Year 10 Berlin Trip

At the end of May, Year 10 History students visited Berlin!

Please see below a student account of the trip:

Berlin, a place full of history, our starting point after arriving was visiting the Brandenburg Gate. It is a symbol of both division and unity of when Berlin was split during the cold war. The statue at the top glistened whilst the sun shone on it, showing us that there is always hope when things go bad. We then went to the Potsdamer Platz, where the memorial to the Berlin wall was. We, as a group, spent time at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, The Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism and The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism. Our last history stop of the day was the Reichstag Dome, we had the opportunity to go into the dome and see the wonderful view of Berlin. As well as visiting historical places we also had time to explore Berlin and what its culture is. The food and the people were amazing, making us feel welcome.

On the second day we learned about the German resistance by a tour guide who explained who helped to take down the Nazi plans. The next place we went to was the Memorial centre where we paid our respects to the many who were killed. As we walked the streets of Berlin we came to Checkpoint Charlie, one of the few places where you could cross from the East of Berlin to the West of Berlin during the Cold War. The last historical place that we went to that day was the Jewish Museum. We had a tour of the museum, which showed us the history of what happened to the Jews. Visiting all of these places showed us how lucky we are that we do not have to go through this and have to be grateful for what we have whilst also remembering the past as it shows the possibility of what could happen. The last event of the day was free time where we had an opportunity to buy souvenirs and explore Berlin more.

On our third day we had a coach excursion to Sachsenhausen Memorial Camp where we had time to go and see the camp and reflect on what happened there. After going to the camp we went to the Olympic stadium where we had a tour of the stadium and the history behind it. Our next stop was the Topography of Terror, where we learned about how the Nazis went into power and what actions they took. We then went up the TV Tower and saw the beautiful view of Berlin where all the places we had been were to see. The sunset was happening at the same time from the top of the tower which made the view even better.

On the last day we went to the Berlin Wall Memorial where we had a chance to go around and see what the remains of the wall looked like. This gave us a chance to think about what it might have been like. We ended our trip there and went back home. The trip was a great opportunity for us to find out more about our past and think how lucky we are now. 

Smilte

Please see below a gallery of photos from the trip!