This trip dates from May 2012, when I visited both Berlin for 3 days and Warsaw for 2 days. Not just because of the proximity of both capitals (approximately 5 hours by train), but also because both cities had a historical and spiritual path somehow linked to each other. From the Nazi regime, to the World War II and the Hollocaust, one has inflicted tremendous pain on the other, while Berlin had its own share of atrocities and suffer too during the Cold War. Despite the modernity, progress and total restructure of both cities, they still carry the wounds of the past, and haunted by a distressful memory which went hidden, but never forgotten. I am personally fascinated by the history and heroic stories of people struggling for freedom without giving up. So if you are sharing the same interests too, this trip is perfect for you.
Day 1: Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz
I booked a Hotel in the quiet Bellevue area in Berlin which is, nevertheless, within a walking distance from the main attractions. The Motel One is a German three stars hotel chain, which is very comfortable, clean, moderate prices and a modern furnishing and a cheerful Turquoise theme. So I would recommend you check their hotels in whichever German city you might visit in the future.
I took a lovely relaxing walk through the Spree River and across the Tiergarten Park, the biggest park in Berlin covering almost the center of the city. I arrived at the 17 June a wide avenue where you will come across the Soviet War Memorial (a large statue and two soviet tanks) to commemorate the 80 thousands soldiers of the Red Army who lost their life during the Berlin Battle at the end of the WWII.
As you keep walking till the end of the street, you will reach the Brandenburg Gate, the most symbolic monument of Germany and a witness of the tumultuous history of the city. Here is where the East and West of Germany were separated, and the Gate was standing just isolated in between. As you look right, you can also see the building of the US Embassy. The Berlin Wall was crossing just in front of the Gate and after its construction; the Brandenburg Gate was totally inaccessible till 1989. Nothing is really left from the wall in this area. Today it is full of tourists, and from the other side of the Gate you can have a passport stamp as a souvenir from the communist regime which used to control the Eastern part of the city.
I took a lovely relaxing walk through the Spree River and across the Tiergarten Park, the biggest park in Berlin covering almost the center of the city. I arrived at the 17 June a wide avenue where you will come across the Soviet War Memorial (a large statue and two soviet tanks) to commemorate the 80 thousands soldiers of the Red Army who lost their life during the Berlin Battle at the end of the WWII.
As you keep walking till the end of the street, you will reach the Brandenburg Gate, the most symbolic monument of Germany and a witness of the tumultuous history of the city. Here is where the East and West of Germany were separated, and the Gate was standing just isolated in between. As you look right, you can also see the building of the US Embassy. The Berlin Wall was crossing just in front of the Gate and after its construction; the Brandenburg Gate was totally inaccessible till 1989. Nothing is really left from the wall in this area. Today it is full of tourists, and from the other side of the Gate you can have a passport stamp as a souvenir from the communist regime which used to control the Eastern part of the city.
Continue to the right of the Gate. As long as you walk all along the Ebert Street small plaques with descriptions and stories from the Nazi regime. All you will find is very strange monument. It looked very depressive for me at the beginning, like tombs in different shapes and heights, where people were scrolling in between like a Labyrinth. It was till later that I discovered it's the Holocaust Memorial dedicated to the murdered Jews of Europe. Despite its ugly and dull look, and lack of artistic sense, I think the designer was really smart in generating the right emotions for whoever passes by: It makes you feel uncomfortable, lost and deceived. A way to never forget the lesson.
Then you will reach Potsdamer Platz, one of the oldest and main squares of Berlin, crossed by the Wall as well. But not anymore. It is now packed with very modern and high buildings covered with glass. At the square metro station you can already see a small exhibition of fragments of the wall. Don't miss the Sony Center, one of the biggest of the world, and beautifully designed.
Conclude this Nazi tour by visiting the Topography of Terror Museum, few meters away from the Potsdamer. This outdoor museum is at the Headquaters of the Gestapo (The Nazi secret police). It chronicles the war crimes and torture of the Nazi regime. Beside it is the Hitler's Bunter. This is were Hitler and Eva Braun were hiding during the last weeks of the war, till they committed suicide.
Then you will reach Potsdamer Platz, one of the oldest and main squares of Berlin, crossed by the Wall as well. But not anymore. It is now packed with very modern and high buildings covered with glass. At the square metro station you can already see a small exhibition of fragments of the wall. Don't miss the Sony Center, one of the biggest of the world, and beautifully designed.
Conclude this Nazi tour by visiting the Topography of Terror Museum, few meters away from the Potsdamer. This outdoor museum is at the Headquaters of the Gestapo (The Nazi secret police). It chronicles the war crimes and torture of the Nazi regime. Beside it is the Hitler's Bunter. This is were Hitler and Eva Braun were hiding during the last weeks of the war, till they committed suicide.
