The oldest part of Berlin, since 1920 defined as the district of Mitte (Middle), belonged to the East. Despite its name, after 1945 it lay on the edge of East Berlin, surrounded on two and a half sides by West Berlin and thus by the Wall. Mitte had encompassed the central institutions of government, finance, and culture for successive Prussian and German regimes, including the German Democratic Republic. All had established themselves within the narrow confines of medieval and early modem Berlin. This process of continuous redevelopment has ensured that little remains of old Berlin.
