Today, Germany’s capital city is a vibrant metropolis rushing unabashedly towards the future, with an enviable cultural and artistic scene. But history still abounds in Berlin, and any visit here is shaped by the complicated legacy of Nazi and Soviet rule. With etr, you and your students will explore Berlin’s thriving present and torturous past, investigating history, art and culture at the heart of a reunited Germany. It was Lenin who once said "Whoever controls Berlin controls Germany and whoever controls Germany controls Europe" and the complex narrative of Nazi and Soviet history unfolds as we wander through Berlin’s diverse neighborhoods, on foot or by bicycle. We pause under the magnificent Brandenburg Gate, stop by the Checkpoint Charlie Museum to explore the history of the Berlin wall, and tour the “Gedenkstätte” memorial, a former detention center where the Soviet police punished political prisoners. In Potsdam, we step inside the Wannsee House Memorial Site, where senior SS officers laid plans for their “Final Solution” to deport and murder Europe’s Jews. At nearby Cecilenhof, we walk in the footsteps of Stalin, Churchill, and Truman, who met here in 1945 to negotiate the end of WWII.
We may also take a train to Oranienburg, site of Germany’s first concentration camp, to tour the grounds and memorial. Back in Berlin, we delve into the enigmatic and repressive system of the DDR’s secret police with a lecture by and discussion with experts and then venture below the streets for a special “Unterwelten” tour that sheds light on the secretive history of WWII and Cold War underground movements. Finally, we pause at Peter Eisenman’s sobering Holocaust Memorial to honor the memory of the millions lost.
The richness of Berlin’s historical monuments is equaled only by its fantastic art scene, which combines the great tradition of the masters with the latest in cutting-edge design. The Deutsche Guggenheim is Berlin’s premier home for modern and contemporary art, and we have time to enjoy the permanent and rotating collections before heading on to the Gemäldegalerie. Here, masterworks by Albrecht Dürer, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Vermeer show us more than a textbook ever could about perspective, line and shade. More modern and contemporary art is on display at the Hamburger Banhhof, a former railway station where timetables and route maps have been replaced by Warhols and Lichtensteins. The East Side Gallery, the 1.6 kilometer colorfully painted section of the Berlin Wall, is next before we venture to the Museum für Fotografie to enjoy images by famous and up-and-coming photographers, who may inspire us to improve our own snapshots. Should there be musicians in the group, a visit to the Musical Instruments Museum will provide insight into the evolution of European music from the 16th to the 20th century. Finally, we stop by the Museum Island Complex, home to a dizzying array of artwork with collections ranging from the prehistoric age, through Egyptian times, and up to the modern era. Nefertiti, anyone?
We do hope that we have given you an idea of some of the possibilities which make up our Berlin programs. But with a city this large, diverse and ever changing, you’ll need an operator with the experience to custom design your program and make the most of your time…and with 20 years leading groups around the capital, we’re just the ones to do it.
etr customized educational travel programs since 1990.
