Marlene Dietrich in Berlin

Music, dance and chorus lines — these defined the golden twenties in Berlin. By portraying variety show singer Lola, Marlene Dietrich became an embodiment of life in her city at that time. "Berlin just was her city," Marlene's daughter Maria Riva once wrote. She added: "They just fit well together and completed each other in strength but also in their admiration of intellectual beauty."

A small plaque tells us that on December 27, 1901, Marlene Dietrich was born in this rather average residential house in the Berlin district of Schöneberg. She apparently got her good looks and rebellious spirit from her father, who was a handsome police officer. Later in her career she would sing about how wonderful life was in her Berlin district when she was a cheeky young girl.

At age 21, Marlene had already found work as a model, a showgirl and a musician playing violin in a pit orchestra that accompanied silent films. It was then that she auditioned for the renowned Deutsches Theater — and was chosen. After taking acting classes, she eventually had her first stage appearance on December 7, 1922, in "Pandora's Box," in which she got to play a silent observer.

The church in the background is where the bells rang for Dietrich's wedding on May 14, 1923. Marlene, the aspiring actress, married assistant director Rudolf Sieber. She was 22 years old; he was 26. A year later, their daughter Maria Riva was born. The couple separated by the mid-1930s, but remained officially married until Sieber's death in 1976.

In Babelsberg, just outside the gates of Berlin, director Josef von Sternberg made the film "The Blue Angel" from 1929 to 1930, with Marlene in the starring role. As the smart cabaret singer Lola she found fame both at home and around the world. The film became her breakthrough. Today the biggest sound stage at Babelsberg Studios is called the Marlene Dietrich Hall.

In 1931, composer Friedrich Hollaender founded the Tingel-Tangel Theater, a forerunner of the Vaganten Theater in the cellar of the "Theater des Westens." On opening night, Marlene performed for the first time live on stage the hits from the film "The Blue Angel." They were composed by Hollaender, including the song "Falling in Love Again."

Marlene left for Hollywood in 1930 at the start of her international success. She turned down all offers from the Nazis to entice her to return to Germany. Instead, she actively supported the fight against Hitler. In 1997, Berlin acknowledged her efforts and in recognition named a town square after her. Here, during the Berlin Film Festival, movie stars can be seen walking over the red carpet.

The Berlin Film Museum is located close to Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. Three rooms in the museum showcase the highlights of Marlene Dietrich's estate, including film and show costumes, portraits, accessories and letters. Footage from Marlene Dietrich's films and personal home movies can also be seen.

Marlene Dietrich was a legend in her lifetime — considered seductive, fearlessly glamorous and shrouded in mystery. She died in 1992 in Paris, at the age of 91. Her final wish was to be buried in Berlin, her home city. The film icon found her final resting place in the Städtischer Friedhof Stubenrauchstrasse, known affectionately in Berlin as the "artists' cemetery."