The Weight of Berlin

Of all the cities on our itinerary, I was most interested in going to Berlin. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm majoring in history with a research emphasis on the Holocaust. I believe that seeing and experiencing the places that one studies is important to giving one's research a deeper meaning and purpose. Visiting Berlin, the city where so many horrors of the Holocaust were planned and brought to life, brought a whole new perspective to the work I've done and the work I hope to do in the future. 

I found it difficult to separate the current city of Berlin from the events that happened there in the last century. Almost everywhere you turn is another reminder of the long, dark period in Germany's history. A plaque in the square between the Opera House and a Humboldt University building reminds those that walk past that a massive burning of books by Jewish, Communist, and other "un-German" authors occurred there in May 1933. The shell of a bombed out church forces passersby to remember that Berlin was once filled with rubble from frequent bombings. A narrow brick line serves as a reminder of the thick, deadly wall that once divided East and West Berlin. I could feel the weight of the city everywhere I walked. In looking at the Reichstag building, I could only think of previous Reichstag that's destruction in February 1933 allowed Hitler to consolidate his power and tighten his grasp on Germany. As I sat in the Berliner Philharmonie listening to the Philharmonic, I kept thinking about how the concert hall was built on the foundations of the building where the euthanasia program was planned, beginning their first mass murder targeted on those with disabilities. Even as I walked through the streets, I couldn't not think about the terror, arrests, and beatings that had no doubt plagued the same streets over 70 years ago. I could not escape imagining what horrors this city has seen. 

Despite all this, Berlin flourishes. It's really quite astounding to see how Berlin, and Germany as a whole, recovered after all the awful things that happened there in the twentieth century, from World War I to the long decades of divide between East and West. They have made sure to not shy away from the past, particularly the history of the Nazi regime. Museums and memorials are found throughout the city, recognizing the atrocities that happened there and, in doing so, vowing that they will never be forgotten. There were two museums that really struck me: the Topography of Terror Museum and the German Resistance Museum. The Topography of Terror is built on the foundations of the headquarters of the SS, the massive, "racially pure" protection squad led by Heinrich Himmler, and the rise of the Nazis and their crimes were clearly detailed in the exhibition. German Resistance Museum is located in one of the old government buildings. The square that you walk across to enter the museum is where some of the conspirators of the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler were executed. It was overwhelming to see the names, faces, and stories of all those who risked their lives to stand up to the injustices they saw happening in their country. May all those who suffered never be forgotten.

Pictures of Berlin, both related and unrelated to the topic of this post:

The Berliner Dom

The Brandenburg Gate

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

The Reichstag Building