BIRTHPLACE BIG BERTHA is a term used to refer to the city of Essen, Germany, where the Krupp family manufactured the Big Bertha GUN during World War I. The Big Bertha was a type of long-range siege GUN that was used by the German army to bombard enemy positions from a distance. The Krupp family was one of the most prominent industrial families in Germany at the time and their factory in Essen was the birthplace of the Big Bertha GUN.