Berlin II

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Berlin - Day II


Exploring Berlin continued today around 10 am. After a good and nutritious breakfast we headed for the Sachsenhausen Museum in Oranienburg. We had decided beforehand that we want to visit the concentration camp because it is historically meaningful place. The weather was looking good for the outdoor museum so we took a train to Oranienburg.


We had learned about concentration camps in history classes so we knew what to expect. But we didn't realize how emotionally stressful the visit would be.


Sachsenhausen concentration camp was built by the Nazis in 1936 and it was liberated in 1945 by the Russians. The camp was mainly for men and during its nine-year existence up to 200 000 people were incarcerated in this camp. At first political opponents were imprisoned there. Soon members of groups defined by National Socialist ideology as radically or biologically inferior joined them in ever-increasing numbers. And later more and more people from the occupied countries of Europe.


The iron gate at the entrance has a sign that says: "Arbeit macht frei", work will set you free. Some early prisoners were released because they showed good working manners but after 1939 fewer prisoners were being released. It is estimated that over 30 000 people died in the camp of starvation, disease, forced labour and maltreatment, or they were systematically murdered by the SS.

The entrance to the museum is free. An audio guide costs 3€.

We walked around the museum following the map given with the audio guide. Most of the real barracks are gone but for each barrack there is a stone marking its place on the ground. Barracks were over-crowded and the washing facilities were inadequate. We visited the museum in one of the barracks and saw pictures of the prisoners.


Walking outside we could see the roll-call area, a semicircular space where prisoners had to assemble for roll-call two-three times a day, often suffering for hours in the rain and cold. We also saw the show-testing track which has a variety of surfaces and prisoners in the punisement squad had to march round it endlessly to test material for the soles of army boots. Fence around the camp was thick and barbed-wired. A 10 meters wide death zone was set next to the wall - stepping on that zone meant to the prisoners instant death by SS guards.


We continued our tour in the museum. An old man told us facts about the place for over 2 hours and we walked with him around the museum yard. Execution trench and the burial ground with ashes of victims of the concentration camp left us speechless. There are no words to describe how horroble we felt standing at the execution trench. We stopped in silence at the site of the commemoration "Station Z" for the victims of the concentration camp.


We had spent over 4 hours at the museum and it had left us speechless. This is why after the visit to the Sachsenhausen museum we needed something light, more joyous to explore and experience. We felt that we couldn't bear more sad places.


We decided to go and see the Brandenburg gate. On our way back to downtown Berlin we had an idea to stop at the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse. The wall itself reminded us of bad things but we felt the day it was finally breached, November 9, 1989, was a day of happiness and joy. Just what we needed.


The sun was setting when we finally got to the Brandenburg gate. It looked magnificent against the evening sky, especially when it was lit up. We had a delicious dinner at the restaurant in Nikolaiviertel and travelled back home feeling exhausted after the days experiences.

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