Berlin: creative and international
Heckmann Höfe © Presse- und Informationsamt des Landes Berlin / G. Schneider
Berlin reflects the rapid succession of influences and trends, and this juxtaposition and collision of styles makes the city especially appealing to young people from all over the world. They set new trends and, with their individualized lifestyles, are a part of the creative atmosphere the city generates.
Children in Berlin © Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Sport
A young city
More than 790,000 people under the age of 25 live in Berlin, which is 23.2 percent of the total population (3,416.255). With more than 500 different facilities, Berlin boasts a wide variety of leisure activities for children and young people. Open seven days a week, Germany’s largest recreation area for children and teenagers, the leisure and recreation center (Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum) in Wuhlheide, has an indoor swimming pool, playgrounds, a miniature railroad, and an open-air theater. Many other public and private projects give children and young people the chance to take part in creative, musical, or athletic activities.
Turkish market at Maybachufer © Presse- und Informationsamt des Landes Berlin / G. Schneider
Residents from all over the world
Berlin is an ideal place for a dialogue between cultures: more than 473,000 non-German citizens live here (the number of Berliners of non-German origin is of course much higher, since Berlin has led the nation for years now in naturalization numbers). They come from 195 different countries and ensure great cultural pluralism. Their decisive contribution to the city’s distinctive and cosmopolitan character is apparent not only during the annual Carnival of Cultures. The more than 113,000 Turkish Berliners form the largest group, some of whose members are third-generation Berliners. Berlin became a city of immigration earlier than other parts of Germany. Ethnic and cultural diversity enrich the city, but also require special skills and make new demands on society as a whole. The Senate Commissioner for Integration and Migration has been an indispensable source of information for many years for people seeking advice and assistance. It is also an important contact for issues related to integration and the work done on the state, federal, and EU level to combat discrimination.
Religious diversity
Berlin’s population is also religiously diverse. Approximately 216,000 Muslims – 6.3 % of the population – live in the city, while 21.5% belong to the main Protestant Church and 9.3% to the Catholic Church. The first Ecumenical Church Congress brought 200,000 visitors to Berlin in May 2003. Because of new immigrants from countries of the former Soviet Union, the Jewish community has doubled over the last ten years; the Jewish Community of Berlin currently has more than 11,000 members. Hindu and Buddhist religious communities are also represented in the city.
More information
Carnival of Cultures
Take a look at the Carnival of Cultures in this film clip
