Berlin was hard, but important

The first couple of days in Berlin were heavy. On Monday we had about a 4 hour walking tour that provided a lot of interesting and important information about the history of Berlin, the people that have resided here, and Nazi reign in Germany. Before getting into the influence of Hitler and the Nazi’s, the tour guide gave us info on many well known buildings in the area, like the Berliner Dom and the Alte Nationalgalerie. He explained that many of those that designed these buildings gained inspiration from already existing buildings in other areas of the world. For example, the Berliner Dom was designed based off of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, and the Alte National Gallery off of the Parthenon in Greece. Once again I was amazed at the architectural design in these two buildings and the many other surrounding all throughout Berlin.

 Alte Nationalgalerie (and Brett)

Berliner Dom (and our tour guide)

Further on into the tour, our guide lead us to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which we were able to walk through for a few minutes. From the outside it looked like an interesting piece of art, a little ominous, but nowhere near as emotional as expected. As I took a few steps into the memorial, I felt curiosity in what I was about to experience, but the further in I went, the more I felt like I was in a maze, and the more anxious I felt, which was strange because everywhere I turned was an exit out, all far away, but still there. It was definitely a strange experience, feeling like what I'd just walked into was much more than it seemed, something inescapable, not knowing who or what would turn the corner or pass me by. It was a very sobering experience, not something to be taken lightly. On the sidewalk outside of the memorial were instructions explaining that the memorial should be walked through slowly, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else. This was not only due to respect for what the memorial represented, but because I couldn't distance myself or detach myself from focusing on the importance of the memorial or just feeling (On a separate day I went back to walk through it again since we only had a few minutes the first time, and aside from my own thoughts and at times silence, all I could hear were screams of kids running through and playing what sounded like Marco Polo). Something that our tour guide told us that really resonated with me was that this memorial was not finished until it has been walked through, which I completely agree with. Surface level, it is effective in getting across that so many people were affected by the terror that occurred, but it is really so much more than that, and not something that can be felt or understood without also walking through and taking time to feel, whatever it is the memorial might make you feel. If anyone ever has the chance to go to Berlin in the future, please walk through this memorial, and take your time (And, look at the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism, which is right across the street, and the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism).

 Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (outside)

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (inside)

 Memorial  to the Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism

Tuesday was another full day of information about the Holocaust. By 11am we’d begun our tour through the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Oranienburg. Immediately upon walking into the camp I could feel the emotion and weight I felt while walking through the memorial the day before, but on a much higher level, it felt so much more real. Rather than being closely surrounded by large slabs of concrete towering over me, I was instead surrounded by multiple lookout towers along the inner perimeter of the camp. Either way I felt I was still being watched, with places to go and space to move around, but the feeling of being trapped remained. Being in a real concentration camp was much different than just standing inside of a room reading information about the Holocaust or seeing pictures of those affected by it or involved in it. I couldn't stop thinking about how cold I was, too. It was probably around 30 degrees (Fahrenheit) that day, and we were told that those in the camp suffered weather below zero in essentially nothing but pants and a shirt, and I was covered in layers of clothing, wool socks, a beanie, and a scarf. I could not even begin to imagine the emotions these people were feeling, and the fear they experienced here, at one of the many camps in Europe (I'm not including any pictures of the camp here because I couldn't bring myself to take any).

It’s been interesting to learn about the sociopolitical climate that many great musicians and composers have been living and working through the past 100 years or so, and even during the lifetimes of greats like Bach and Mozart. While the music world continued to grow and flourish, the lives of those affected by Nazi rule were ending, tragically.  

While learning about the world of music has been really fun, it’s also extremely important to learn about the events that took place in the cities we’ve visited and be aware of the history that is embedded there, both in connection with this class and separate from it.