Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

(Merry Christmas!)

On Christmas we actually saw a lot of the depressing side of German history, but don’t worry we also saw the Christmas side of Berlin.

First we headed to the Memorial of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was the barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR/ East Berlin) starting on August 13, 1961. The barrier wasn’t just the wall itself. It also included guard towers and an area called the death strip. This area contained anti vehical trenches and other obsticals to try and make it impossible for people to escape to West Berlin. The GDR claimed that the wall was built to protect its population from the fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the Antifaschistischer Schutzwall (“Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart”) by the GDR, implying that neighbouring West Germany had not been fully de-Nazified. The West Berlin Government referred to it as the “Wall of Shame”. Between 1961 and 1989 5,000people attempted to escape over the wall with estimates of the resulting death toll varying between 100 and 200 people. In 1989, a radical series of political changes occurred in the Eastern Bloc. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German Government announced on 9^th of November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall joined by Germans on the other side in celebration. Over the next few weeks, a euphoric public chipped away parts of the wall. The physical wall itself was primarily destroyed in 1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on 3^rd of October 1990.

This is the largest standing piece of the Berlin Wall left 

The distance from where I was standing when I took the picture to the wall is the distance was how big the death strip was. That completely shocked me. 

I had read about the wall and actually knew most of that information before going to go see what remains of the wall. But, I wasn’t quite ready for what I saw when I got there. It was Christmas, I didn’t really think that there would be a lot of tourist, so it seemed like the perfect time to go. Well, when we got there we saw only 2 other tourist. Mostly what we saw were the loved ones of the victims of the people who died because of the wall leaving flowers by their names on the memorial. Seeing all the flowers being left and the people who were hardly older than my mom leaving flowers really showed me that this devastating part of history really was very recent and is still directly affecting people right now in my life time.

A random manhole cover that I saw that I really liked. I thought it was awesome that Berlin was actually on the cover. I know I'm such a dork.

On our way to another sad reminder of Germany’s past we ended up getting off the metro at the wrong stop and we ended up at Gendarmanmarkt. This is a square surrounded by the Konzethaus and the French and German Cathedrals. The center of the Gendarmenmarkt has a statue of Germany’s poet Friedrich Schiller. The square was created by Johann Arnold Nering at the end of the 17^th Century as the Linden-Market. It was reconstructed by Georg Christian Unger in 1773. The Gendarmenmarkt is named after the cuirassier regiment Gens d’Armes, which was deployed at this square until 1773. But around Christmas time this square holds the biggest Christmas Market in Berlin, WeihnachtsZauber. And on Christmas I was able to take part in this lovely Berlin Tradition. I had thought that Christmas Markets were only open before the actual day of Christmas, but it seems this is a huge crowd pleaser every year and this year was no different. It was packed with tourists and Berliners alike.

We were very surprised to see the market when we got off the metro instead of a memorial

This poster is pretty much right on with what the market actually looks like

I saw the sign and knew I couldn't pass up some Glühwein. It is so freakin delicious.

It was a steep price for the wine but only because I got to keep the mug!

Some nice Christmas music while I drank.

I loved that the market was surrounded by all the beautiful historical buildings and the famous statue rightin the middle of the square.

Then we continued with our slightly depressing tour of Berlin to The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (in German: Denkmal für die ermondeten Juden Europas), more commonly known as the Holocaust Memorial. It was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. Building began on April 1, 2003 and was finished on December 15, 2004. It is 19,000 square meters (4.7 acres) site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs (or stelae) arranged in a grid patterned on a sloping field. The stelae are 7ft 10in long, 3ft 1in wide and vary in height from 8in to 15ft 9in. According to Eisenman’s project text, the stelae are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

This picture looks like something that is computer generated, but this is what it looks like from the outside. You can almost feel the eeriness in the pictures while I was walking through the memorial.

I would say that it does a good job of giving you that feeling as you walk in between all the stelae. I felt very uncomfortable while walking through the memorial. Let’s just say we didn't stay very long.

After we left the memorial we walked back to Under den Linden (the famous avenue) and we went and got a coffee. I sat next to this giant coffee cup and really wanted to sit in it, but I thought that might be frowned upon, so I just took a picture of it instead.

Berlin was a city that I would love to go back to someday. It was so full of culture and history. Lot of it was definitely sad, but all of it was powerful.

Cathedrals, Museums, and TV Towers

Cathedrals, Museums, and TV Towers

On our second day in Berlin we did more exploring of the historic sites. I believe that you could stay in Berlin for weeks and still not see all the history it has to offer. 

First, we saw St. Marien Church is the second-oldest church in Berlin and the only medieval church that still holds regular services. Construction began in 1270 and after a fire in 1380 it was restored almost entirely back to its original design. It was a gorgeous church. I mean in the distance you can see other historic buildings, but it seemed like it just didn’t quite fit in. It was pretty cool though because there were people going into the church for a service. 

We realized that we somehow missed the giant Fernsehturn (TV Tower). We went back to take in the giantness up close. But we decided against going up in the tower to see Berlin from the top. It was built between 1965 and 1969 by the German Democratic Republic. It is the tallest structure in all of Germany. (They say this makes it easy to find, but I think only from a distance) It is 1,207 feet tall including the antenna. It is pretty cool. You really can spot it from anywhere in Berlin except when you right next to it because it is so tall. 

Then we saw the Rotes Rathaus  (Red Town Hall). This is the town hall of Berlin that is home to the mayor and government of Berlin. The building was built between 1861 and 1869. It was actually modeled after the town hall in Poland. The building was damaged during World War II. Many of the buildings of East Berlin were damaged during the war. The Town Hall was rebuilt between 1951 and 1956. 

Then we walked through the Alexanderplatz (Alexander Plaza). This square was an experiment in socialist urban aesthetics in the 1970’s. The square houses the World Time Clock, a continually rotating installation that shows the time around the globe. There was a cute Christmas Market in it. But because it was Christmas Eve unfortunately it closed early and we couldn’t enjoy any of the Christmas goodies. 

We walked over to Museumsinsel (Museum Island). This is the name given to the northern half of an Island in the Spree River in Berlin. It is home to 5 museums internationally significant museums all of which are part of the Berlin State Museums. But on the way we saw the site of the 1st Synagogue in Berlin. It has been destroyed and in its place there is a memorial. 

Just chillin with a bench man at the memorial

The first museum we saw on Museum Island was the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery). It houses Berlin’s collection of Neoclassical, Romantic, Biedermeier, Impressionist, and early Modernist artwork from the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries. But I personally think the building a lone is art. Also, the grounds around the buildings were gorgeous. 

Also, I thought this sculpture was super cool. It was right next to the Museum. 

The next building we went and looked at is definitely one of the most famous buildings in Berlin. The Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) is an evangelical church on Museum Island. The cathedral was built between 1745 and 1747 and is the largest church in Berlin. It is used for church services, concerts, and other events. The cathedral was damaged by a bomb during WWII and was reconstructed in 1975. However it wasn’t reopened until 1993 because the interior reconstruction wasn’t completed until then. 

The view from Museum Island.

We wandered on to go hang out with Marx and Engels. This is one of the most famous statues in Berlin. The park that the statue is housed in was created by the former German Democratic Republic in 1986. The statue represents the failure of Communism. 

We walked past another Christmas Market before heading in for the night. Berlin really is a beautiful place.