Berlin 11/20

Phil and I had discussed a trip to Prague for a few weeks before we left on this trip. A few days before our departure, we checked out a map and noticed Berlin was near Prague, well, within 5 hours by train. Worried about missing out on a must-see city, we added Berlin as the first stop on our trip. Five train changes and 12 hours after leaving Metz, we arrived in Berlin and got down to business. Our first stop was the Reichstag building, the meeting place for the Bundestag German parliament. Established in 1949, after the post-World War II elimination of the Reichstag (parliament under and prior to Nazi reign). The building was built in 1894 to house the Reichstag, but languished during the cold-war period. A fire in 1933 was grounds for the Nazi party to temporarily strip constitutional rights in an effort to seize power and expel communist enemies. The dome features a spiral staircase that visitors can climb. We waited in line, but decided a visit, although free, wasn't quite worth the wait.

Reichstag Building

On we went to the Brandenburg gate. The gate was built in the 1700's under commission from Prussian king William II of Prussia as a peace symbol. Greek-inspired, and topped by a statue of Roman goddess of victory, Victoria, the gate is a symbol of Berlin and the site of many historic events, including Reagan's "Tear down this wall" speech. The bottom half of this photo shows the wreckage surrounding the gate in 1945.

Brandenburg Gate

November 9, 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. We arrived at the wall two weeks late for the celebration. There are only scattered remnants around the city - it was torn down after all. The section we visited was near Checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint of the U.S.-controlled section of West Berlin. The wall was simple, made of rebar-reinforced concrete sections, each about 5 feet wide and 9 feet tall, cemented into a 260 foot section that stands today.

I had forgotten the exact details of the occupation of Berlin, but eighth grade history lessons came back in a flash as I read some nearby informational signage. After World War II, democratic NATO nations disputed the borders of Germany with communist USSR. The resolution involved splitting Germany in two. Berlin was an extremely important city to both sides, so that city was split in two as well. Berlin, was not located on the border of East and West Germany, though. It fell squarely in East Germany, so splitting it was an awkward situation geographically (not to mention politically, culturally and on and on). To stem the flow of Berliners into the NATO-nation-controlled Western section, the USSR built a wall around the entirety of West Germany, which makes sense given that it is surrounded entirely by East Berlin, not just on one side.

Preserved section of Berlin Wall at the Topography of Terror museum site


And the other side

Me at the wall

After seeing the wall section, walking its length, and reading some detailed museum-style outdoor history, we headed through the Gendarmenmarkt square, surrounded by imposing 1700's architecture. Local vendors were setting up elaborate Christmas-Market booths, although "booth" does not do them justice. Many were expansive, heavily decorated, and heated. Some looked like full-on restaurants. Phil and I stopped in a museum on the square that detailed the German Bundestag's history (1949 - Present). It was free, but entirely in German, so we moved through very quickly.

Gendarmenmarkt and Christmas Market booths

I suggested to Phil that we eat lunch in the Cafe in the Fernsehturm TV tower, the second largest building in Europe. On our way, we stopped to take pictures of the Berliner Dom, and some other weathered, but beautiful buildings. I haven't yet had the opportunity to stitch them together for a panoramic.

Berliner Dom

The Fensehrtrum

We arrived at the T.V. tower (Fensehrtrum) only to find out that tickets were 10 euros to get to the top, and the wait would put us in danger of missing our train. Phil is a big fan of taking panoramic pictures, sometimes with multiple rows taking up hundreds upon hundreds of megabytes, but we both agreed it was better to make our train and save some money.

Statue of Friedrich Engels

This unlabeled statue in the shadow of the Fensehrtrum looked familiar; cut out on the left is the seated Karl Marx, with whom Engels collaborated.

Soviet War Memorial

Hoping to save some money rather than pay for a bathroom, I wandered through the brush of a public park and happened upon this memorial - the most satisfying find of the day.

And on we went to Prague we went, sleeping most of the way there.