Q 01/05

Berlin's name probably comes from a West Slavic word meaning what?

A) Bear

B) Fortress

C) River bend

D) Swamp

Answer · why

D) Swamp

The bear on the coat of arms is a pun that came later; five of the twelve boroughs still carry Slavic names.

Q 02/05

What year is considered the founding date of Berlin?

A) 1237

B) 1157

C) 1417

D) 1701

Answer · why

A) 1237

German merchants had founded the twin settlements of Berlin and Colln, the latter on today's Museum Island.

Q 03/05

Which river was Berlin built along?

A) The Elbe

B) The Spree

C) The Rhine

D) The Oder

Answer · why

B) The Spree

It flows into the Havel in the western borough of Spandau, and 979 bridges cross the inner-city waterways.

Q 04/05

Berlin's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites are Museum Island, the Potsdam palaces and parks, and what?

A) The Brandenburg Gate and Pariser Platz

B) The Modernism Housing Estates

C) The Reichstag and government quarter

D) Tempelhof Airport and its field

Answer · why

B) The Modernism Housing Estates

Six 1920s social-housing estates by Bruno Taut and others made the list in 2008.

Q 05/05

Which dynasty ruled Berlin from the 15th century until 1918, ending as German emperors?

A) The Habsburgs

B) The Wittelsbachs

C) The Hohenzollerns

D) The Wettins

Answer · why

C) The Hohenzollerns

They began as electors of Brandenburg and became kings of Prussia in 1701, when Berlin replaced Konigsberg as capital.