Unlike Paris or London, Germany's capital plays a very limited role in the nation's consciousness. If it weren’t for the relocation of parliament, the city would still be a rundown dump. As it is, the main dynamic in the city comes from ever decreasing numbers of radical, temporary refits of abandoned warehouses.
Hamburg is more arty, Munich more fashionable, Frankfurt more successful, Cologne more cultured, Stuttgart richer. Whether in football, ballet, opera, cuisine, nightlife, design or music, the focus in Germany lies elsewhere.
Most non-Berliners regard the city with a mixture of affection and pity; one of the things that surprised me when I got here was just how de-centralised everything is, as I was expecting the capital to be the focus. It is this medieval every-town-has-its-own-brewery aspect of local centres which gives Germany its charm.
The decision by the Bundestag in 1991 to restore Germany's capital to Berlin was of huge significance. The city now may not be to everyone's taste, architecturally, culturally or historically, but like most German cities it is built on an epic scale and there is something of value to suit all but the most jaded of tastes.
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