Balancing between Eastern and Western Europe Berlin is Germany's capital and its cultural center. The city is the product of a traumatic history. It was devastated by bombing during World War II, then split into two parts by a post-war concrete wall. In 1989 after dividing the city for twenty-eight years, the wall was pulled down, but the process of reunification continues, helped by major building projects that involve leading world architects. Great Cities of the World explores what makes Berlin a fascinating city. Book jacket.