walk through history: The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany. photo: ap
In my high school Western history class, I struggled to remember dates and details. The horrors of World War II felt far away, and removed from my young life. But when I left to visit Berlin last month, I was in for an unforgettable experience.
Berlin was among the European cities most damaged during World War II. When the war ended in 1945, little of the German capital city remained intact, explained the interpreter accompanying me on my one-week stay in Germany.
While focusing in history class felt hard, my one-week trip to Germany, starting north in Berlin and ending south in Stuttgart, proved plenty engaging, enriching my knowledge and understanding of the place and its role in Western history.
FLYING START
still standing: The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church that faced extensive damage from a bombing raid during WWII. photo:xxx xxx
"I think a week isn't long enough to see all of my country, but it's a good start,'' said Georg Gafron, head of the political foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Thailand office. He was speaking to five Thai editors from Thai- and English-language newspapers invited to join the media study and dialogue trip to Germany last month.
Mr Gafron accompanied us from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport in Finland where we switched flights for Berlin Tegel Airport.
Everyone on the trip was given a travel guide covering hotels, restaurants, transport, shopping and main attractions for a host of German cities, including Berlin.
Mr Gafron said he wanted us to read up about the culture -- even learn some German words -- to make our time in Germany as meaningful as possible.
I told him I had taken several German language courses in my undergraduate years. The trip would be a great opportunity to practise my old listening and speaking skills.
We were lucky to travel business class on Finnair. As soon as our flight took off, I started reading my travel guide to pin down the attractions that I wanted to see.
Berlin is full of attractions for history buffs. There is the Holocaust Museum, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe near Brandenburg Gate, the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church and the Berlin Wall. Mr Gafron had scheduled all these places on our agenda.
We arrived at the Hotel Riu Plaza Berlin at 6pm. We went to our rooms separately to drop off our luggage, took a shower and reconvened in the hotel lobby shortly after.
Then we left for a walk, passing the famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the damaged spire of which stands today as a reminder of the devastation of WWII.
The original church, built in the 1890s, was heavily damaged in a 1943 bombing raid. The present structure we see today is a new church with a foyer and separate belfry, which were built between the years 1959 and 1963. The damaged spire was retained and its ground floor made into a memorial hall.
We spent half an hour snapping selfies by the church before heading back to the hotel.
According to my temperature app, it was -7 degrees Celsius outdoors. We weren't in Thailand any more.
EAST MEETS WEST
The next day, our trip started at 9am. We had plans to embark on a half-day sightseeing tour.
Amos R Helms, a coordinator at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, greeted our group in the lobby.
"Welcome, we appreciate you coming to see Berlin and other cities in Germany," he said. He introduced himself to each of us as we got ready for the tour.
He told us it was important to learn as much about German history and culture as possible to prepare us to meet with some leading think tanks later on in the stay.
While chit-chatting in the lobby, German-English tour guide Daniel Jeziorkowski swung by to pick us up. He was going to give us a breakdown of German history from World War II leading up to today. After a quick introduction, we piled into the van.
Our van first took us to the Berlin Wall. The tour guide explained that before the collapse of the wall in 1989, it stretched 155 kilometres long, dividing the West, occupied by the Allies -- the United States, Britain, and France -- and the East held by the Soviet Union.
The Cold War took place shortly after WWII and ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was marked by geopolitical tensions between powers in the Western Bloc (the US and its Nato allies), and the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its satellite states).
Berlin became occupied by Western Allies in 1945, but 1949 is widely seen as the year when the name West Berlin was adopted.
West Berlin was technically considered part of West Germany, although it was geographically surrounded by Soviet-controlled East Berlin and East Germany.
During the Cold War, West Berlin was seen by much of the world as an "island of freedom".
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and fell on Nov 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or East Germany, could now cross the border whenever they wanted.
That night saw ecstatic crowds swarm the wall.
Some walked freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks to hack away at the wall.
At the Berlin Wall, I saw swarms of tourists taking photos. Vendors sold postcards, key chains and other souvenirs that recalled the so-called Iron Curtain.
The graffiti is the wall's most unique feature. After the wall fell, people started to cover it in art, spreading messages of hope and freedom.
Mr Jeziorkowski said some parts of the wall were removed and delivered to museums, or grounded into materials for autobahns -- sometimes even sold off to tourists.
in remembrance: Photos of Jewish victims of the Holocaust at the Holocaust Museum, below. photo:xxx xxxwar relic: A bomb from World War II on display at the German National Museum of Contemporary History in Bonn, left. photo:xxx xxx
REALITY CHECK
From the Berlin Wall, the van continued to Checkpoint Charlie, the historic crossing point that once marked the border between East and West Berlin. The name was given to the site by the Western Allies.
Mr Jeziorkowski told us we had 20 minutes to take photographs with two tall men dressed as American soldiers safeguarding the checkpoint.
That seemed like plenty of time to take photos, but upon approaching the site, I realised there was a long queue of people waiting to take photos.
We changed our minds. We opted to buy some snacks and drinks, and forego the photo shoot.
East German leader Walter Ulbricht was first to ask for the Soviet Union's permission to construct the Berlin Wall in 1961 in order to stop people fleeing the Eastern Bloc.
Like the wall, Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the separation between the East and West. In the Berlin Crisis of 1961, US and Soviet tanks stood in a face-off at the checkpoint.
After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and reunification of Germany, Checkpoint Charlie rose to the ranks of one of the city's top tourist attractions.
That moment, standing at that checkpoint brought my old classroom teachings to life.
checking in: Two men dressed up as US soldiers stand at Checkpoint Charlie, once marking the border between East and West Berlin. photo:xxx xxx
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
In school, I learned about how Adolf Hitler initiated fascist policies in Nazi Germany, leading to WWII and the deaths of tens of millions of people, including six million Jews.
The devastation of the war and the horrors of the Holocaust instigated by Hitler were thoughtfully displayed at the Holocaust Museum, which we spent a few hours exploring.
The museum is located in the centre of Berlin. Construction of the building started on April 1, 2003, and was completed on May 12, 2005.
The exhibition featured diary entries, letters and final notes composed by those persecuted by Nazis. There were also photos of Jewish families, with lists of names and short biographies of those murdered or who went missing across Europe.
The exhibition starts with an overview of the Nazi terror policies from the 1933 to 1945, and narrates how their power spread across Europe, ultimately leading to the persecution of Jews in Europe.
The museum put on a praiseworthy display, acting as a reminder of WWII and the Holocaust to future generations that they should never repeat such mistakes.
place to pause: The Hotel Riu Plaza Berlin where the author stayed, right. photos: Anucha Charoenpo
THE REST IS HISTORY
When you think of Germany, you likely think of beer, castles and efficient transportation. You may even think of pretzels and sausage too.
But if my trip showed me anything, it's that there's so much more to the country, especially in terms of historical explorations.
I was able to befriend some Germans, as well as fellow Thai editors, while developing my understanding of Germany.
I enjoyed my trip a great deal, largely thanks to Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. It strengthened my passion for history in a way studying it in a classroom never quite could.
writing on the wall: The author poses by the Berlin Wall, right. After the wall fell in 1989, artists started to cover the wall with murals expressing messages of hope and freedom. photo:xxx xxxlead-in: Caption photos: Anucha Charoenpomemory maze: The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, above. photo: xxxxx xxxxxmapped out: A map showing the European cities attacked in WWII, above. Anucha Charoenpolocal lens: Georg Gafron, head of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Thailand office. photo: xxxxx xxxxx
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
