Recently some of the year 10/11 students visited the city of Berlin, Germany on a trip organised by the History department. The purpose of our visit was to give us an insight in to what life was like back in WW2 and the effects of Nazi Germany. 

After a long (but fun) coach trip we travelled by ferry from Dover to Calais, finally arriving in Berlin mid-afternoon the following day. Following a mad dash around the hotel we set off to see the Brandenburg Gate. Built in the 18th during the cold war, it was located right near the border between East and West Berlin. It became a symbol of a divided city and is now held as a monument for everyone to see. On our way back to the hotel we saw more of Berlin than intended due to getting lost! 

The following day we visited several places of interest starting with Sachenhausen concentration camp. The camp was built in 1936 just north of Berlin and was one of the most notorious death camps of the Nazi empire. The camp was possibly the most upsetting thing any of us had seen on our whole trip and it really made us realise just how horrific the conditions were for the people being held there.

Next on our itinerary was a trip to the Olympic Stadium which was completed in 1936. We were able to walk around inside the stadium and take some great photos of the vast structure.

We then moved onto Wannsee Villa where Hitler laid plans for the genocide of the Jews. This gave us lots of information about the conference he held there and many of us found this really interesting. 

Our final destination of the day was Potsdamer Platz which was once one of the busiest crossings ever and destroyed after the war. In 1998 it was re built and is now full of modern buildings. The main attraction of Potsdamer Platz is the shopping centre where we all got to spend a few hours spending our money. We were also able to see the parts of the Berlin Wall that are still standing. This was one of the main attractions of our trip.

The following morning we had yet another jam packed day starting with the Berlin underground bunker tour. Although we had a slight hiccup and were unable to see what we set out for, we were still given an underground tour focusing on the cold war. 

Next on the list was Stasi Prison. An infamous East German prison, the prison helped coordinate the detention and interrogation of the GDR’s political prisoners from 1951 to 1989. It made us all realize just how bad the conditions were in the cells and how awful the people there would have been treated, we also found out some people who had once been put in the prison there were now tour guides. 

Later that night we all went bowling and had a lovely time before embarking on another busy day!

During our last few hours we visited the Jewish Museum. It was an exhibition of the racial Jewish culture and told us all about how hard life was for the Jews during that time. 

We then saw Check Point Charlie, which focuses on the history behind the Berlin Wall and spent time at the Topography of Terror. This showed us the horrors of the Nazis and they terror they inflicted. 

Finally, after a little more shopping, we set off on the long bus and ferry journey home. We were all exhausted but happy and enjoyed our time there together, learning about just some of the things that took place in Germany during WW2.

Written by Lauren Mulcahy