Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Berlin Berlin, OH

Berlin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Berlin Township, Holmes County, at the heart of Ohio's Amish Country - it is not an incorporated village.

Berlin is the oldest existing village in Holmes County, first planned on July 2, 1816, by John Swigert, a native of Berlin, Germany, whose plan laid out 108 lots along two crossing streets.

Despite the German spelling, the community's name is pronounced 'BUR-lin' by locals.

Swigert deliberately chose a high point in Holmes County for the town site, and local legend holds that he picked it so the town could be more readily defended against attack.

Many of Berlin's early settlers were of German or Swiss ancestry who came from Pennsylvania, and Amish families began settling in the area by 1820.

Berlin's population jumped 61% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, reaching 1,447 residents in 2020.

Berlin sits at the center of the Holmes County Amish settlement, and Holmes County has the highest percentage of Amish residents of any county in the United States, at roughly 42% of its population.

Berlin was the first town in Ohio to market the Amish to tourists, and more tourists visit Berlin than any other town in Ohio Amish Country.

Berlin's business district is outsized for a community its size, with more than 40 shops, 10 hotels, and around 40 restaurants reported as of 2012.

Berlin is home to the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center, whose giant Behalt cyclorama mural illustrates the history of the Amish and Mennonite people.