Berlin (Germany)
Berlin Bio
- The first recorded settlement at present-day Berlin was a place named Cölln in 1237 around the Spree River
- During the Thirty Years' War Berlin's population was decimated, but in the mid-17th century the city was reborn stronger than before under the so-called Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm
- The Great Elector's son, Friedrich I, the first Prussian king, made the fast-growing Berlin his capital, and his daughter-in-law Sophie Charlotte encouraged the development of the arts and sciences and presided over a lively and intellectual court
- Friedrich II sought greatness through building and was known for his political and military savvy. The Enlightenment arrived with some authority in the form of the playwright Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and thinker and publisher Friedrich Nicolai; both helped make Berlin a truly international city
- In 1871 Bismarck united Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm I
- Berlin was the capital of Prussia until 1945
- On the eve of the Nazi takeover, the Communist Party was the strongest single party in 'Red Berlin,' having polled 31% of the votes in 1932
- Berlin was heavily bombed by the Allies in WWII and, during the 'Battle of Berlin' from August 1943 to March 1944, British bombers hammered the city every night
- In June 1948 the city was split in two when the three western Allies introduced a western German currency and established a separate administration in their sectors
- The Soviets then blockaded West Berlin
- On 9 November 1989 the Wall opened
- The Unification Treaty between the two Germanys designated Berlin the official capital of Germany, and in June 1991 the Bundestag voted to move the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin over the next decade
- In April 1999 the revamped Reichstag reopened and hosted the unified Germany's parliament
The Berlin Wall - 1961 to 1989. East Germany barricaded 200 streets linking East and West Berlin and set up police controls at the 81 access points that remained open within 3 hours. The trains of the East German railway company no longer passed through West Berlin. A prohibited zone was set up along the boundary between West Berlin and East Germany until eventually the wall and its many zones were completely erected.
A good history of The Wall can be found at:
http://www.wall-berlin.org/gb/berlin.htm
Feet near the Berlin Wall plaque
Leah and Just by the Wall - only small parts remain and those that do are fenced as witnessed in this photo because of souvenir hunters chipping at the wall.
One foot on the East the other on the West - during the 30 year period that The Wall stood this would have been impossible without being shot dead.
Checkpoint Charlie - this is most famous of all three checkpoints, being the one the had the most traffic. It is now the proxy place for all things anti The wall and is home to a history museum on The Wall. This nondescript urban landscape was one of the critical pressure points in the global stand-off between East and West, and the scene of 80 deaths.
The Sign - so simple, yet the the dividing symbol of the two completely different ideologies that eventually brought the genesis of The Cold War and the Iron Curtain.
Soviet Influence
Burning of the Books - 20,000 books were burnt by the Soviets upon the takeover of the East Germany and East Berlin. This is where the bonfire took place. The irony is that opposite this site is Humboldt University...No other university had produced more Nobel laureates until this time.
The Empty Library - a library underneath the spot where the books were burnt to commemorate the burning. The library is said to be able to house the equivalent number of books.
The Accommodation
The Club House - the hostel. Right in the centre of Berlin. Reasonably priced and clean. In fact, this is where we made some shapes one night. The local radio station has its fortnightly shindig here.
"Clubbing" at the Club House - check out the retro 80's look. And this was not a dress up theme night. This is for real.
The Richards (Queens) that were DJ'ing in the Disco room
The SS (Schutzstaffel) and Gestapo
The SS memorial - once where the Prince Albert Hotel stood, later converted to the Gestapo HQ and then later flattened by the Allied forces. Now an edifying memorial.
Goebbels - Master propagandist of the Nazi regime and dictator of its cultural life for twelve years. Hitler was deeply impressed by Goebbels' success in turning the small Berlin section of the Party into a powerful organization in North Germany. Personally responsible for Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) pogrom of 9-10 November 1938.
* Kristallnacht ("the Night of Broken Glass"): On the nights of November 9 and 10, rampaging mobs throughout Germany and the newly acquired territories of Austria and Sudetenland freely attacked Jews in the street, in their homes and at their places of work and worship. At least 96 Jews were killed and hundreds more injured, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned (and possibly as many as 2,000), almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, cemeteries and schools were vandalized, and 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camp.
