Tuesday, March 19th, 2024
This morning we said goodbye to Prague and headed to Berlin!
On our way out of town we saw the Operation Anthropoid Memorial. This memorial was installed on the actual site of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich that occurred on May 27th, 1942 at 10:35 AM. Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated by the Czech resistance. He was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. He was in charge of Hitler’s “Final Solution” (Holocaust) of the Jews in Europe.
For a short time we followed along the Elbe River. We were in the Central Bohemian Highlands and the mountains in the background were of volcanic origin. The motorway we were driving on was very controversial when it was being built. This was because these Highlands were protected and the motorway cut through it but of course it was built and finished in 2016.
After we crossed the border into Germany we had a bus tour through Dresden.
Our tour director, Karolina, did an excellent job pointing out the highlights of Dresden and we enjoyed seeing the city that was almost entirely destroyed during WWII!
We also saw individual gardens like our community gardens. They had their own plot and a small building or shed.
Around Dresden and in Berlin we saw above-ground pipes. These pipes were used to drain ground water from building sites and then emptied into the rivers.
As we arrived into Berlin we crossed its main river, Spree.
The Treptower Park was the second largest public park in Berlin. It’s size was over 200 acres!
The Red Town Hall was the seat of the Governing Mayor and the Berlin Senate. The building got its name from being made of bright red bricks and was built in the mid 19th century.
When we arrived at our hotel we met our step-on guide who took us around Berlin. Our hotel is very near the iconic landmark, the Berlin TV Tower, which began operation in 1969. Its location was once in East Germany. It also was the tallest building in Germany.
The statue to Martin Luther was dedicated in September of 1884. He was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. This monument was located in front of St. Mary’s Church.
As we walked and also rode around Berlin we saw remnants of the Berlin Wall. The wall separated East and West Berlin from 1961-1989. It was 7 1/2 miles long and was up to 15 feet high. Double rows of cobblestones marked where the wall once stood around the city.
At the Berlin Wall Memorial (or Gedenkstätte Berliner) we saw the open air exhibits which included a portion of the Berlin Wall and an exhibition on the division of the city. Neighbors across the street from each other were separated by the wall over night.
The iron poles marked the wall’s location that divided East and West Berlin. Sections of the Berlin Wall were still erect.
We also saw part of the wall that became the East Side open-air art gallery on the banks of the Spree River.
The Reconciliation Chapel replaced the Community Church that was dynamited by the Communists in 1985. The Community church was walled into the “Death Strip”. The “Death Strip” was the space between the concrete wall and another fence. Neither East nor West Berlin people could attend the church. It became an embarrassment to the Communist government.
The Reconciliation Chapel was erected as a spiritual place and was dedicated to the victims who lost their lives at the Berlin Wall.
The Reconciliation Sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos was also placed here.
The bells of the original Protestant Church were salvaged and were housed in a wooden structure.
The Brandenburg Gate was one of the most visited landmarks. From 1961-1989 when East and West Berlin were divided the gate was closed. It reopened during the reunification of East and West Berlin and became a symbol of the division and reunification of Germany.
The Brandenburg Gate was designed to be a symbol of peace and it was based on the Greek Propylaea at the Acropolis in Athens. It was built between 1789-1791 and it had 12 Doric columns, six on each side, which created entrances into Berlin. The gate was the only one of 18 gates that were entrances to Berlin that remained.
The quadriga on the top of the Brandenburg Gate was with the Goddess of Peace and she was driving a four horse chariot. In 1814 when it was returned from when Napoleon and taken the quadriga she was renamed the Goddess of Victory.
The Stelenfeld Memorial was located in the middle of Berlin. This memorial was to the murdered Jews of Europe. It opened in 2005. It was made up of 2,711 Stele (concrete slabs) of various heights and placed on a slight slope. It created a wave-like effect. This memorial was a place of contemplation and remembrance!
Another stop was Checkpoint Charlie. It was a reminder of the border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. There were three different checkpoints and the names were based on NATO’s phonetic alphabet. One was Alpha, two was Bravo, and three was Charlie.
The checkpoint booth was removed in June, 1990 and can be found in Berlin’s Allied Museum. This replica was based on the original site. Checkpoint Charlie became famous because of a combat-ready tank standoff between the Soviets and the Americans.
The Topography of Terror was an area where the headquarters of the Gestabo, high command, and the security service of the SS was located from 1933-1945. It was terror because of the torture and beatings of prisoners that the Nazis carried out. The buildings were mostly destroyed during WWII and what was left was then demolished. It opened as an open air exhibit in 2010.
We passed the statue of Otto von Bismarck that was erected in 1901. He was the first Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871-1890.
The Victory Column took eight years to make and was erected in 1873. Victoria, Goddess of Victory adorns the top of the column. This Victory column was to commemorate Germany’s victories over Denmark, Austria, and France between 1864 and 1871.
If you climbed the steps to the lookout observatory, you would see the Bellevue Palace. It was originally built 1786 to be the private residence of Frederick the Great’s youngest brother Prince Ferdinand of Prussia. It was reconstructed in 1959 and was the official residence of the President of Germany.
The statue of Albrecht von Roon was erected in 1904. Albrecht von Roon was a Prussian soldier and statesman. He was important because in the 1860s he had a key role in the wars that led to the German unification under Prussia’s leadership.
The Reichstag was the Assembly hall for Parliament. Its construction was completed in 1894. In 1933 shortly after Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor, the Reichstag was burned. It was almost completely destroyed in WWII. It was eventually reconstructed and the German lower house of Parliament moved into the Reichstag in 1999.
A memorial to the murdered members of the Reichstag was located in front of the building. Each slab was engraved with the name, political party, birth and death dates of each of the 96 members of Parliament that were expelled for their political or religious beliefs after the Nazis came into power in 1933.
There were several memorials to the Soviet soldiers who lost their lives during the battle of Berlin. This memorial was erected in 1945 by the Soviet Union at Tiergarten.
We also saw the memorial to the homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis. This concrete memorial has a small window where a visitor can look through and see a short movie of two men kissing.
The trabant car was produced from 1957-1991 by a former East German manufacturer. The cars were made of plastic that was reinforced with recycled cotton waste. This came from the former Soviet Union. Now these cars were used by a tour company giving guided tours of Berlin.
We checked into our hotel room that was on the 32nd floor. We had a wonderful view of Berlin.
For dinner we walked from our hotel to the Hofbräu Berlin. It was a delicious German meal.
After eating we walked back to our hotel and stopped in the hotel bar for a drink.
It was another great day. We look forward to another day exploring in and around Berlin.