Crossing the Spreekanal
Our walk up Unter den Linden soon brought us to a bridge over the Spreekanal. The Spree River that flows through Berlin figures in a lot of the stories of escape from East Germany and East Berlin. In this particular area which is close to where West Berlin started, the river runs as a manmade channel. Escapers would have had nowhere to hide themselves or to pull themselves up the banks of the river if they tried to negotiate this section.
These Classical-looking statues line the sides of the bridge.
As Europe's largest economy and most populous nation, Germany remains a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20t... ... read more 
