German History Educational Travel

BERLIN

 

The city of Berlin has a remarkable history. Once the capital of Prussia and centre of the Weimar Republic, the city was partially destroyed during the Second World War, then split between the victorious allies. Governed by Soviet Russia, the city became divided by the barrier to 'Western Imperialism', the Berlin Wall.

For 28 years the city suffered until the destruction of the wall in 1989. Berlin is once again capital of a united Germany and an important centre of growth. The Brandenburg Gate, once an integral part of the Berlin Wall, is now the symbol of a free metropolis. Many historical sights have been preserved which offer students of history a deeper insight into Germany's past. Study units involving visits to museums and memorials, combined with a wide range of cultural and leisure activities, makes Berlin the perfect base for your history tour. The city is constantly changing and visitors will experience the contrast of old and new which so characterizes Berlin.

The Third Reich Tour

This covers the New Synagogue and the ‘Topography of Terror’ in the centre of Berlin, then a visit to the House of the Wannsee Conference on the outskirts of Berlin. The Sachsenhausen Concentration camp can be also be visited as well as the Olympic Stadium, the site of the 1936 Olympic Games.

Highlights

Topography of Terror Holocaust memorial and centre Olympic Stadium Postsdam

New Jewish Synagogue Sachsenhausen Wannsee Conference villa Reichstag

The Cold War Tour

The site to visit on the outskirts of Berlin are Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945, and the Allied Museum, which tells the story of the Allied Occupation of Berlin from 1945 to 1994. In Berlin itself, visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Berlin Wall Memorial and Museum and the Stasi Headquarters. Other places of interest include the Glienicke Bridge, across which spies were exchanged between East and West, and the Marienfelde Refugee Centre, which tells the story of German refugees fleeing from East to West.

Highlights

-- Berlin-Hohenschonhausen Memorial Foundation. Since 1945 this has been the central place of detention for political prisoners in the Soviet Occupation Zone & the GDR. Former political prisoners explain the history and show visitors around.

Allierten Museum Checkpoint Charlie Museum Marienfelde Refugee Centre

Former H Q Stasi in Lichtenberg Wall Documentation Centre Wall Memorial STASI Exhibition