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Published: June 26th 2009
Ok it’s decided, I’m coming back to Berlin next time I’m in Europe, and I’m spending at least another 3 days here… Berlin is by far my favourite city so far, if only for the history of the place. I took the best tour I have EVER been on today, and it was a walking tour, for free. Our guide, Adam, was hilarious and full of interesting info.
We started in “Paris Square” which was named that way solely to annoy the French. At one end stands the huge Berlin Gate, with Victoria, Goddess of Victory, looking squarely at the French Embassy - which is designed to look like a bunker. How epic. Adam also gave us a brief rundown of the city’s history, and what led to WW1, the in-between years and the election of Hitler, and of course WW2.
We went down to the House of Parliament, where Hitler essentially became dictator - there was a mysterious fire, which he blamed on his opponents yada yada yada and thus asked the President for more power which he continued to get until he became what he became.
Next was the Holocaust Memorial… it was solemn, powerful, and
a tad creepy. It’s a bunch of huge square tablets - some say they represent gravestones, other say soldiers. My favourite interpretation is the rising use of force the Natzis used, as as you go further into the maze the ground dips in and the boulders get increasingly wider and taller. Walking through there you really feel cut off from the world.
This was followed by looking at how Berliners remember the Natzis. Adam brought us to a parking lot… we’re like uhm, ok? He explained the buildings around us use to be home to all the East Germany Gov’t officials etc. He then started talking about Hitler, and how he committed suicide with his wife and his dog… in the exact spot we were standing.
Yes, Hitler’s bunker and place of suicide is sealed off for eternity and is now a parking lot.
There is no shrine, no plaque, no nothing. In fact, Adam noted the only way people usually note this place is it’s a popular place for people to walk their dogs and to let them do their business… a much more fitting marking don’t you think?
We walked down to the old
Air Force Building - it is beyond gigantic, yet it was part of the less than 10% of the city that survived WW2. The buildings around it are covered in bullet holes though, which is quite surreal. After WW2 the building was used by the Russians as the Ministry of Ministers, all Government workers. All the windows are high up so that people could look out, but no one could see in. It was very George Orwell-1984 like.
Of course we went to the remnants of the Wall. Very little of it is left standing today, and what’s left is protected by fences so people don’t try to take souvenirs. Adam spent a good 5-10min telling us some of the history, and then noted the “Death Strip” which was the area b/w the walls, the area we were currently standing in. There were booby-traps, landmines, and snipers. It’s intense to realize you’re standing in the exact spot where someone died.
Adam told us a great escape story (too long to type out), and then we walked down the Wall to Charlie’s Checkpoint; it’s quite the tourist trap nowadays, but to look around outside there is some interesting info.
There’s the American sector, and the Russian sector… which is clearly demarked by the gigantic soldier looking down at you depending where you’re standing - on one side it’s an American soldier, keeping constant watch on the East, and on the other side is a Russian doing the same to the West
We went to a few more “platz” (squares) with nice buildings, with great architecture. There were churches galore, the concert hall, the opera house, and Humboldt University (where Einstein went!). I can’t remember the name, but we went to the square in front of the University, which is where Hitler ordered the book burnings - where 20, 000 books were destroyed. There’s a fitting memorial - it’s a room undergound that you can simply look into it, and it has empty shelves, exactly enough shelf space for 20, 000 books. There’s also a quote from shortly after the Inquisition stating that burning books will only lead to greater acts of violence and evil… very fitting.
Second last stop was another memorial… which has changed names many times depending who was in charge at the time. First it was a memorial for those killed due to communism, then due to facism, now it’s for those killed due to war or tyranny. It’s a huge room, with no lights, no flooring, no furniture, no nothing - there’s simply a statue in the middle of a woman holding her dying child.
We ended with Berliner Dom, which is quite the cathedral. Unlike all the other cathedrals I’ve been seeing, this one was only built in 1900s - the German Kaiser was jealous of the other European cities with nice cathedrals so he’s like “I want onnnnnnnne” haha. Epic.
Adam ended with the story of how the Berlin Wall came down by accident, something I personally never knew. Again, too long to type, but I love how such a dark part of history was ended by the fact an official didn’t go to a “secret meeting” and instead of saying “I don’t know” to the reporters questions, he stated that crossings were allowed effective immediately.
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hmm.. your eurotrip reminds me of pictures that have never been posted.. I'm jealous of all those nice cathedrals out East. Let's start Building!! Bob the builder, can we build it? Bob the builder, yes we can! ..the next day Bob the builder, can we fix it? Bob the builder, yes we can!