I went to Berlin hoping to learn
how it has changed since the collapse of
Soviet controlled
East German government, the GDR,
in 1989.While most visitors are simply
looking for the
tourist sites, I was looking for
something more.
Having visited Leipzig just days
earlier, I had seen St. Nicholas Church near the city center and learned of the
“Peaceful Revolution” of October 1989 inspired there. It resulted in nonviolent demonstrations in Leipzig, in
Berlin, and in other GDR cities and the collapse of the Soviet controlled
government. Berlin was a divided city
for nearly 30 years and the Berlin Wall (the "Wall of Shame"
according to former mayor Willy Brandt) had symbolized the "Iron
Curtain" that separated the city and Germany. Today, only a small section of the wall
remains and its a graffiti art gallery.
The Berlin Wall Memorial is a
stark reminder of the division of Germany.
Located next to the former border, there is a piece of the Berlin Wall
next to the infamous border strip and watchtower. The facility shows how the
border facilities were constructed and imparts to the visitor a lasting
impression of the nation’s tragic division.
The Reconciliation Church was located at this site. It was blown up in
1985, as it stood right on the no man’s land “death strip”. After the fall of
the Wall, a Chapel of Reconciliation was erected and opened in 2000.
Victims of the Wall (more than
1,100) are regularly remembered during church services.
There are also several other
“Wall Memorials” in the city.
The Memorial to the Murdered
Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is located near the
Brandenberg Gate. It consists of nearly
five acres covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in
a grid pattern on a sloping field. According to the architect, 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. An underground information
center here has the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims.
The Jewish Museum Berlin, one of
the finest (and most recognizable) examples of contemporary architecture in the
city, was designed by Daniel Libeskind.
He has called it “Between the Lines”, a title that reflects the tensions
of German-Jewish history. The permanent
collection extends over 2,000 years of German-Jewish history.
Every Berliner over 40 years of
age can remember the years when the city was divided
and the Soviet Union controlled
East Berlin and East Germany. The DDR
Museum (GDR in English) here recalls life as it was for millions of Germans
during the years of the Soviet regime.
Visitors can see a furnished
apartment and a Soviet made car. The interactive exhibits demonstrate the many
pressures and limitations that made up everyday life under Soviet rule.
The Brandenburg Gate, erected
between 1788 and 1791, has been one of Berlin’s most important monuments for
over two hundred years. A former symbol of the divided city, it drew visitors
who would climb to an observation platform to glimpse of the world behind the
Iron Curtain which separated East from West Berlin, geographically and
politically.
I asked my guide what Berliners
thought following reunification. “Initially everyone was very pleased,” he
said. “Later, some from East Berlin missed the old system where most all of
their needs were provided for, and some West Berliners complained strongly
about the high cost of rebuilding East Berlin and East Germany.
Berlin has 170 museums (Museum
Island in the Spree river alone is the site of five internationally significant
museums) which makes it an impossible challenge to visit all.
However, American travelers will
no doubt appreciate The Kennedys Museum and The Ramones Museum. President Jack
Kennedy make a great impression on citizens when he visited here in 1963, at
the height of the Cold War, and made his famous quote “Ich bin ein Berliner.” The president and his family are remembered
at this museum. The Ramones were a punk
rock band from New York City. They had a
30 year career before retiring in 1996. The museum exhibits the impressive personal
collection of artifacts from a Berlin fan.
Berlin is blessed with some of
the world’s greatest architecture, both classic and contemporary. One could spend weeks just
exploring architectural
gems.
The baroque-style Hohenzollern
Palace, once the seat of German government was a landmark in the city since the
15th century, when the Prussian royal family began construction, until 1950,
when the GDR decided the war-ruined palace was a reminder of a decadent old
world and destroyed its remains.
In 1976, The Palast der Republik
was built. It housed not just the East German parliament (largely a ceremonial
body) but also a bowling alley, a disco, and other public space. In 1993, it
was torn down because it was riddled with asbestos, but critics argue that
asbestos problems in West Berlin were solved without demolishing buildings.
They believe a remnant of Cold-War politics was behind its demolition and the
neo-Hohenzollern palace construction project now in the works.
The question is when it might be
finished. The due date is 2013, but its budget still has to make up an 80 million
Euro shortfall in private (corporate) donations -- and 32 million Euro from the
city of Berlin, which was deeply in debt even before the current financial
crisis hit. For now the "Schlossplatz," or palace square, is empty,
and not all of Berlin will mind if it stays that way.
I had hoped to see the new
Berlin International Airport scheduled to open in June 2012, however, here to,
construction delays have pushed the opening back a full year. A good reason to return in 2013. Berlin is a fascinating city and I hope to
see more.
If you’re traveling to Berlin,
you should consider staying at Indigo Hotel, a new boutique hotel
well located in the old East
Berlin www.hotelindigoberlin.com . Owned by the same folks who own
Holiday Inn, it is very comfortable and has an excellent restaurant. When
planning your trip view www.visitberlin.de/en and www.germany.travel.com.
The DDR Museum remembers life in Berlin as it was under Soviet control from 1945 to 1990.
The Berlin Wall and “No Man’s Land” strip (looking into East Berlin) as it was before the fall of the GDR regime.
Brandenberg Gate was the dividing line between East and West Berlin for nearly 30 years.
Holocaust Memorial remembers the millions of European Jews who died under Nazi rule.
In 1989 Berliners demonstrate against the Wall and help bring down the Soviet backed government.
Olympic Stadium built by the Nazi government
for the 1936 Games now fully restored was the site of the World Cup Soccer
Championships in 2010.
James Weaver
GolfWiz Blog
Senior Travel Editor