Day 2: The Berlin Wall Memorial, the Parliament and Checkpoint Charlie
No visit to Berlin is complete without visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial located in Bernauer Street, or what was called the No Man's Land. Today it becomes an open exhibition with most of the wall, towers and buildings preserved as they were from the time of the division. Some appartment buildings served to demark the borders, and people used to jump from the windows in order to escape to the Western part. Photos of victims are all over the place: young, children and women who failed the attempt to escape. An old Gothic Church, the Church of Reconciliation was once standing in the No Man's Land but then demolished by the Eastern Germany regime. Today a new one was reconstructed in the same place. The Chapel of Reconciliation is an oval shaped construction covered with wood, dedicating everyday prayers for the souls of the victims.
No visit to Berlin is complete without visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial located in Bernauer Street, or what was called the No Man's Land. Today it becomes an open exhibition with most of the wall, towers and buildings preserved as they were from the time of the division. Some appartment buildings served to demark the borders, and people used to jump from the windows in order to escape to the Western part. Photos of victims are all over the place: young, children and women who failed the attempt to escape. An old Gothic Church, the Church of Reconciliation was once standing in the No Man's Land but then demolished by the Eastern Germany regime. Today a new one was reconstructed in the same place. The Chapel of Reconciliation is an oval shaped construction covered with wood, dedicating everyday prayers for the souls of the victims.
From the other side of the street you can visit the documentation center with rich information about the history of the wall, interesting photos and stories of the propaganda machine of the Communist regime in East Germany. For instance, very few photos about the construction of the wall were published in the soviet press, with the aim to reflect a peace loving socialism, but the Wall itself was never shown in the media. From the top floor of the center you can have a panoramic view of the area.
The last sites to visit is the Ghost Station, or the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn. Trains passing by this station were mainly transporting West Berliners from one station in West Berlin to another, but prohibited from stopping in this station which was totally deserted and guarded by soldiers for 28 years.
As you leave the memorial site, you will encounter on the way other heartbreaking stories. For instance, you will find the memorial Günter Litfin by the river, who apparently tried to escape by swimming. He was shot and killed becoming the first victim of shots fired at the border between East and West Berlin, just 10 days after the building of the Wall.
The last sites to visit is the Ghost Station, or the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn. Trains passing by this station were mainly transporting West Berliners from one station in West Berlin to another, but prohibited from stopping in this station which was totally deserted and guarded by soldiers for 28 years.
As you leave the memorial site, you will encounter on the way other heartbreaking stories. For instance, you will find the memorial Günter Litfin by the river, who apparently tried to escape by swimming. He was shot and killed becoming the first victim of shots fired at the border between East and West Berlin, just 10 days after the building of the Wall.
One of the attractions you should not miss is the German Parliament, which has two buildings the old historical Reichstag, the historical seat of the legislative power of the German Empire. Today only the facade remains, after the huge destruction during the WWII. An adjacent modern, glass building was constructed after the fall of the wall: The Bundestag, now the seat of the current parliament. As you come in front of the Reichstag, notice the white crosses installed one after the other? It's a memorial sites put by individuals from West Berlin 10 years after the construction of the wall, to commemorate the victims at this specific point where the outer wall met the river bank.
To wrap up your Cold War day, don't forget to go and take a photo with Charlie. Featuring in many American movies and novels, Checkpoint Charlie was the only crossing point between the East and the West. A very symbolic site of the Cold War, where American and Soviet tanks were facing each other after an American diplomat has been denied a visa. You can still see the sign "You are now leaving the American sector", and Charlie himself standing beside the booth, greeting them and posing for photos :)
Day 3: Museums Island and Berlin Cathedral
So today is the main reason why I decided to visit Berlin at first place. To see the Lady of All Women, the Sweet of Love, Nefertiti. I was very flattered to see that the main and most visited museum in Berlin is called the Egyptian Museum. Located on an island together with other museums, it attracts thousands of people each day, so try to get there as early as possible as the queue gets really long. Unfortunately the Head of Nefertiti is inside a very well protected and supervised room, where photos are not allowed. However, the museum includes a very wide collection of amazing Pharaonic statues, tombs, stones and jewelries.
So today is the main reason why I decided to visit Berlin at first place. To see the Lady of All Women, the Sweet of Love, Nefertiti. I was very flattered to see that the main and most visited museum in Berlin is called the Egyptian Museum. Located on an island together with other museums, it attracts thousands of people each day, so try to get there as early as possible as the queue gets really long. Unfortunately the Head of Nefertiti is inside a very well protected and supervised room, where photos are not allowed. However, the museum includes a very wide collection of amazing Pharaonic statues, tombs, stones and jewelries.
As you exit the museum, still on the island, you will find one of the most beautiful Neo-Renaissance Cathedral you will ever see. The Berlin Cathedral is a Protestant one, and was considered as the counterweight of the Catholic Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Just behind, you will find the most visible landmark of Berlin, seen throughout many areas in the city. It's the TV Tower built by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in the 60s and is now a symbol of the German capital.