State of Berlin

The State of Berlin, also referred to as Land Berlin or simply Berlin, functions as the regional government of the city‑state of Berlin, delivering public administration and services to residents, businesses and visitors within its territory. It operates the central online portal berlin.de, which aggregates information and provides access to a range of governmental services such as appointment scheduling, press releases, crime statistics and police online reporting. Through this portal the state enables citizens to interact with various departments, submit applications and obtain official documents without needing to visit physical offices. The organisation also maintains internal networks that support the day‑to‑day operations of its ministries, agencies and public institutions. By offering a digital gateway, the State of Berlin aims to improve accessibility, transparency and efficiency of public service delivery.

As a federal state (Land) within the Federal Republic of Germany, the State of Berlin possesses both legislative and executive authority, acting simultaneously as a city government and a state legislature, which gives it a distinctive regulatory role in areas such as education, policing, urban planning and culture. Its notable competencies include managing large‑scale IT infrastructure for public services and maintaining continuity of essential operations during cyber incidents, as evidenced by the distributed denial of service attacks on berlin.de in 2023 and 2025 that disrupted portal access without compromising data or damaging underlying systems. The state’s administration is owned directly by the public, forming part of Germany’s federal structure with no parent company or subsidiary relationships. This structural arrangement allows it to coordinate closely with federal authorities while retaining autonomy over its internal affairs. Thus, the State of Berlin combines governmental functions with a digital service platform to serve its population and uphold the principles of open and resilient public administration.