1,200 rooms, it was continuously under construction from the 17th until the 20th century. Around it, the remains of medieval Berlin gave way in the 19th century to great temples of classical and modern secular culture : the Old Museum, the New Museum, the National Gallery and the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. This industrious acquisition of an artistic and architectural heritage was accompanied on the Museum Island by massive construction in the service of somewhat more typical princely and royal preoccupations : the monumental, high-Renaissance Berlin Cathedral, and the baroque Royal Stables. |
Among these architectural adventures, that of the Imperial Palace was the greatest and most protracted. An enormous residence with eventually almost 1,200 rooms, it was continuously under construction from the 17th until the 20th century. Around it, the remains of medieval Berlin gave way in the 19th century to great temples of classical and modern secular culture : the Old Museum, the New Museum, the National Gallery and the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. This industrious acquisition of an artistic and architectural heritage was accompanied on the Museum Island by massive construction in the service of somewhat more typical princely and royal preoccupations : the monumental, high-Renaissance Berlin Cathedral, and the baroque Royal Stables. |
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=== Climate === |
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Toward the end of October, the weather in Brandenburg, North Prussia, turns windy and cool. The transition from late summer to early autumn, characterized by mornings enveloped in fog and afternoons that turn hot and stagnant, eventually gives way to sudden arrival of refreshing winds blowing in from the west. This heralds the seasonal inland march of the Atlantic Westerlies across the Prussian plain. This flat landscape of forest, lake and farmstead offers the wind little resistance. |
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In Berlin, 200 kilometers inland from the Baltic Sea, the autumn climate is not much different from that of a coastal town like Rostock, though the imperial capital city is less cloudy. By early November, the daytime highs are only around 7° C and the nighttime lows hover near freezing. The sky is seldom completely clear. The rain, though less frequent than it was in the late-summer months, is cold and driven by a wind with a sharp edge. |
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== References == |
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Revision as of 09:04, 15 May 2023
History
Unter den Linden, the second-broadest avenue in Europe[1], stretches across Berlin from west to east. This grand boulevard derives its name from the meticulously arranged shade trees that flank its sides. Along its path, the avenue showcases neoclassical facades of ministries and palaces, while the Prussian State Library, Royal Opera, Friedrich-Wilhelms University, and Arsenal proudly display their pediments and porticoes. The journey along Unter den Linden culminates at the old Lustgarten, a magnificent parade ground facing the Imperial Palace on the Museum Island (Museum Insel), where the rich history of Berlin comes to life.
The Museum Insel (museum island) in the River Spree is the heart of Old Berlin, the site of the medieval towns of Berlin and Cölln, founded in the 13th century. By the 15th century, they had merged. Later, the construction of a castle had elevated the town to the "Seat of the Electors of Brandenburg" : the Hohenzollern , a family then just beginning its long climb up the ladder of imperial fortune.
Only during the reign of Friedrich I (r. 1688-1713) did the island's aspect change dramatically. Friedrich strove to realize his dream of an "Athens on the Spree" by spending on public buildings. From his time on, vigorous architectural campaigns by Friedrich after Friedrich and Wilhelm after Wilhelm steadily transformed the center of Berlin from an undistinguished North European trading town into an Italianate Renaissance and neoclassical metropolis.
Among these architectural adventures, that of the Imperial Palace was the greatest and most protracted. An enormous residence with eventually almost 1,200 rooms, it was continuously under construction from the 17th until the 20th century. Around it, the remains of medieval Berlin gave way in the 19th century to great temples of classical and modern secular culture : the Old Museum, the New Museum, the National Gallery and the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. This industrious acquisition of an artistic and architectural heritage was accompanied on the Museum Island by massive construction in the service of somewhat more typical princely and royal preoccupations : the monumental, high-Renaissance Berlin Cathedral, and the baroque Royal Stables.
Climate
Toward the end of October, the weather in Brandenburg, North Prussia, turns windy and cool. The transition from late summer to early autumn, characterized by mornings enveloped in fog and afternoons that turn hot and stagnant, eventually gives way to sudden arrival of refreshing winds blowing in from the west. This heralds the seasonal inland march of the Atlantic Westerlies across the Prussian plain. This flat landscape of forest, lake and farmstead offers the wind little resistance.
In Berlin, 200 kilometers inland from the Baltic Sea, the autumn climate is not much different from that of a coastal town like Rostock, though the imperial capital city is less cloudy. By early November, the daytime highs are only around 7° C and the nighttime lows hover near freezing. The sky is seldom completely clear. The rain, though less frequent than it was in the late-summer months, is cold and driven by a wind with a sharp edge.
References
- ↑ Mott T. Greene (2015) Alfred Wegener : Science, Exploration, and the Theory of Continental Drift Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press p.1