Berlin is the capital and the largest city of Germany and is situated in the northeast, close to the Polish border. The city is home to 3.7 million people in the municipality with 4.6 million people living in the entire metropolitan area. Berlin has earned the reputation of a major arts and cultural hub not only within Europe, but at a global scale.
Overview
The streets of Berlin today are a stark reminder of its political and imperial history. As the epicenter of the Nazi regime, Berlin endured heavy bombing during the Second World War. By the end of May 1945, following Hitler’s suicide at his headquarters in Berlin, much of the city had been reduced to ruins. The ensuing Cold War brought further turmoil as the city was divided into East and West Berlin, with the eastern sectors under the control of Soviet Union while the western sectors administered by the USA, UK, and France. The construction of the Berlin Wall began in 1961 which further divided the city, separating families and communities by a heavily militarized wall, barring all movement from the east to the west.
Though the wall was demolished in 1989, its legacy can still be observed today in the planning and architectural styles with utilitarian housing blocks and centralized state facilities in the East influenced by socialist planning principles, and slight differences in infrastructure such as traffic lights and streetlights. The East Side Gallery and the Berlin Wall Memorial symbolize the city’s efforts to integrate a once divided city.
The main influence of the historical socio-spatial divide is Berlin’s polycentric urban structure. In contrast to other cities, Berlin does not have one city center, but multiple urban centers with distinct economic, cultural and social characteristics. After German reunification in 1990, the city became capital to the Federal Republic of Germany and underwent massive construction and redevelopment projects, rehabilitating buildings and transport within the city and improving linkages within the region.
The city is constantly transforming with major projects such as the old Tempelhof Airport, which has now become a vibrant cultural and recreational space. Berlin has also been experiencing extreme levels of gentrification. The Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighborhoods which previously housed immigrants and working-class citizens are becoming decreasingly affordable.
Map of Berlin districts
Climate risk
Berlin experiences a temperate seasonal climate with cold winters and moderate to warm summers.
The urban agglomeration of Berlin is surrounded by the rural areas of Brandenburg, predominantly composed of forests and agricultural fields. The city also has large amounts of green and blue spaces that make up nearly 44% of the city, with 2,500 public parks that cover a total area of nearly 6,500 ha, though their accessibility for vulnerable groups is debatable.
In the context of Berlin, climate-health vulnerability had previously been a focus for cold temperatures, however, the city has been facing increasing and frequent heatwaves during the last years. The number of tropical nights (nights in which the temperature does not fall below 20 °C) increased significantly over the last years, indicating less possibility of recovering during heatwaves, especially for the very vulnerable. Consequently, over 1,600 people have died due to heatwaves and heat impacts in the city between 2018 to 2023, making heat-related health vulnerability a growing concern. Berlin has already experienced record-setting temperatures in the summer of 2025, reaching 39 degrees in June.
Map showing the intensity of the bioclimate / thermal burden at the neighborhood level in Berlin.
Source: Environmental Justice Atlas
Climate adaptation policy
The city of Berlin implemented the Urban Development Plan for Climate Adaptation (StEP KONKRET) to specifically focus on heat adaptation as well as water-sensitive urban development.
The city has also launched over 24 heat relief projects to provide short-term heat relief. These initiatives include installing water fountains and a heat bus running from Wednesday to Saturday to provide protection from sun, particularly for unhoused people. The Hitzehilfe (Heat Aid) pilot project in the Schöneberg district is open until 8 PM and offers services such as beds, shower area, refillable bottles, fruits, sunscreen, hats and fresh clothes.
Migration history
Berlin has always been known for its rich history of migration. In 1701, when it became the capital of Prussia, the small city of Berlin was already home to 50,000 migrants, constituting 20% of its then population. By 1900, the ratio of migrants in Berlin increased further and over 60% of Berliners were either migrants or the children of migrants. During the 1950’s the Federal Republic of Germany opened migration to help rebuild the economy which led to waves of migration from Italy, Greece, Turkey and other countries. Although Germany maintains that this stay was intended to be temporary, many workers who had brought their families chose to stay and settled in West Berlin. In East Berlin, migrants were recruited from mainly socialist countries with Vietnamese migrants constituting the highest share, while many also came from Mozambique, Cuba and Poland.
After reunification in 1990, many refugees from former Yugoslavia and Poland arrived in Berlin. From 1991 until 2005, Jews and people of Jewish descent in the former Soviet Union were entitled to immigrate to Germany as refugees. Between 2015-2016, Berlin received a large number of asylum seekers from Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. Although exact numbers are unknown, a large majority experienced unsafe and undignified circumstances as they had to queue outside government offices in Berlin for hours and days on end, sometimes even rough sleeping.
Current snapshot
Presently, the three largest migrant groups in Berlin include individuals of Turkish descent, who constitute 11% of the local population, followed by Ukrainians at 7% and Polish migrants at 5%.
In 2022, the Russian attack on Ukraine led to an influx of 70,000 Ukrainian refugees in Berlin. Berlin is also home to around 25,000 Palestinians, the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East, who experience a constant fear of deportation, and have been subjected to unprecedented arrests and police violence since October 2023. In general, Black and Muslim migrants in Berlin face both systematic and everyday racism in the German capital.