Hi folks... before anyone jumps on me I%26#39;m not trying to be insensitive. I am however heading to Berlin in 3 weeks and I have a fascination of WWII history. I will be doing all the usual tourist spots but I%26#39;d also be interested in seeing any WWII historical sites. I understand that most structures were destroyed both during and after the war but does anyone have any tips of spots to hunt for...
many thanks travellers,
Sean
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This is not an obscene question (at least, not if your motives for going there are historical...).
In any case, there are plenty of sites to see in the city:
- Nazi architecture: the Olympic Stadium, the Tempelhof Airport, government buildings on Wilhelmstrasse
- Bunkers: there is an association called Berliner Unterwelten and they do underground tours to air-raid shelters and bunkers
- Many other Third Reich sites are covered in the Insider Tours Third Reich Tour, and I highly recommend you%26#39;d take it, especially (but not only) if Nigel or Nadav are the guides.
- There are several sites linked to the Nazi oppression system and to the Holocaust: the %26quot;Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe%26quot; and the memorials for other group persecuted by the Nazis; the Sachsenhausen Concentreation Camp Memorial
We also have a forum member here, xxrrttyy, who is a real %26quot;battle of Berlin%26quot; buff, and can tell you of more places outside Berlin or in the outskirts. It really depends on how long you%26#39;ve got to explore the city - just yesterday I happened to visit a friend at a far away hospital (Waldkrankenhaus in Spandau, it is really at the end of the universe known to mankind) and apparently, the place served the Nazis for slave-labourers who were supposed to build %26quot;Germania%26quot;; and there is also a memorial there. Another example: next to my house, not a very %26quot;touristy%26quot; area, there is a bunker.
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You also have the %26quot;Topography of Terror%26quot; site. It is just down from checkpoint Charlie. The foundations of the SS/Gestapo- can%26#39;t remember which one- still remain and they have noticboards all down the side in both English and German giveing an excellent history of this side of the Third Reich. I spent a good hour reading and looking at it recently. Beside it is a small stretch of remaining Berlin Wall- after the souverier hunters had hacked at it to take little bits away.
They are currently building a new interpretive centre. Allow yourself an hour or 2 at %26quot;The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe%26quot;. I can%26#39;t remember if the audio guide comes with addmission or not. If it doesn%26#39;t it is the perfect companion for investigating the information centre located under the field of cement pillars
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I just returned from a trip to the Berlin area that was heavily focused on Second World War/Third Reich related sites. I will provide just a short list below, and you may feel free to contact me for more information either directly or by posting again on this forum: I accumulated a lot of info that might be of assistance to you.
*Wilhelmstrasse: The Nazi gov%26#39;t district. Along here is the %26quot;Topography of Terror%26quot; open-air exhibit, Goring%26#39;s Air Ministry, there are information signs (German %26amp; English) along the street where various buildings stood, etc.
*Wannsee Conference House: Site of the infamous Heydrich meeting that planned the %26quot;Final Solution%26quot; (Holocaust). Very worthwhile. And nearby is the *Luftwaffe Museum.
*Reichstag: Well worth a visit regardless of your WW2 interests, but the interior walls have lots of graffiti left by Red Army soldiers, combat damage, etc. Get there early, there%26#39;s a long queue.
*Moltke Bridge: Some of the last resistance in Berlin occurred here as the Germans tried to hold the bridge and the Soviets tried to force it.
*Humboldthain Flak Tower. Partially buried in rubble after the war, on its north side most of this enormous concrete edifice is visible and the view from the top (quite a climb) is incredible.
*Anhalter Bahnhof: The ruined portico of this once-elegant station remains, and beyond it the vast Anhalter air raid bunker.
*Bendlerblock: Wehrmacht Berlin HQ and center-stage in the 20 July plot to kill Hitler. Contains a museum on German resistance.
*German History Museum (Zeughaus): Covering many centuries on German history, but the sections on the 20th century are very good. Plenty of exhibits for you on your preferred topics. Next door is *Neue Wache, the old guard house, which is the German memorial to victims of war and genocide.
*Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church: In west Berlin, still in ruins after RAF bombs hit in in 1943, the church stands as a memorial.
*Deutsch-Russische Museum: Scene of the surrender on 8 May and now a museum.
*Soviet Memorials: One just west of the Brandenburg Gate and another, larger one in Treptow.
*Doubtless a lot more in Berlin that I am forgetting at the moment.
Now outside Berlin .......
*Seelow Heights: Scene of the last big battle of the European war. Seelow is a nice town about 90 minutes east of Berlin, and contains a small, but very good museum to the battle. Also there is a large memorial to the Red Army. The area has numerous German and Russian military cemeteries.
*Reitwein: southeast of Seelow. Here you can visit the command post used by Zhukov %26amp; Chuikov, and the whole area is pockmarked with dugouts and trenches. A bit hard to find: I can provide instructions.
*Kustrin (now Kostrzyn, Poland): Only about 15 minutes east of Seelow. You can view the remnants of the old fortress from the German side of the Oder, but if you have time, cross the border into Poland and take a walk around. The massive complex was literally flattened in 1945 while under siege.
*Halbe: South of Berlin. Scene of the %26quot;Halbe Pocket%26quot; where the German 9th Army attempted to escape Soviet encirclement. The military cemetery there (the largest in Germany I believe) is a haunting place among the pine woods.
*Zossen: Wehrmacht%26#39;s underground HQ complex and used post-war by the Soviets. Not generally open except on selected days. I can provide contact info if you want it.
Well, that should get you started, anyway.
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Above is a recap of a response I provided to another person w/ your interests back in November 2007.
As others have noted, it really depends on how much time you%26#39;ve got, and how in-depth you%26#39;d like to pursue your interests.
For Third Reich sites around Mitte (city center) I would first suggest a walking tour that is specific to that topic: several companies offer them, and the frequency depends on time of year. Take a look at Insider Tours and Brewer%26#39;s Tours on the web; there%26#39;s one other highly-regarded company that I cannot think of at present, search this forum for feedback. Such tours are 3-4 hours and quite inexpensive. Then you can set off on your own.
You are right in that most of Berlin was a desolate wasteland by May 1945. But surprising bits remain. My post above provides some ideas, but is by no means all-encompassing. Will you have use of a car to travel outside the city? If so, get out to Seelow, etc. No problem if you don%26#39;t, though, as there%26#39;s plenty to see in the Berlin area by public transport. Feel free to post other questions, and to search this forum (try %26quot;ww2%26quot; or world war two%26quot;, etc.)
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You could also get hold of %26quot;Pastfinder Berlin 1933-45%26quot; which is a slim book (and a bit pricey for the size) but packed with info on the period and what%26#39;s left to see now.
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Hello my traveler friends. I must say that do love this site and I really appreciated all your kind feedback on my request. While this era in history was one which most people would rather forget I believe the opposite, this was a time no one should ever forget and the sacrifices that were made.
I thank you all for you help and I really look forward to experiencing what I%26#39;m sure is a beautiful city.
Kindest regards,
Sean
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I would love to know how you get on? I am heading off to Berlin at the end of March for similar reasons to yourself so thanks for instigating such a useful thread!
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