City history
Founded along the Spree River in the 13th century, Berlin transitioned from local solar time to adopting standard Central European Time in 1893 and pioneering daylight saving time in 1916.
Chapter one
Earliest documented name
"Swamp or wet place"
The name stems from the West Slavic root berl- or birl-, meaning swamp or marsh, combined with the location suffix -in. It described the settlement's original location on low, marshy land along the River Spree.
Swamp or wet place
First recorded in a document on April 29, 1244, as a merchant settlement on the Spree River opposite its sister town, Cölln.
Swamp and Colony
Berlin and Cölln established a joint administration in 1307 and formally merged in 1432 before unifying under King Frederick I in 1710.
Greater Berlin
Enacted by the Greater Berlin Act of 1920, incorporating surrounding cities such as Spandau, Charlottenburg, and Köpenick into a single metropolis.
Chapter two
On April 1, 1893, Imperial Germany enacted Central European Time (CET) as standard time across the Reich, replacing Berlin's local solar time (UTC+0:53:28).
On April 30, 1916, Imperial Germany became the first nation to introduce Daylight Saving Time (DST) during World War I to conserve coal used for power generation.
Following World War II, the Soviet occupation sector in East Berlin briefly observed Moscow Time (UTC+3) in May 1945 before reverting to Central European Time.
Both West and East Germany reintroduced annual daylight saving time (CEST) in 1980, synchronizing summer time shifts with neighboring European states.
Chapter three
Elector Frederick III founded the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences and Berlin Observatory, establishing systematic astronomical observations and standardizing local calendars.
The opening of the Berlin–Potsdam Railway created the original need for synchronized station clocks across Brandenburg, paving the way for standardized Prussian railway time.
Berlin deployed master-controlled electric street clocks operated by Normal-Zeit GmbH, bringing synchronized standard time directly to the public.
Designed by Erich John, the 10-meter-tall Urania World Clock opened on Alexanderplatz, displaying simultaneous local solar times for 148 major global cities.
On November 9, 1989, border checkpoints opened late in the evening, leading to historic midnight celebrations that symbolized the city's reunification.