Goering - Commander-in-Chief of
the Luftwaffe, President of the Reichstag, Prime Minister of Prussia and,
as Hitler's designated successor, the second man in the Third Reich,
Hermann Goering was born in Rosenheim on January 12, 1893.
Himler inspects concentration camp in Auschwitz - The Holocaust (also called Shoah in Hebrew) refers to the period from January 30, 1933, when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, to May 8, 1945, when the war in Europe ended. During this time, Jews in Europe were subjected to progressively harsh persecution that ultimately led to the murder of 6,000,000 Jews (1.5 million of these being children) and the destruction of 5,000 Jewish communities.
Himmler: head of the Gestapo and the Waffen-SS, Minister of the Interior from 1943 to 1945 and organizer of the mass murder of Jews in the Third Reich.
SS laughing as they prepare to bullet some Jews
All the places from around Europe where the Jews where expatriated from. Centre point is Berlin where they were then shipped off to various concentration camps depending on which level they were assigned.
The Reichstag
This is where it all started. Soon after he became
chancellor, Hitler called for new elections in an effort to get full
control of the Reichstag, the German parliament, for the Nazis. The Nazis
used the government apparatus to terrorize the other parties. They
arrested their leaders and banned their political meetings. Then, in the
midst of the election campaign, on February 27, 1933, the Reichstag
building burned. A Dutchman named Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested for
the crime, and he swore he had acted alone. Although many suspected the
Nazis were ultimately responsible for the act, the Nazis managed to blame
the Communists, thus turning more votes their way.
The fire signaled the demise of German democracy. On the next day, the
government, under the pretense of controlling the Communists, abolished
individual rights and protections: freedom of the press, assembly, and
expression were nullified, as well as the right to privacy. When the
elections were held on March 5, the Nazis received nearly 44 percent of
the vote, and with 8 percent offered by the Conservatives, won a majority
in the government.
The Nazis moved swiftly to consolidate their power into a dictatorship. On March 23, the Enabling Act was passed. It sanctioned Hitler’s dictatorial efforts and legally enabled him to pursue them further. The Nazis marshaled their formidable propaganda machine to silence their critics. They also developed a sophisticated police and military force.
The glass dome - built by Sir Norman Foster, this sits on top of the building. Through special design it reflects light throughout the building.
The visor that redirected and concentrated light at different angles throughout the day.
View from the top of Reichstag at night
General
En route to Berlin flying Buzz
The Obligatory Soviet-style Communications tower (Fernsehturm)
Hitler was buried here -
Yep, in the middle of carpark in the centre of those three trees. No
memorials. No signs. Nothing. A testament to how much
the German people do not want to remember the atrocities of Hitler.
The story: Hitler committed suicide, shooting himself through the mouth
with a pistol. His body was carried
into the garden of the Reich Chancellery by aides, covered with petrol and
burned along with that of Eva Braun
Ministry of Defense - largest office building in the world at the time and ironically the Allied forces failed to bomb it. It is one of only three major building to have survived the bombing campaign.
Water Pipes- pretty, hey? Err, no. These temporarily adorn the streets while rebuilding takes place. Apparently there are some water table issues.
Largest Lutheran church in the world - not hard, agreed, as the sect is normally very understated. By the German royals thought that the could do it just this one time. Unfortunately for them the King abdicated soon thereafter and left for an obscure of Denmark.
The Stasi HQ- The GDR secret police. Taught and funded by the KGB and Soviet Government. They subjected the East Germans to the same tyrannical oppression as the Gestapo did, just in a different flavour.
Statue of Tears - commemorate all the deaths of WWII, both Axis (German) and Allied's
Jenny make my bed like a good woman (JOKES!)
My best friend on the trip (no jokes)
The chicks en route to home - Stanstead express fails us yet again. Over an hour wait. So much for express travel. End up getting to Liverpool Street when all tube lines have stopped. Gotta love being back in London.
Leah looking amazed - seriously, its not that big
