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Köpenick

Köpenick is a former borough of Berlin, since 2001 merged with Treptow to form the new borough Treptow-Köpenick. It is located in the south-east of the city.

Prior to the 2001 borough reform, Köpenick was Berlin's biggest borough by area. It has also the largest percentage of area covered by forests and water (most notably the Müggelsee lake).

History

Before Köpenick became part of "Greater Berlin" in 1920, it had a long history as an independent town. Its first known mentioning in a document dates back to 1209, then under the name "Copanic". For the most part of Köpenick's history, the town was known as Cöpenick - the modern name was officially adopted in 1931.

In 1906, a shoemaker called Wilhelm Voigt masqueraded himself as a Prussian officer and took over the city hall of Köpenick. He became famous as the "Captain of Köpenick" (Hauptmann von Köpenick), and the borough is still most well known for this incident.

During the Cold War, Köpenick was part of East Berlin.

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