Memorials,
part 2
Berlinis full of places to remindusthehistory of thecity, to neverforgetthedarkdays and thehard times of thisland. WecontinueourBerlin City Tour discoveringamazinglocations and wonderfulstories, nowwewilltravel in time visitingthemostincrediblesmemorials of Berlin.
YourPrivate Tour Guidewilltakeyou to one of themostimportant dates of themodernhistory. Ontheevening of May 8th 1945, theGermanssigntheunconditionalsurrender.
The German-RussianMuseum in theKarlshorstdistrict (former East Berlin) explores theSecondWorldWar and itsconsequencesfromtheperspective of bothcountries. Italso looks at relationsbetweenGermany and Russiafrom 1917 through to the 1990s. See 1,000 square metres of exhibitionspacefilledwith a selection of militaria, propaganda and everydayobjectswhichbringsthelives of soldiers and civiliansoneachsidevividly to life.
Thefirstthingyouseewhenenteringthemuseum'sgroundsis a Soviet T34 tank. Inside, thedisplaystellthestory of the Nazi regime'sattempts to exterminatethe USSR, and you can learnabouttheoccupationfromboth Soviet and German perspectives. Theextensivephoto archive and Soviet propaganda mapswilltransportyou back to the 1940s, focusingontheeverydaylives of Soviet prisoners of war. Itemsfromthebattlefrontbringtheexperience to life: weapons, mines, uniforms and military medical objects. Themuseumisdesigned to shock, withdetails of thedeath and plannedstarvation of millions of Soviets. The tour highlightisthemagnificentdiningroom in theofficers' messwherethesurrenderwassigned. Newsreelfootage shows theevents in the spot whereithappened.
TheHolocaustisone of thedarkestchapters of history. Thesite of whatisnowthe Sachsenhausen memorial centre wasone of thebiggestconcentrationcampson German territoryfrom 1936 to 1945. The T Buildinghousedthe central administration office foralltheconcentrationcamps. Thepart of the camp known as the "Zone of Interest", alongwithmanyauxiliarycamps, housedaround 200,000 inmateswhowereenslaved and exploited as forcedlabourby local industry. Severaltens of thousands of prisonersdied as a resulttheinhumaneworking and living conditions and the brutal treatment, orweregassed, shotorsubjected to medical experiments. The memorial centre isan open place of learning. Ratherthaneverythingbeing in one place, you can walkaroundthe original locations, thehuts, thecells and theadministrative centre, and findoutabouttheconcentration camp.
Ontheeastside of Berlinwestillfindmany places thatremindusthe soviet ocupation. Insidethecalm and beautifulTreptower Park isthe Soviet War Memorial, thebiggest in Germany (7000 soldiers of the Red Army are buried in). Dedicatedon 8 May 1949 - exactlyfouryearsafterthesecondwarended - thecemetery of honourthrough a largetriumphalarchframedbytalltrees and lushgreengrass. Anavenue of weepingwillowstakesyoupasttwoflagscarvedfrom red granite. Behindthem, fivelawns and eightsarcophagi are arranged. Thelawnssymbolisethecommunal graves. The actual cemetery of thesoldiers of the Red Armyisbehindthesarcophagi, undertheplanetrees. Thecentrepieceisthemausoleumon a hill, toppedbythestatue of a Soviet soldier, carrying a child in onearm and restinghisswordon a shatteredswastika.
Withyourprivate tour guide in Berlinyouwill be there. NotfarfromCheckpoint Charlie (threestationswiththe U6 subway line, directionAlt-Mariendorf) wefindTheAirlift Memorial (Platz der Luftbrücke). WhenGermanywasdividedaftertheend of theSecondWorldWar, West Berlinwascompletelysurroundedbythe Soviet Sector and cut off fromtheAlliedSectors. Afterconstantdisagreementswiththeotheroccupyingpowers, and probably in response to the unilateral currencyreform, the Soviets cut off allroad and riveraccess to Berlinon 24 June 1948. The western sectorswere no longeraccessibleby normal transportroutes.
TheLuftbrückendenkmal at theformer TempelhofAirport commemoratesthe time whenbombersbroughtfood and supplies to West Berlin. Anaircraftlandedeverythree minutes in formerTempelhofAirport, almost 280,000 flightsduring 322 daysbetween 1948 and 1949, allroads to West Berlinwereblocked - theonlyway in and outwastheairlift.
In order to have a Private tour guide in Berlinthisis a recomendationwhatwehave.
Thebestway to explore thecityiswith a privateguide, to makehistory come to life and show theunknown places.
https://www.guidesofberlin.com/great-day-berlin-private-guide-full-day-sights-beyond/