While Berlin embraces its history, it adapts to modern times – adopting a liberal perspective even as its culture perseveres.
An essential experience is a visit to the Story of Berlin exhibit. This enticing time traveller’s tour takes you from its medieval origins to the present. Displayed in a multimedia format on three floors, 25 theme rooms depict different epochs or historical events.
Passing through a heavy steel door, we found ourselves entering the darkest chapter of the city. Walking over the spines of innumerable books encased on the floor, signified the titles Hitler had banned and burned in 1933. The exhibition does not attempt to sanitize history, rather it displays graphic photos and reminds me of the famous quotation: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Should that occur, there still exists an original and operative atomic fallout shelter under Kurfürstendamm. Hourly guided tours of the Cold War nuclear bunker are also available to the public.
When The Wall fell 30 years ago, 360 significant sections of it were numbered and certified then sold in Monte Carlo to worldwide purchasers in June 1990. Exhibited in the Story of Berlin museum are the only segments from the numbered edition still in Berlin, which were removed from Oberbaumbrücke crossing point (#002-#006).
For a genuine appreciation of the influence and impact of The Wall (Der Mauer), we visited the Mauermuseum – Checkpoint Charlie. As equally an objective exhibition as the Story of Berlin, it presents both sides of the divided city. Further stages display the building of The Wall, the Four Powers Agreement and the fall of The Wall and the subsequent German reunification.
On August 13, 1961, the armed military units sealed off the west section of the city and the erection of the Berlin Wall began. The reinforced concrete wall stretched 43 km through the city with the West Ring around Berlin reaching 155 km. This once-modern frontier, regarded as an anti-fascist wall, fell on November 9, 1989.
Several sections of the wall still exist; a lengthy section (1.3 km) known as the East Side Gallery is worth a visit. Walking beside the almost 3.6-metre-tall wall, we saw myriad murals and international graffiti adorning the series of segmented sections.
The Mauermuseum has numerous original objects from successful escapes, which demonstrate the courage and creativity of the escapes of which more than 5,000 attempts were made under, over and above ground. Eighty people were killed (60 shot) as they strived for freedom from oppression.
Authentic signage and enlarged photographs tell the story of a city divided.
On June 14, 1963, Checkpoint Charlie became “an island of freedom” next to the border. Today, a mock guardhouse surrounded by sandbags and three uniformed soldiers representing the occupying countries (Britain, France and the United States) is just down the street from the museum.
One cannot experience Berlin without visiting the emblem of the city, the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburg Tor). This sturdy symbol was built along classical lines and completed in 1791. It is crowned with “The Quadriga,” the chariot of triumph with the goddess Victoria. I tried to envision the eras and events that have occurred around this monumental structure. The war wounds on the gate columns it has endured have had aesthetic reparations.
This year is the 75th anniversary of Colonel Klaus von Stauffenberg’s ill-fated assassination attempt garnering him an acknowledgement with a street honouring him, while any evidence of Hitler’s existence has been expunged. Had the officer’s bombing attempt succeeded, the war could have been terminated nine months earlier saving millions of lives, since more people were killed in the last nine months of war than the previous 59 months.
Pulsating sounds of music emanate from Kurfürstendamm, an ideal location to experience the annual International Gay Pride Parade or “Love Parade,” which has increased in popularity since its inception in June 1988. The extensive procession mirrors the right to self-determination and the value of tolerance. Known by the locals as the Ku’damm, a 3.5 km-long street was modelled after Paris’ Champs Élysées by Otto von Bismarck. The historic boulevard features bountiful boutiques, cafés, theatres and museums.
Berlin has been regarded as an avant-garde society and popular fashion centre. A lengthy procession of scantily clad individuals making their own fashion statements gyrated to the music on assorted floats along city streets. The liberalism in this urban environment is reflected by the local gay and lesbian movement and punctuated by such a parade.
The term “homosexuality” was coined in Berlin in 1869 as the history of homosexual emancipation was initiated here. In 1897, the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee was founded. It became the first example of self-organization to promote the interests of homosexuals.
A diverse gay nightlife developed in the capital, which established Berlin’s legendary reputation in the 1920s. During this period, the Eldorado became a popular gay bar for artists and was even a favourite haunt of Marlene Dietrich. Berlin’s pioneering role in gay liberation was abruptly terminated due to the repressive nature of Nazism. After World War II, support for the lifestyle re-emerged with three distinct urban areas conducive to the gay and lesbian scenes today.
Germany has always been a proponent of technological advancements. Their prowess in cinematic production has been substantial. At the Berlin Film Museum’s Sony Center, one can admire the celluloid contributions. This expansive museum houses 1,000 exhibits, photographs and documents; costumes and props; film excerpts and awards, as well as several multimedia stations.
The Film Museum’s prize focus is the inimitable Marlene Dietrich (1901-92). Born in Berlin, she is still regarded as a German even though she became an American citizen. The Nazi regime attempted to lure her back to Germany following her Hollywood success. She declined, attaining US citizenship in 1939, months prior to the outbreak of World War II.
Berlin remains resilient in its various transformations while freely acknowledging its past and embracing the present, overcoming social and physical barriers.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
Story of Berlin:
207 Kurfürstnedamm
Hours: Daily from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Admission Fee.
Mauermuseum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
43 Friedrichstrasse
Hours: Daily from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Admission Fee.
www.mauermuseum.de
Filmmuseum Berlin:
2 Potsdamerstrasse
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday – 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Admission Fee.
www.filmmuseum-berlin.de
www.kurfuerstendamm.de
www.berlin.de
www.cometogermany.com
The world’s only Gay Museum:
www.schwulesmuseum.de
News, resources, and insights about LGBT life in Berlin:
www.globalgayz.com/g-germany-berlin.html
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