We got audio guides and started the tour at the big reconstructed model of the camp where they gave an overview of how it was run and what parts constituted the prisoners' quarters and Nazi quarters, etc:
It was quite a sobering experience to say the least. After a while it was a bit difficult to keep all the sights and audio tracks straight so I just kept playing them one after the other and walking to each site as I saw fit. There was a museum just before the main part of the camp that I went through, the highlight of which was definitely the stained glass just as you enter:
I think everyone has a pretty good idea of the Holocaust from history classes throughout grade school, and what atrocities went on in the camps, so I rather let the photos speak for themselves because I don't think I can truly do the sadness justice through words:
A little known fact is that Sachsenhausen became the prototype model for just about all other concentration camps. The Nazis looked at Sachsenhausen to see how a concentration camp should be run. So, although not as large and full of as many casualties as say, Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen definitely holds a significant place in the history of the Holocaust. Moving on to happier things, that night we walked to the Brandenburg Gate, which was absolutely stunning to see at night all lit up:
Napoleon stole the statue on top and took it back to Paris during one of those European wars. After the Germans got it back, they tweaked some details to the statue, such as the staff Victory is holding to symbolize their triumph over the French. In fact they named the square it resides over, Paris square, to symbolize Victory over France. The next day we took a free walking tour with a very "eccentric," but very well read and enthusiastic guide. We started at Paris Square where she explained the significance of the Brandenburg Gate to us. He also pointed out the Hotel Adlon, the sight of the infamous baby-dangling incident perpetrated by Michael Jackson (RIP, miss you Michael!):
She, the guide, really did such a great and thorough job on the tour that it would be way too much information to recount, (not that I remember half of it) so I will just try to hit the high points. We walked through the Holocaust Memorial, who's architect, Peter Eisenman, described as having no specific meaning. He said it means whatever emotions it evokes when walking through it. However, there have been several popular meanings proposed, such as the memorial as a "time line" of antisemitism in Germany. The blocks start out flat in the sidewalk, meaning only latent antisemitism, a potential threat, but not visible enough to be a huge concern. As you walk through the memorial, the blocks grow in height until you reach the center where the blocks are tallest. This represents the peak of the Holocaust and overt antisemitism. The blocks gradually shrink in size until they are once again in the pavement on the other side. This is supposed to serve as a reminder that there will always be antisemitism, and we must be conscious of our past so that we never let something like the Holocaust happen again:
We then moved on and stopped at the location where Hitler's bunker used to be. The rest of the tour consisted of a stop at the Berlin wall and the location where Kristallnacht took place and they burned all the Jewish books, along with some pointing out of major museums. One last thing about the tour, the guide pointed out the huge T.V. tower (it's hard to miss), a remnant and reminder of Communism, and provided a cool side story behind it. Apparently the Communists sought to get rid of all the crosses in Berlin when they took power, and did so, and then put up this T.V. tower. However, when the sun shines on it, it reflects light in the form of a cross. For this, it has earned the nickname, "The Pope's Revenge":
Once the tour was over, we headed to the Pergamon Museum which was alot better than I thought it'd be. It was full of artifacts rich in Greek and Mesopotamian mythology, such as the huge frieze from which the museum gets its name, and the Gates of Ishtar. Both can be seen in my Picassa Albums. They're not necessarily that impressive or different from any other classical Greek statues you may have seen, but the story behind them is fascinating. I don't remember it in too much detail, but rest assured, it is something cool along the lines of Gods fighting Titans and Hecatonchires, etc. Since I wanted to get to the Jewish History Museum before it closed, I kind of had to rush through the Pergamon Museum, but I think I saw the best it had to offer. The Jewish Museum was kind of tedious to be honest. I know that sounds like a horrible thing to say, but there are only so many letters you can read in handwriting that is hard to decipher. I thought the architecture was the true draw of the museum. Just like the Holocaust memorial, it was full of symbolism. Also, I studied its architecture Freshman year at Miami under the tutelage of the wise Gerardo Brown-Manrique. Cal, you shouldn't have dropped that class. So, it was neat seeing the work I had studied from so far away, in person. It took a while, but after walking through the museum for a while and seeing the name Daniel Libeskind over and over, it finally clicked where I knew his name from. These two pictures show two wings of the Museum that are especially renowned and respected by architects:
The Void
The Holocaust Tower
After the museum, I got everything I needed in order so that I would be prepared for my flight to Bucharest the next day. However, I wasn't done with Berlin quite yet. We went out to a traditional German restaurant where we had some great beer and amazing schnitzel. After that, we hung out at the hostel's bar for a bit and then went to a German club, which was interesting. After the club, we went back and called it a night, and the next day I was up and it was off to Romania.
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