I spent my day in Berlin on a walking tour hosted by The Original Insiders Tour that was well worth the time and money. Berlin has a fascinating history, about which I learned all kinds of information and stories as I explored the city.
My Berlin experience began with a short ride on the S train (which was free with my rail pass--very convenient) to the Zoo Garden where I had breakfast and then met up with my tour. The name of the tour was the "Original Famous Walk" which is a general Berlin tour and covered a vast array of interesting historical sights and landmarks. Because there were so many sights along the way, I will touch on some highlights of the tour:
-Unter den Linden: the avenue of old Berlin
-Babelplatz: sight of the first major Nazi book-burning in May 1933
-Humboldt University: Einstein taught here, Marx developed many of his ideas there, and alma mater of 29 Nobel Prize winners
-Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
-Neue Synagogue
-Fernsehturm (TV Tower): an architectural structure with an interesting story—it was built by the communist East government to show their power and advanced technological abilities during the Cold War in 1969. At the time, it was the second tallest structure in Europe, the tallest was in Moscow-it was built second, but they did not want to out-do the building constructed by their Soviet superiors in Moscow
-Siegessäule: a golden angel built to commemorate 19th-century Prussian military victories
-Hitler's Bunker: a parking lot now sits at the location, a legend and map stand off to one side showing the layout of the bunker, this is the location where Hitler is said to have committed suicide by ingesting cyanide. The parking lot is an attempt at covering up the history there, possibly to prevent neo-Nazis from creating a memorial site.
-Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This is a church that was bombed during WWII and remains standing as a reminder of the destruction of war and as a symbol of Berlin's determination to rebuild itself after the war had ended. Just next to this church stands a new hexagonal shaped tower that was erected in 1961.
-The Royal Cathedral on Museum Island
-Checkpoint Charlie--the United States Army post after WWII during the Cold War
The Berlin Wall-The Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery: the wall was built by the Communist German government in response to the 'brain drain' that was happening, meaning the well-educated, skilled, and professionals were moving from East to West Germany as a result of the Cold War and its effects. A wall was never part of the original plans when borders were drawn. Troops put up a barbed wire fence surrounding the entirety of the area within several hours of one night—the first physical border put into place. Later, the permanent wall structure was erected.
-Black and white photo of the Berlin Wall in front of a building that served as Nazi Headquarters during WWII and was later used during the Cold War
-Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe or the Holocaust Memorial)
The Brandenburg Gate-Brandenburg Gate Area: Brandenburg Tor (City gates). Nearby is also Hotel Adlon Kempinski, a very famous hotel where celebrities and powerful politicians, including the US President has stayed before (also the hotel where Michael Jackson held his baby up over the balcony in 2002).
Reichstag building, the home of German Parliament-Richstaggedbäude (Parliament Building) and the Wall Victims Memorial: commemorates the 191 people who tried to cross from the East to the West side of the Berlin wall
Berlin was one of the most interesting places I visited. I find history and politics extremely intriguing and it was amazing to have the opportunity to explore the city of Berlin where so much important history has happened, learn more about it, and see firsthand where so many important historical events occurred. I would love to go back sometime and even do the same tour again, as well as learn more about other aspects of the city. Being I only had an afternoon there, I missed out on a lot of the other wonderful aspects of the modern culture. I hope to make it back to Berlin someday and spend more time there.
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