Berlin
keystone of Germany keystone Freedom
The Berlin Exhibition at the Seattle World's Fair "Century 21' is presented by the Press and Information Office of the City of Berlin under the sponsorship of His Excellency the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States The exhibition was designed by Ludwig Thurmer, Berlin
Berlin
City of Tomorrow, is already taking shape. It is a city of open highways, wide green areas, and new social patterns; it is the City of Tomorrow that shall once again become an undivided city.
Berlin
City of Service to the 21st Century; an international center of science, education, and intellectual exchange; a city open to new ideas, and to people to discuss them.
Berlin
City of the Art of the Milleniums, and of Today; City for the Artists of Tomorrow.
Berlin
City of Worker and Machine; of teaching and research; partner in the common endeavor of working for the Civilization of Tomorrow.
Berlin
City of Investment in the future; city of aid for, and partnership with, the developing nations; a city that seeks to pave the way for a world of equality and solidarity.
^
Printed in West Berlin — Germany
"It is the determination of the United States, to preserve and maintain the freedom of the people of West Berlin to which it is committed by treaty and conviction." President John F. Kennedy
What's at Stake in Berlin
Berlin Salutes its Friends. Governing-Mayor Willy Brandt's Message to Visitors to Seattle's "Century 21" Exposition.
Berlin is the former and future capital of Germany. After World War II, along with the rest of Germany, Berlin was placed under a Four-Power Administration which in no way envisaged for it to be incorporated into the Soviet Zone. Since then, the Communists have physically divided Berlin and Germany. The resolution of the free world is on test in the area of Berlin that remains free. West Berlin is the largest industrial center between Paris and Moscow. Thanks to the aid extended by the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany, Berlin enjoys a balanced economy the current stability of which is a prerequisite of continued social and political equilibrium. Berlin is the vital center of the aid extended by Germany to the economically developing countries. Berlin is the site of imaginative construction for the City of Tomorrow. In less than twelve years, it has built more than 220,000 new apartment units. Some of the world's greatest architects have contributed designs to set the high standard of Berlin's city planning; and its network of urban expressways is geared to anticipate tomorrow's requirements. Berlin is a catalyst of intellectual life and activities. It will continue to enhance its character of haven for the arts and sciences in order to reflect an even clearer image of the free world to the Communist countries.
My Dear Friends: We are happy that you have had time to visit our Exhibition. We are aware that, because of certain international developments, the name of our city, Berlin, often reminds you of grim rather than of joyful events. That is why we hope this Exhibit has demonstrated that it is not the Berliners who want, or are the cause of, the current tension over their city. On the contrary, our people desire nothing other than to preserve democratic order, self-determination and human rights; and they are determined also that on no account shall Berlin become once again the capital of a totalitarian State established on German soil. I say this because we have not forgotten that, for twelve years during the Nazi period, Berlin was the focal point in apolitical system that enslaved a major portion of Europe before it was stopped. But we remember also that Berlin has other traditions of a totally different kind, worthwhile traditions that the present generation takes very seriously. Berlin was one of the birthplaces of democratic aspirations in 19th Century Germany; it was there that the First German Republic was proclaimed; it was in the Berlin of 1920 to 1930 that intellectual and cultural pursuits flourished on a scale rarely paralleled elsewhere. Then again, some of the most important scientific discoveries of advance benefit to the approaching 21st Century saw the light of day in Berlin; no less than 28 winners of the Nobel Prize created their works in Berlin. And let us remember also that Berlin was the center of significant artistic movements in the 1920's, that it still retains the drive and spirit and aspirations from which all worthwhile achievements grow. Yet another contribution by Berlin to the emerging pattern of the future is the model (provided by this city during the past fifteen years) of unswerving adherence to democratic principles, undimmed optimism, and the unshakable faith with which Berlin looks to the future under even the most adverse of conditions.
The preservation of Berlin's viability for the performance of its domestic and international functions requires: the protection and guarantee of its political freedom by the Western Powers; the safeguarding of its ties and unhindered access to its lines of communication with the West by road, air and water; the maintenance of this viability, through its continued close association with the legal, monetary and economic systems of the Federal Republic of Germany.
These are the things that encourage us today to concentrate all our energy and efforts to the task of re-endowing this City of Berlin with its traditional function of giving birth to new concepts and new developments in any and
every field of human endeavor. We wish to do this, so that Berlin may retain its role as a veritable clearing-house of ideas, and as a favored site of international gatherings for scientific and educational research; but above all else, to ensure that Berlin's cultural activities by means of the voice and picture of its radio and television broadcasts shall enable it to retain its character as a Showcase of the Free World that is a thorn in the side of the Communist regime that has been set up such a very short distance away. The realization of this aim makes it imperative that Berlin's land and air routes of communication with West Germany shall be kept free and open to unhindered access. Those of you who visit Berlin today will see for yourselves the Communist-erected Wall that cuts through the very heart of the city, the ugly Wall that not only divides the population of the same country but also the inhabitants of the same city, and even different members of the same family. It is not we who are responsible for the monstrosity that is this Wall; nor do we believe that it will endure. That is why our work and our planning do not stop short at the artificial boundary formed by this Wall, which will assuredly no longer be there in the 21st Century. Instead, we are planning today for a single, unified City of Berlin within the framework of a single, re-united Germany; we desire to make our modest contribution towards the creation of the united, undivided World of Tomorrow: a world without walls, without closed borders, without political oppression or suppression; in short, a world of equality and solidarity. And when that day comes, we trust there will still be a Berlin to serve as a crossroads not only of peaceful commerce but also for the mutually beneficial exchange of ideas between East and West as well as North and South. Once again, thank you for your visit. It has been a pleasure to have you in Berlin at the "Century 2 1 " Exposition here in Seattle.
* ^ Willy Brandt