Year 11 History students visit Berlin

In early January, some of our Year 11 History students were privileged to visit Berlin in Germany for a fascinating tour. Mirjan Hima and Louis Leonard give us a rundown.

On a cold, damp, dull English Wednesday morning in early January we set out on an adventure to Berlin. Once we arrived in the ex-communist eastern Berlin we set out on a four-hour walking tour in the rain. We visited Museum Island (a complex of world-famous museums on the River Spree) before seeing the Brandenburg Gate and the spectacular Berlin cathedral. Despite being tired, it was a great experience to see all of the beautiful architecture. 

On the second day we got a closer look at the mind of Hitler, visiting the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, seeing the conditions the prisoners had to go through and the real effects of the Holocaust. We then went on to the imposing Olympiastadion stadium where the 1936 summer Olympics were held and had a really interesting tour of its history, including Jesse Owens’ shocking win of four gold medals. Later on that evening we travelled to the Reichstag (parliament) building which had a beautiful view of Berlin at night. 

On the third day we visited the Asisi Panorama showing a view of the Berlin wall and the effect of communism on Berlin. We also went to see the Holocaust memorial. Walking past the big grey slabs isolated us from the outside world, cut us off from the noises outside – the symbolism of the memorial and the stories we read in the museum helped us to understand the horrors and experience of the Jewish people of Europe. 

Overall, the trip was very good and we were able to learn a lot. We would like to thank Ms Loader and Ms Dawson for taking the time to organise such a mind blowing experience for us History students. 

Mirjan Hima and Louis Leonard