Lichterfelde West

Lichterfelde West is part of Lichterfelde in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough of Berlin. It was developed from 1860 through 1900 by a wealthy businessman Carstenn from Hamburg and is a remarkable example of 19th-century Villenkolonie, a German concept of settlements completely made up of mansion houses or villas. Lichterfelde West became part of Greater Berlin in 1920.

Overview

It is still largely intact and has a station on the S-Bahn (15 minutes' train ride from Potsdamer Platz).

Although some houses were destroyed in World War II and many have been converted into rentals, the quarter has kept its 19th-century charm and pleases with a large assortment of villas in an often extravagant mix of architectural styles. It still features its original tree-lined and cobbled streets, small squares and working gas lights.

Lichterfelde West was also home to the Prussian Main Cadet School, which was disbanded in 1920 by the Treaty of Versailles, and the Prussian and later German Royal Guard.

Lichterfelde (Berlin)

Lichterfelde is a locality in the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin, Germany. Until 2001 it was part, with Steglitz and Lankwitz of the former Steglitz borough.

History

The Prussian village Lichtervelde was founded in the 13th century by Flemish settlers. It saw considerable growth in the 19th century when the two Villenkolonien of Lichterfelde West and Lichterfelde-Ost were founded: two elegant settlements for wealthy Berliners made up completely of villas or mansion houses. The settlements and the historical villages of Lichterfelde and Giesensdorf were united in 1880 under the name of Groß-Lichterfelde (Greater-Lichterfelde).

Lichterfelde was chosen as the seat of the Prussian Main Military academy (Hauptkadettenanstalt) in 1882, and the district became home to many famous German noble families that were linked to the Prussian Army. The world's first electrified streetcar line operated between Lichterfelde-Ost Railway Station and the Hauptkadettenanstalt in 1881.

Lichterfelde

Lichterfelde may refer to:

West

West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.

Etymology

The word "West" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages (ouest in French, oest in Catalan, ovest in Italian, oeste in Spanish and Portuguese). As is apparent in the Gothic term vasi (Visigoths), it stems from the same Indo-European root that gave the Sanskrit vas-ati (night) and vesper (evening) in Latin.

Navigation

To go west using a compass for navigation, one needs to set a bearing or azimuth of 270°.

West is the direction opposite that of the Earth's rotation on its axis, and is therefore the general direction towards which the Sun appears to constantly progress and eventually set.

Moving continuously west is following a circle of latitude.

Cultural

The phrase "the West" is often spoken in reference to the Western world, which includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and the United States of America.