Groß-Berlin facts for kids

The title of this article contains the character ß. Where it is unavailable or not wanted, the name may be written as Gross-Berlin.

A map showing how Berlin grew in 1920.

The old city of Berlin (dark red) and the new, much larger Greater Berlin (light red) after 1920.

Groß-Berlin or Greater Berlin was a big change for the city of Berlin. It was created by a special law passed by the Prussian parliament on April 27, 1920. This law was officially called the "Law Regarding the Reconstruction of the New Local Authority of Berlin." But most people just called it the Greater Berlin Act (German: Groß-Berlin-Gesetz).

This important law said that starting from October 1, 1920, Greater Berlin would become a brand new, separate area. It would no longer be part of the Province of Brandenburg.

What Made Up Greater Berlin?

The new Greater Berlin was formed by combining several different areas. It brought together:

• The original city of Berlin, sometimes called Alt-Berlin (Old Berlin).
• Seven towns that were close to Berlin. These towns were:
  • Charlottenburg
  • Köpenick
  • Lichtenberg
  • Neukölln
  • Schöneberg
  • Spandau
  • Wilmersdorf
• Fifty-nine smaller rural areas and 27 special estate districts. These came from the nearby districts of Niederbarnim, Osthavelland, and Teltow.
• The land where the Berliner Stadtschloss (the Royal Palace) stood. This area was its own special district.

How Big Did Berlin Get?

After the Greater Berlin Act, the city became much, much bigger! The new Berlin was about 13 times larger than the old city.

• Its area grew from about 66 km² (25.5 sq mi) to a huge 883 km² (340.9 sq mi).
• The number of people living in Berlin also doubled. It went from around 1.9 million to nearly 4 million. Almost 1.2 million of these new residents came from the seven towns that joined Berlin.

New Boroughs of Berlin

Greater Berlin was then divided into 20 main areas called boroughs (Verwaltungsbezirke). These boroughs helped manage the large city.

• Six boroughs were created from the old city of Berlin:
  • Mitte
  • Tiergarten
  • Wedding
  • Prenzlauer Berg
  • Kreuzberg
  • Friedrichshain
• Each of the seven towns that joined Berlin became its own borough:
  • Charlottenburg
  • Köpenick
  • Lichtenberg
  • Neukölln
  • Schöneberg
  • Spandau
  • Wilmersdorf
• Seven brand new boroughs were also created. They were named after the largest village in their area:
  • Pankow
  • Reinickendorf
  • Steglitz
  • Tempelhof
  • Treptow
  • Weißensee
  • Zehlendorf

Berlin's Boundaries Today

The city boundaries set by the Greater Berlin Act are mostly the same even today. There were a few small changes, especially during the time of the Berlin Wall. In the 1970s and 1980s, three new boroughs were made in East Berlin when some of the existing boroughs were split up.

See also

In Spanish: Ley del Gran Berlín para niños