We recently published the 250th issue of The Berliner. If you’re wondering if there’s a term for this number, then you’re in luck: it’s semiquincentennial. I didn’t know this word existed until now, and that’s probably because there are very few opportunities to use it. Reaching 250 of anything is a rarity, and in this day and age, reaching 250 editions of a print magazine is practically a miracle. It’s something that we feel needs to be celebrated. But how to mark the occasion? When
looking back over the previous 249 editions of the magazine, there’s one thing they all have in common: Berliners. This city is built by people. The very streets we walk on, the buildings we frequent, the shows we see, the books we read, the music we enjoy: all of it comes from people. The pages of every issue are filled with the greatness that Berliners are responsible for. We thought to honour this fact with a list: the 250 Greatest Berliners of All Time. As
you can imagine, this turned out to be a mammoth task, and one of the biggest talking points was the first one: what is a Berliner? Some people feel strongly that in order to be considered a Berliner, you need to have been born here. I would argue that this goes against the spirit of Berlin. In fact, it’s contrary to the foundations on which the city is built. Back in 1671, Berlin provided sanctuary to 50 Jewish families that had been expelled from Vienna.
In 1685, the Edict of Potsdam encouraged persecuted protestants in France to relocate to Brandenburg, offering them religious freedom and tax-free status. By 1687, immigrants made up 20% of Berlin’s population and were a driving force behind the city’s explosive industrial and cultural growth. Would we look back and say these people were not Berliners? Today, immigrants still make up around 25% of Berlin’s population. We should welcome newcomers with open arms. If you want to live in Berlin and you make a positive contribution
to the city, then you should be able to consider yourself a Berliner. Of course, some people have an issue with this, and they’ll see a lot of our list as contentious, but that’s fine. Most definitions are open to debate and no list is perfect. You’re allowed to disagree with things. And let’s be honest, would you be a Berliner if you didn’t? To see the full list of the 250 greatest Berliners of all time, you can purchase the issue online.
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