Berlin was formed in 1163 by Albert "the Bear" (German: "Albrecht der Bär"; Latin: "Albertus") who was born around 1100 and was the first Margrave of Brandenburg (as Albert I) from 1157 to his death; he was briefly Duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142 It today is the capital and the largest city of Germany; surrounded by the state of Brandenburg and contiguous with Potsdam, Brandenburg's capital, its population today is 3.7 million, the most populous city-proper of the European Union sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Berlin