Berlin. Relaxation. Economy

Recreation. Outdoor recreation and sports play an important role in the lives of Berliners. The city's many rivers, waterways, and lakes provide opportunities for boating and fishing, and are known for their large, well-kept beaches.

The Grunewald, a large forest along the Havel River, has riding and hiking paths, picnic areas, and play- grounds. Teufelsberg (Devil's Mountain) is an artificial hill in the Grunewald used for rock climbing, skiing, and sledding. It was built from rubble left after World War II. Many parks are scattered throughout Berlin. One of the city's largest parks, a former game reserve called the Tiergarten (Animal Garden), covers 630 acres (255) in the western downtown area. The Tiergarten has a zoo and an aquarium.

Many soccer matches are played in the Olympic Stadium near the Grunewald. The stadium, built for the 1936 Olympic Games, seats about 100,000 spectators.

Berlin's many parks, lakes, and rivers provide opportunities for recreational activities. In this photograph, a boat sails near an island in the Havel River.

Economy.Before World War II, Berlin had been Germany's mostimportant industrial and trading center. After the citywas divided in the late 1940's, West Berlin adopted a free enterprise economy, and the economy of East Berlin came under government control. Aid from the United States and West Germany helped bring rapid recovery in West Berlin. Continued West German aid enabled West Berlin to prosper despite its geographic isolation. The economy of East Berlin lagged by comparison.

Before the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, millions of East Germans fled to West Berlin or to West Germany. Others continued to live in East Berlin but worked in West Berlin. Communist officials had difficulty rebuilding East Berlin and developing its economy because so few skilled people remained. After the wall was built, production rose and conditions improved in East Berlin. However, low wages, high prices, government central planning, and limited availability of consumer goods resulted in a much lower standard of living for East Berliners than for West Berliners.

In November 1989, the East German government opened the Berlin Wall and announced sweeping economic reforms, including the sale of government-owned businesses to private citizens. In July 1990, the economies of East and West Germany united. Unprofitable businesses have been closed, and thousands of workers have been laid off. For more information on the economic union of East and West Germany, see Germany (Economy).

Industries. Berlin is an important German manufacturing center. Manufacturing provides jobs for about half of the city's workers. Berlin's leading industries are the manufacture of electrical products, chemicals, clothing, and machinery. Food processing is also an important industry in the city. The other half of Berlin's labor force is employed in service industries such as government, finance, and retail trade.

Transportation and communication. The Berlin area has two major civilian airports—Tegel and Schönefeld. Railways connect Berlin with many parts of Europe. Canal systems link the city with Germany's main waterways and with a number of ports, including Hamburg on the North Sea. Berlin has an excellent public transportation system that includes buses, commuter trains, and streetcars. Its well-known S-Bahn (a rapid transit line called the Schnellbahn) and U-Bahn (a subway and ground-level train known as the Untergrundbahn) carry passengers to most parts of the city.

Berlin has about 10 daily newspapers. The largest are B. Z. (short for Berliner Zeitung, formerly of West Berlin) and another paper known by the full name Berliner Zeitung (formerly of East Berlin). Several television and radio stations as well as satellite and cable TV systems serve the city.