CITY IN BRIEF

Some call it wild, colorful, and full of surprises, while others find it a little too hectic and gruff. Berlin is intriguing because it is so versatile and so multi-faceted. Differences are more extreme, conflicts more tangible, and problems larger than they are elsewhere. Yet even Berlin's contradictions are part of its appeal.

Berlin unites urban density with high quality of life. The local public transportation network is modern and extensive, and is run by the companies Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe and S-Bahn Berlin GmbH. Recent years have seen an increase in the availability of both reasonably priced and high-end housing in Berlin. The rivers and many lakes not only make it possible to swim and fish within the city limits, but also help to make Berlin the only large German city able to meet its drinking water needs with its own groundwater supply.

Berlin has more than 170 museums, 22 of which belong to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation financed jointly by Germany's federal and state governments. One historical location is Museum Island, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1999.

Especially captivating cultural events include the international Dance Festival (internationales Tanzfest), the Long Night of the Museums (Lange Nacht der Museen), and the open-air events at Gendarmenmarkt in the summer, as well as open-air cinemas and concerts ranging from rock to classical music.
The Berlin Festivals (Berliner Festspiele) events are chief among the recurring highlights on the city's cultural calendar. They include the Theater Meeting (Theatertreffen), which has showcased outstanding productions of plays performed in German since 1963, the Berlin Festival Weeks (Berliner Festwochen), and the JazzFest. The Berlinale in particular gives the Berlin Festivals their international profile: the International Film Festival (Internationale Filmfestspiele), which has its home at Potsdamer Platz, has been an annual cultural highlight ever since its inception in 1951.

The generosity of patrons has further enriched the city's cultural offerings with the Berggruen, the Flick, the Newton, the Scharf-Gerstenberg and many more collections.