SKILL INDIA

Shopaholics are in their element on the renowned Kurfurstendamm, on the elegant FriedrichstraBe and in the independent boutiques around the Hackesche Hofe. Berlin is a trendsetting city when it comes to music, art and life itself. More and more artists are flocking to Berlin from all around the world to draw inspiration from the endless creative vibes, making it one of the most exciting destinations in the whole of Europe. The vibrant city is abuzz with change – Berlin simply cannot stay still for a moment. And yet the city somehow remains chilled, with plenty of open spaces where people can go to breathe in some fresh air. With sprawling parks, wooded areas and lakes, Berlin is Germany’s greenest city. During the summer months, everyone moves outside. The sunshine and balmy evenings are best enjoyed in the beach bars, cafes and open-air cinemas and theatres, after all. The history of Berlin starts with its foundation in the 14th century. It became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1417, and later of Brandenburg-Prussia, and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia grew about rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries and formed the basis of the German Empire in 1871. The empire would survive until 1918 when it was defeated in World War I. After 1900 Berlin became a major world city, known for its leadership roles in science, the humanities, music, museums, higher education, government, diplomacy and military affairs. It also had a role in manufacturing and finance.

During World War II, bombing, artillery, and ferocious street-by-street fighting destroyed large parts of Berlin. Berlin was subsequently divided among the four major Allied powers and for over four decades it encapsulated the Cold War confrontation between West and East. With the reunification of Germany in 1990, Berlin was restored as the capital and as a major world
city. The origin of the name Berlin is uncertain. It may have roots in the language of East Slavic, the Proto-Slavic root berl-/berl- which means “bear.” The meaning of the word was lost due to a superstition that is: saying the name would summon the wild animal; thus, people used alternate names such as [‘medved’] (translates as ‘the one who knows where is the honey,’ a literal translation is ‘honey-know’). The only word that survived in East Slavic languages that points to the original root of ‘berl’ is [berloga/berlogha] (Rus/Ukr), which translates as “bear’s den/lair.” Furthermore, the suffix ‘-in-/-HH-,’ even in modern Russian and Ukrainian, denotes the Genetive case, which serves the function of “possession” or “part of a whole.” This suffix is common in many Russian last names, as it serves the same purpose as in ‘Berlin,’ which would translate as “bear’s/of bear/like bear/belongs to a bear.” Additionally, the root appears in the language of West Slavic inhabitants of the area of today’s Berlin, and may be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/birl- (“swamp”).
[10/15, 22:27] SKILL INDIA: Frankfurt, a central German city on the river Main, is a major financial hub that’s home to the European Central Bank. It’s the birthplace of famed writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose former home is now the Goethe House Museum. Like much of the city, it was damaged during World War II and later rebuilt. The reconstructed Altstadt (Old Town) is the site of Romerberg, a square that hosts an annual Christmas market. Frankfurt was a city state, the Free City of Frankfurt, for nearly five centuries, and was one of the most important cities of the Holy Roman Empire, as a site of Imperial coronations; it lost its sovereignty upon the collapse of the empire in 1806, regained it in 1815 and then lost it again in 1866, when it was annexed (though neutral) by the Kingdom of Prussia. It has been part of the state of Hesse since 1945. Frankfurt is culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse, with half of its population, and a majority of its young people, having a migrant background. A quarter of the population consists of foreign nationals, including many expatriates. In 2015, Frankfurt was home to 1909 ultra high-net-worth individuals, the sixth-highest number of any city. As of 2017, Frankfurt is the 14th-wealthiest city in the world.

Frankfurt is a global hub for commerce, culture, education, tourism and transportation, and is the site of many global and European corporate headquarters. Due to its central location in the former West Germany, Frankfurt Airport became the busiest in Germany, one of the busiest in the world, the airport with the most direct routes in the world, and the primary hub for Lufthansa, the national airline of Germany and Europe’s largest airline. Frankfurt Central Station is Germany’s second-busiest railway station after Hamburg Hbf, and Frankfurter Kreuz is the most-heavily used interchange in the EU. Frankfurt is one of the major financial centers of the European continent, with the headquarters of the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Deutsche Bank, DZ Bank, KfW, Commerzbank, DekaBank, Helaba, several cloud and fintech startups and other institutes. Automotive, technology and research, services, consulting, media and creative industries complement the economic base. Frankfurt’s DE-CIX is the world’s largest internet exchange point. Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s largest trade fairs. Major fairs include the Music Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest book fair. With 108 consulates, among which
the largest is the US Consulate General, Frankfurt is second to New York City among non-capital cities in regards to consulate seats.