Sixty years ago, during the first few days of May, World War II was at last drawing to a close. As Allied victory in Europe was announced, the streets of Paris and London erupted in celebration. V-E Day – Victory in Europe Day – had arrived.
| While many travelers come to Berlin to see Hitler sites, these have essentially disappeared. To understand this tumultuous time, consider a walking tour offered by Original Berlin Walks. The company, run by Englishman Nick Gay, offers worthwhile tours led by enthusiastic English-speaking guides. Tours include “Infamous Third Reich Sites,” “Jewish Life in Berlin,” a six-hour trip to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and a three-hour “Discover Berlin” introductory walk. Confirm tour schedules at the EurAide tourist office (www.euraide.com) or by phone with Nick and his wife Serena (030-301-9194, www.berlinwalks.com). |
On May 10 the world will observe the anniversary of this historic occasion. Berlin, a city once burned and bombed to rubble, will open the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe to honor the event. Even before it’s been officially opened, the Holocaust memorial has been controversial, both for the size of the exhibit (spread over 5 acres) and for the potential for visitors to get lost within a confusing maze of 2,700 large concrete blocks. The architect insists this is part of the design and purpose of the Memorial, to make people feel disoriented and isolated, mirroring in some small way the experience of the Jews of Berlin during the war.
The flap over the Memorial is only the most recent episode of a city that has long wrestled with its past demons. The Parliament building, now a symbol of democratic freedom, was once where 1,500 Nazis made their last stand. The building, called the Reichstag, was all but abandoned for decades. Then in 1995, the artist Christo wrapped it in silvery-gold cloth. (Christo’s most recent project was “The Gates,” the orange tapestries unfurled in New York City’s Central Park in February.) After the temporary transformation, Berliners decided to put the site to use. Turning the Reichstag into a gleaming new Parliament building, complete with a futuristic glass dome, they laid the ghosts of the Third Reich to rest.
Another of Berlin’s landmarks, the Brandenburg Gate, represents one more aspect of the city’s troubled past. Built in 1791, it’s the last survivor of 14 gates in the old town wall. In 1961, the gate became the symbol of a divided city when the Berlin Wall was built, splitting East from West. The gate sat unused for more than 25 years. Now, postcards all over town show the ecstatic day in 1989 when the world enjoyed the sight of happy Berliners jamming the gate like flowers on a parade float. The latest chapter: The gate was restored to shiny whiteness in 2002.
Happily, the split between East and West Berlin is only the stuff of memories and museums, both at Brandenburg Gate and at the superb Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie nearby. During the Cold War, the museum stood defiantly – at spitting distance from the border guards – showing off all the clever escapes over, under, and through the Wall. The museum still tells a gripping history, recounting the many ingenious escape attempts. It also includes plenty of video and film coverage of those heady days when people-power tore down the wall.
Berlin, a city that has seen great turmoil and devastation, continues to pay homage to its war-torn roots even as a modern, rebuilt, and vibrant metropolis. From the somber new Holocaust memorial to the exuberant perseverance of the Checkpoint Charlie museum, the city’s sights show the worst and best of 20th-century humanity. Berliners have their eyes wide open to their city’s historic and complicated legacy.
Rick Steves of Edmonds (425-771-8303, www.ricksteves.com) is the author of 30 European travel guidebooks including “Europe Through the Back Door” (published by Avalon) and is the host of the public television series “Rick Steves’ Europe,” airing Monday through Thursday at 7 p.m. on KCTS.
This week’s schedule:
Monday: Lisbon
Tuesday: Sevilla and Andalusia
Wednesday: Venice
Thursday: Venice side trips
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