Berlin: There’s More to it Than Just a Wall

What is the first thing you think of when you hear someone say Berlin? Many think of the Berlin Wall because it is so well known due to its recent history. In fact, the Wall is now protected with a wall to stop tourists from taking pieces of it for souvenirs!

There are many more things to see in Berlin in addition to the Wall.  For example, there is Brandenburg Tor, a big and impressive gate with a green statue of a woman riding a horse-drawn chariot. There are many facts about the gate people may not know. Did you know, Napoleon removed the statue from the top of the gate after winning a battle and put it in the Louvre? When it was returned, the statue was changed from the goddess of peace, Irini, to the goddess of war and victory, Victoria. It now looks over the Pariser Platz.

The statue on top of the gate.

Zoe and I in front of the Brandenburg Tor.

If you visit Berlin, you may notice big blue pipes above ground around construction sites. They are used to pump water out of the ground where the construction workers are building. The word Berlin actually means “swamp”, so there is no wonder why there’s a lot of water.

Berlin is a city full of history which unfortunately, isn’t always nice. We are reminded of this by The Holocaust Memorial, which is dedicated to the 6 million European Jews that were murdered during the Second World War. This is now the second most visited site in Berlin.

The memorial for the murdered Jews.

A part of the memorial.

While on a guided tour with Sam, an energetic PhD. student from Sandemans tours, I learned the building that used to be where the Royal Guard was stationed was turned into a memorial. It’s for those who were victims of war and tyranny. This is represented by the touching statue of a mother holding her dead son.

The building where the Royal Guard used to be stationed.

The statue of the mother with her dead son.

Because of Berlin’s war history, there are many different memorials throughout the city. There is one specifically for books. It is underneath a glass panel, so it can be walked on and viewed. The memorial is filled with empty bookshelves. It is to remember the time when the Nazis burned approximately 20,000 books in the square outside of the Faculty of Law at the University of Berlin. The ultimate sign of dictatorship is when the government decides what you can and can’t read.  If I were in this situation and being a passionate reader, I would like to think that I would stand up and do something about it.

The Faculty of Law at the University of Berlin.

The memorial for the burned books.

Before WW II, Germany was seen to be a very tolerant place where many different immigrants could practice their religions. It had churches built for the French and synagogues for the Jewish people. Hitler was the one who institutionalized anti-semitism throughout the country.

French church

A Jewish synagogue

In the afternoon, we went on a tour, again led by Sam, about the Third Reich and the rise of Hitler. On this tour I learned many things that I didn’t know about him. Before he was elected into power, his party, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, only received 3 percent of the vote. He increased this percentage by being one of the first politicians to travel around to other cities and recite convincing speeches to the citizens. By doing this, in the next election, his party won 37 percent of the vote.

Hitler was appointed chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg. He gained control after the Reichstag was burned down under suspicious circumstances and he was able to convince other members of Parliament into giving him emergency power.  After Hindenburg’s death, he combined the chancellor and president’s power making him the ultimate leader of Germany. If anyone stood in his way they were exterminated. In Berlin, there is a memorial to the politicians who spoke up against Hitler and were killed in concentration camps.

The Reichstag

The entrance to the building with the inscription “The German People”

The sign explaining the memorial.

The memorial for the murdered politicians.

If one is interested in locating Hitler’s bunker, it is necessary to go with a tour group as it is unmarked. This bunker is important because it is where Hitler spent his last moments. After his body was found by his bodyguards, it was burned and his ashes were thrown into the water to avoid being treated like the Italian dictator Mussolini’s body. More importantly, there is no grave or marker for people to gather around and mourn.

After WW2, 80% of Berlin was destroyed by Allied bombing. Now most of the city has new buildings, as well as some buildings that use new and old bricks that were left intact. Some statues off churches and important buildings were taken down and kept safe during the war. Today, the original statues that did survive aren’t cleaned because they are considered sacred and used as a reminder.

After WW II and the separation of Germany came the Cold War, bringing with it the famous Checkpoint Charlie. This checkpoint is one of three that were used to get in and out of East and West Berlin. Today it is only used as a tourist attraction and has been in a few movies.

To read more about different memorials in Berlin, click here.

Berlin and Germany have come so far ahead because they acknowledge their war history.  They look forward to their future, instead of focusing on their past. I think this is a really brave thing to do because there are a lot of places that deny their history or don’t do anything to remind themselves and others about it. In these ways Germany has made itself stronger.

Berlin is not all about WWII.  It has moved on and is a cool city.  It is full of artists and beautiful modern buildings and is considered the New York of Europe.  It’s a great place to visit and we really enjoyed our time here.