Berlin History Trip
GCSE Historians brought their learning to life with an edifying half term trip.
A group of Year 10 and 11 History students, who have been studying life in Germany (1919 – 1945) and the Cold War, spent a long weekend exploring Berlin’s museums, memorial sites and places of historical interest. Year 10 pupil, Asantewaa, reports back on the highlights of the experience:
‘We began with a walking tour of Berlin, which made me feel cold in a way that I have never felt before. My feet were freezing. Luckily, our lovely tour guide Eva was able to give us running commentary on Berlin’s history, which warmed me up a bit. One of my favourite things was the outdoor gallery filled with street art, and the famous Brandenburg Gate. While these seem to occupy completely opposing ends of a spectrum – one a place of artistic anti-establishment, the other a place of classical historical pride – I think that’s fitting. Berlin is a place where everything seems to mesh together, a city that has hundreds of layers because of its fraught past, but I think it gives it a beautiful quality. You can understand Berlin’s history simply by walking through.
We also went to the Reichstag and were treated to a digital tour which included facts about the Reichstag and Berlin itself. It was a beautiful building with a beautiful view. This was also one of our most walking heavy days, hopping on and off the very efficient German tube system. We didn’t bother with a coach, which was different to most trips, but gave us a chance to see more of the city.
The next day we went to Sachsenhausen, which was upsetting but necessary. I appreciated how our tour guide pulled no punches describing the horrors of the Holocaust, and it gave me insight that you can’t really understand from just learning about it in class. Going into the buildings and seeing the full scale of the brutality, along with the fact the SS officers lived just close by, cemented just how bad it was in my mind. Overall, despite the grim subject matter, the trip ultimately made me happy. Not because of what happened, but because of the care shown to the victims. Every museum, from the Palace of Tears displaying the terror of the Berlin Wall, to the absolutely beautiful Jewish Museum we visited on the final day, seemed designed to pay homage to the victims in such poignant ways. The Jewish Museum especially had such wonderful architecture that seemed so focused around remembrance. It all reminded me that the great tragedies of History can never be repaired, but they can be acknowledged and shared, so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.’
The great tragedies of History can never be repaired, but they can be acknowledged and shared, so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.