© dpa
Holiday swimming courses for around 6,500 children
More than 6,500 children in Berlin learned to swim or improved their swimming skills in intensive courses during the school holidays this year. more
© dpa
With 100 days to go before the start of the European Football Championship in Germany, Berlin is one of ten host cities making extensive preparations for the major event.
"Everything is going according to plan. Now we are waiting for the many guests from Berlin and all over Europe to inspire them with our attractive supporting programme," said Sports Senator Iris Spranger in a statement on Tuesday.
Around 2.5 million football fans are expected in the capital during the European Championships from 14 June to 14 July, including 1.9 million external visitors from around 120 countries. The Brandenburg Gate will be transformed into a giant football goal, and the Straße des 17. Juni will become a fan mile where concerts and cinema evenings will take place. The fan zone at the Reichstag will also offer a cultural and entertainment programme with DJs, dancing and public viewing. "We can hardly wait for things to finally get started - our ideas, the planning including good cooperation and hundreds of agreements with partners from the city are now becoming tangible," said the Managing Director of Kulturprojekte Berlin, Moritz van Dülmen.