German edit

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈvɛstbɛʁˌliːn/
  • (file)

Proper noun edit

West-Berlin n (proper noun, genitive West-Berlins or (optionally with an article) West-Berlin)

  1. (historical) West Berlin (the American, British and French sectors of Berlin between 1949 and 1990)

Usage notes edit

  • Westberlin means "western parts of Berlin" at any period, Westberlin or Berlin (West) has the historical and political meaning.
  • The spelling Westberlin with no hyphen was particularly common in East German usage, where East Berlin was generally called simply Berlin or by a description such as Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR (literally Berlin, capital of the GDR). Berlin (West), on the other hand, was primarily used in West Germany.

Declension edit

See also edit

Further reading edit