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The name Berlin appears for the first time in recorded history in 1244, seven years after that of its sister town, Kölln, with which it later merged. Both were founded near the beginning of the 13th century.The way for their founding was opened by a Germanic resurgence in the area, which had been abandoned to the Slavs by the original Germanic tribes as they had migrated westward. The Slavs were subdued by Albert I the Bear, a Saxon who crossed the Elbe River from the west. His successors took the title margrave of the mark (border territory) of Brandenburg. Berlin still retains as its symbol a defiant black bear standing on its hind legs.
The Cold War era had Berlin at the center of global political tension of the whole conflict, shown by the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, dividing the city into East Berlin and West Berlin. the Wall separated families, disrupted lives, and became the defining icon of the Cold War struggle between communism and capitalism. During the division, East Berlin became the capital of the German Democratic Republic, while West Berlin emerged as a symbol of Western ideological resistance. Economic differences were apparent, with West Berlin benefitting from significant western support and East Berlin enduring economic hardship under communist rule.
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