To some people, Berlin is grey and old and miserable. Berlin is considered the greenest city in Europe. 44 percent of its total
area is covered with green spaces. There are 1,800 kilometres of forest trails
in Berlin. Next time you visit, please do not bring only your dancing shoes but also your
hiking boots.
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6,000 Visual Artists call Berlin home.
On the very rare occasion when I come home in my
car, it takes whopping 30 minutes to find a parking spot. Over the last 6 months,
there were 2 occasions where it took me 45 minutes, and the only thing I
could do was to take deep breaths, but very deep ones. I hardly ever use the
car out of fear to not be able to park when I get back, my neighbours must do
the same I guess. Statistically, every 3rd Berliner owns a car, but 7 out
of 10 Berliners also own a bike. According to crime statistics more than 26,000
bikes are stolen annually, and that means every 20 minutes one bike vanishes from the streets of Berlin.
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Berlin is a pretty open-minded place. Berlin's first
organization of homosexuals the "Scientific-Humanitarian Committee” was
founded on 15th May 1897.
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Everybody who has ever been to Berlin in winter
knows it can get seriously cold. Here are some chilling facts: A blanket of
snow covered Berlin for a period of 114 consecutive days from December 1968 to
March 1969. In 1908 recording of the weather began (that is what they tell us). Up until 90
years later, it never snowed before the 3rd. October, and that was in 1998. On
the morning of 6th March 1970, the highest fresh snow was measured with 49
centimetres.
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In March 2014 Berlin (as the first German city) got
its own Internet domain extension: .berlin. Sounds pretty advanced at first sight,
but in reality, the internet is so very slow compared to other countries.
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According to police, there are approx. 600 casinos,
300 bookies and 2500 Café casinos in Berlin.
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Everyone loves this true Berlin icon, the TV tower
standing at 368 metres weighs 30,700 long tons (31192t 640.02kg).
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The number of charging stations for electric cars
is expected to quadruple in the coming years from 400 to 1,600. Berlin wants to
become the capital of electric mobility.
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Since 1985 there is a yellow flowering rose variety
named Berliner Luft.
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The river Spree is a federal waterway, bathing is
not allowed since that would be too dangerous. Who would want to jump in anyway?
There are amazing lakes all around Berlin. Don’t forget to bring your Bikini in
the summer months.
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In the 19th century, a stagecoach covered approx.
100 kilometres a day (only if there was no street robbery or accident). It took
almost a week to travel from Berlin to Munich in Bavaria. People back then must have had a different attitude than generation easyJet it has.
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I am so looking forward to hearing from you. How long does it take to find a parking spot in your neighbourhood? Do you have a net of hiking trails in your city? How cold does it get in winter in your part of the woods?
