Abstract: The Berlin Evolution Animation visualizes the development of this city’s street network and infrastructure from 1415 to the present-day, using an overlay of historic maps. The resulting short film presents a series of 17 “cartographic snapshots” of the urban area at intervals of every 30-40 years. This process highlights Berlin’s urban development over 600 years, the rapid explosion of industry and population in the nineteenth-century, followed by the destruction and violence of two world wars and then the Cold War on Berlin’s urban fabric.
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Animation der Wandlung Berlins
Zusammenfassung: Auf der Grundlage von historischen Karten visualisiert die „Animation der Wandelung Berlins“ die Entwicklung des Straßennetzwerks und der Infrastruktur Berlins von 1415 bis heute. In diesem kurzen Video wird eine Serie von 17 „kartographischen Momentaufnahmen“ der Stadt in einem Intervall von 30 – 40 Jahren präsentiert. Dadurch wird die Entwicklung der Stadt Berlin über 600 Jahre, das rapide Wachstum der Industrie und Bevölkerung im 19. Jahrhundert, die Zerstörung und Gewalt der zwei Weltkriege und abschließend des Kalten Krieges auf Berlins Stadtbild verdeutlicht.
German translations by Richard Zhou and Carl von Hardenberg
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| Year, Event and Estimated Population 1415 – Medieval Berlin – 7,000 1648 – Thirty Years War – 6,000 1688 – Berlin Fortress – 19,000 1720 – Rise of Prussian Empire – 65,000 1740 – War with Austria – 90,000 1786 – Age of Enlightenment – 147,000 1806 – Napoleonic Wars – 155,000 1840 – Industrial Revolution – 329,000 1875 – German Empire – 967,000 1920 – Greater Berlin – 3,879,000 1932 – Rise of Fascism – 4,274,000 1945 – Extent of Bomb Damage – 2,807,000 1950 – Germania – World Capital 1953 – Recovery from War – 3,367,000 1961 – Berlin Wall – 3,253,000 1988 – A City Divided – 3,353,000 Contemporary – A City United Census year |
Jahr, Ereignis und geschätzte Anzahl von Bewohnern 1415 – Berlin im Mittelalter – 7,000 1648 – Der Dreißigjährige Krieg – 6.000 1688 – Die Festung Berlin – 19.000 1720 – Der Aufstieg des Königreichs Preußen – 65,000 1740 – Der Österreichische Erbfolgekrieg – 90.000 1786 – Das Zeitalter der Aufklärung – 147.000 1806 – Die Koalitionskriege – 155.000 1840 – Die industrielle Revolution – 329.000 1875 – Das Deutsche Kaiserreich – 967.000 1920 – Groß-Berlin – 3.879.000 1932 – Der Aufstieg des Faschismus – 4.274.000 1945 – Die Spuren des 2. Weltkrieges – 2.807.000 1950 – Germania – Welthauptstadt 1953 – Deutsches Wirtschaftswunder – 3.367.000 1961 – Die Berliner Mauer – 3.253.000 1988 – Eine geteilte Stadt – 3.353.000 Heute – Eine wiedervereinte Stadt Jahr der Volkszählung |
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Methodology and Sources
I chose not to represent urban development before 1415 for three reasons: Firstly, there are too few accurate maps of the city before this time. Secondly, I needed to find accurate maps that had visual style consistent with later years, to enable easier comparison of development over time. Thirdly, the extent of urban development and population is limited (fewer than 10,000 Berliners).
There are numerous maps showing Berlin’s urban growth. Yet, few of them are drawn to the same scale, orientation and color palette. This makes it more difficult to observe changes to the city form over time. Fortunately, three map resources show this development with consistent style.
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The Historischer Atlas von Berlin (by Johann Marius Friedrich Schmidt) published 1835 represents Berlin in the selected years of: 1415, 1648, 1688, 1720, 1740, 1786. This atlas is available, free to view and download, at this link.
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After the year 1786, I rely on three books from cartographer Gerd Gauglitz:
Berlin – Geschichte des Stadtgebietsin vier Karten
Contains four maps of Berlin from 1806, 1920, 1988 and 2020. Read article.
Berlin – Vier Stadtpläne im Vergleich
Contains four maps from 1742, 1875, 1932 and 2017. Read article.
Berlin – Vier Stadtpläne im VergleichErgänzungspläne
Contains four maps from 1840,1953, 1988 and 1950. The last map from 1950 is speculative and shows Berlin as it would have looked had Germany won WWII and executed Albert Speer’s plans for rebuilding the city, named “Germania.” Read article.
Gerd Gaulitz’s three map books can be purchased from Schropp Land & Karte. -
I also show the estimated extent of WWII bomb damage to Berlin. This map is sourced from an infographic dated 8 May 2015 in the Berliner Morgenpost. View original infographic. This infographic is, in turn, based on bombing maps produced by the British Royal Air Force during WWII (and Albert Speer’s c.1950 plan for Berlin).
Below is an interactive map I created of the Berlin Wall’s route and the four Allied occupation areas:
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Population statistics in the 17 “cartographic snapshots” are estimates. The historical development of Berlin’s population is known for a few years. For other years, the population is estimated with regards to the two censuses between which the year of the “snapshot” falls.
