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History

Berlin - Metropolis of Crime 1918-33

November 29, 2018

The two-part documentary tells the story of the real "Babylon Berlin" during the time of the Weimar Republic.In the 1920s, Berlin was regarded as the most modern metropolis in Europe - but it was also a hotbed of crime.

https://p.dw.com/p/399z6
"Nationalversammlung in Berlin. Agitation durch die Schauspielerin Senta Söneland"
Image: bpk/Walter Gircke

The First World War is over, the German Empire has become the Weimar Republic. The economy is in ruins. Poverty, misery, violence and crime dominate Berlin. The city is in turmoil. Speculation and inflation threaten the foundations of the fledgling republic. Former soldiers struggle to find a foothold in the new society, greed and prostitution are rife. A perfect breeding ground for crimes of all kinds. 

During the early years of the Weimar Republic, two mass murderers terrorized the capital. One of them targeted young lovers, the other was given the nickname 'the Beast of Berlin' and preyed on women. It took the police years to identify and convict the perpetrators. Ernst Gennat, head of the criminal police, pioneered new methods of systematic forensic investigation and profiling, making his division one of the world's leading homicide squads.

The two-part documentary uses criminal cases to paint a picture of Berlin during the Weimar Republic,  reconstructing events with the help of documentary photographs from 1918 to 1933, interviews with experts and case files.

 

Broadcasting Hours: 

Part 1: 

DW English

TUE 29.01.2019 – 01:15 UTC
TUE 29.01.2019 – 05:15 UTC
WED 30.01.2019 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 03.02.2019 – 08:15 UTC

Cape Town UTC +2 | Delhi UTC +5,5 | Hong Kong UTC +8
San Francisco UTC -8 | Edmonton UTC -7 | New York UTC -5
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 
London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3


DW Deutsch+

WED 30.01.2019 – 09:15 UTC

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -2  

 

Part 2: 

DW English

TUE 05.02.2019 – 01:15 UTC
TUE 05.02.2019 – 05:15 UTC
WED 06.02.2019 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 10.02.2019 – 08:15 UTC

Cape Town UTC +2 | Delhi UTC +5,5 | Hong Kong UTC +8
San Francisco UTC -8 | Edmonton UTC -7 | New York UTC -5
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 
London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3


DW Deutsch+

WED 06.02.2019 – 09:15 UTC

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -2