Berlin was one of the most important cities in one of the darkest episodes in human history, the World War II. Perhaps this is the reason why Berliners do not want to forget what happened, and the footprint remains in many buildings, where the impacts of bullets and other projectiles can still be seen. In Berlin, at every step, the black mark left in history by the Nazi regime is remembered. A city that does not allow itself to be forgotten and that, for this, takes advantage of each monument, each building and each document that has been left standing to remember everything that happened.
Let´s discover some of the places that were part of the scene of the crudest events in this history, they are all worth it. Seeing so closely, even feeling and knowing that in the same place where you are people died or lived the terror of war can be hard, but it is also of a big lesson. A trip to Berlin invites us to reflect on this disastrous and regrettable event. Travelling is also good for this: to reflect, observe and learn.
Underground Berlin
To the north of the city, next to the Humboldthain Park, is the entrance to the underground Berlin. The guides are very nice and have a great knowledge of what is down there, as well as what happened.
Although Hitler initially ensured that the German Luftwaffe would not let any other country bomb German cities, when German decline began in World War II, he began building bunkers in major cities, especially Berlin.
During the Underwelten Museum tours, a guide escorts visitors through the bowels of one of the more than 3,000 bunkers that were built in the German capital.
Going underground, you will be able to know how the bunkers were used during the war, who used them and how many people got into them during the last days of the conflict, as well as interesting and breathtaking stories that occurred between their concrete walls.
The humidity of the tunnels, the darkness, the bombardments on the city, a real madness that deserves to be visited.
Topography of terror
Near Postdamer Platz is the Topography of Terror exhibition, on Niederkichnerstrasse. This permanent exhibition rescues what happened in what was the headquarters of the fearsome Gestapo and the SS during Nazism. I will only say that the name is not exaggerated.
It was here that Hitler’s sordid security apparatus roamed for twelve years. Here opponents of the Nazi regime were brought to be interrogated for days, weeks and months. They were also tortured and in many cases executed.
It is worth going into the new building and seeing all the panels, stopping to read them and understanding a little more what happened there.
The block that houses the Museum of the Topography of Terror today is flanked by a long stretch of the original Berlin Wall.
As a curiosity, near the Topography of Terror is a white building, this belonged to the Ministry of Air, known as the Luftwaffe that we just mentioned.
Kaiser Wilhelm Church
If there is a curious and interesting “monument” in Berlin, and a “living” sample of what the Second World War meant and its bombings in urban centers, its destruction, the fear of civilians and death, this is the church Kaiser Wilhelm.
The Commemorative Church of Emperor William was built between 1891 and 1895 during the reign of his grandson William II. It was definitely conceived to be the largest of all the Lutheran churches in Germany.
The church was practically destroyed in one of the most violent bombings on Berlin during the Second War.
The bell tower that was bombed has not been rebuilt, but a modern bell tower was built next to it. You can visit the inside, but perhaps what is most important is the shocking image and memory of the miseries of war.
Today the entire architectural complex is part of the daily life of Berliners, and of the tourists who come to the city. The strange figure, which dominates the Berlin square, is the tower of the old church, of which only 68 meters remain of the 113 that it once had. It is affectionately called the Berlin Chopped Wheel.
Holocaust Memorial
This memorial is located between the Brandenburg Gate and Postdamer Platz, on Ebertstrasse.
The architect who designed it, Peter Eisenman wanted to create a place without order where human consciousness and reason were not present. Taking that into account, the feeling of anguish, the feeling of getting lost in a gray labyrinth is present if the visitor dives inside.
This place gave me chills, it was very moving. It manages to capture and leave a strong message.
Checkpoint Charlie
More related to the post World War II, Checkpoint Charlie, as its name suggests, was one of the main border crossings, to cross the wall, between the area controlled by the United States and the Soviet area.
This border crossing was the crossing point for officials from both sides, foreign and military. The civilians who tried to cross it were not all successful.
Checkpoint Charlie has a faithfully reconstructed little house, with some sacks filled with cement, and a large poster, where a Soviet soldier looks to the west and an American soldier to the east.
Tempelhof Airport
This airport was the symbol of the Nazi government, from where warplanes landed and took off.
Before the Second World War it became one of the most important airports in the world, with incredible traffic. This was due to the proximity to the city center.
Since its closure in 2008, little by little it has been turning into a park, the park of Berliners.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
The place of shame, of terror, of fear, of the greatest cruelty of the human being is a concentration camp, and Berlin also has its own, Sachsenhausen. It is located on the outskirts of Berlin, in Oranienburg. To get there, you have to take the metro and stop at the metro station of the same name, it takes about an hour. Once there, you can take a bus that runs every hour or you can walk, it takes just 20 minutes. When you enter through the front door, it can be read in German, Arbeit Macht Frei, (work will set you free). Initially this camp was designed to imprison political dissidents, and after a period of time some would come out, presumably rehabilitating themselves. But all of a sudden it became an earthly hell, there were several extensions, until it became a fairly large concentration camp.
