March 10, 2023

History and politics trip to Berlin

Our History and Politics recently enjoyed a busy few days in Berlin. They started their trip with a great walking tour of Berlin to see the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, The Berlin Wall, Goering’s Luftwaffe HQ, the Fuhrer Bunker, the site of the Nazi burning of the books and various memorials.

The Sunday started with a sobering visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp with a fantastic guide. They then visited the Berlin Wall memorial and one of the longest stretches of remaining wall, followed by the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and some souvenir shopping. Following this our pupils were very lucky to secure a visit to the Bundestag – seat of the German Parliament, where they had a special ‘behind the scenes’ tour and a walk up the Reichstag Dome.

Pupils learnt about the escalation of Nazi persecution at the Resistance Memorial and Topography of Terror followed by a slightly more relaxed afternoon exploring a fantastic 360 panorama experience of the Berlin Wall and walking the East Side Gallery.

For their final day, they visited Potsdam, site of the famous conference at the end of the Second World War followed by a visit to the site of the Wannsee Conference where the Final Solution was decided, and for their last night in Berlin the pupils enjoyed a trip 203 metres up to the observation deck of the Berlin TV Tower for night time views over the city.

The Berlin trip culminated with a brilliant tour of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, built for the 1936 Olympics. After an extremely busy and educational few days, boys have returned home with memories that will no doubt stay with them for years to come.