Backpacking in Berlin, Germany

Although Oktoberfest was taking place just a few hours south by train in Munich, I decided to instead to go backpacking in Berlin after hearing so many positive things about this city. With such a turbulent past in just the last 80 years, Berlin has come a long way since the city became re-united after the wall came down and has since ‘reinvented’ itself since.

The Parliament Building

I spent about 4 days in Berlin but you could probably spend two weeks and still not cover everything the city has to offer. There is literally history around every corner.

Mmmm… the Doner Kebap… Always made the best in Germany for some reason. Somehow managed to fold this one back into pita form

After spending time in other countries up to this point, it made my experience in Berlin that much more interesting as I learned some up close and personal history that led to World War II as well as all the events that led up to the Berlin Wall and the final reunification of East and West Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate

Just like I do in many cities, I opted to take a tour of the city but because this city is so bike friendly and you can cover so much more in less time, I decided to take a bike tour.

“Berliner Dom” – Berlin Cathedral

Unlike many other cities you may visit in Europe, much of the history you come across in Berlin has happened in the very recent past.

I had learned so much history while here, I’m going to try my best not to go into a big history lesson but it was extremely interesting to actually go to the places and learn how the political situation started back in the 20’s and 30’s and how the Nazi party came to power. It was even more dramatic too after spending time in Poland and Hungary which were heavily impacted by Nazi influence.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is Germany’s Holocaust memorial located in Berlin’s center. I went underneath the memorial where they not only document the history of the holocaust but show the lives of those sent to the camps along with notes and cards that were sent to family members that were thrown from the trains and later found.

The photo below marks the center point of where the burning of the books in front of the Bebelplatz building took place. It was a significant demonstration by students where more than 20,000 books were burned in May 1933 for any texts that were considered ‘unGerman’ and from this point, much of the Nazi propaganda had became more commonplace throughout the city.

The Humboldt University – It was from here that the 20,000 books were taken from the inside and burned in front of the building courtyard  (known as the Bebelplatz)

Memorial to the bonfire of books that took place in this exact spot. If you can see below the glass there are ’empty’ bookshelves that represent space that would fill the 20,000 books that were burned.

While in the city, we stopped by Checkpoint Charlie. It was originally set up by Western Allies as the crossing point between East and West Germany but became a symbol of the Cold War that existed with the Soviet Union.

Checkpoint Charlie

Sign at the East – West Berlin Border

We also stopped by some more famous monuments and landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Parliament Building, remains of the Berlin Wall, the headquarters of the SS, the location of Hitler’s bunker and the Jewish Memorial site.

The SS Headquarters building which managed to remain intact during the war and is relatively unchanged minus Eagles and Swastikas.

The Topography of Terror outdoor museum, located directly across from the SS Headquarters. From left to right, it documents the Nazis rise to power, World War II and events that occurred after the war.

As a result of the allied forces not coming to agreement on how to handle Berlin after the end of the war, it was decided to split Germany into East and West Berlin.  Many may not realize this but the wall literally went up overnight on August 13, 1961.

A remaining section of the Berlin Wall.

Armed guards set up barbed wire and fencing the first day and by day three, the wall, (96 miles of concrete standing almost 12 feet tall)  had been completed, cutting off family members and friends for the next 28 years. It had been so long that East and West Berlin had two different identities by the time the wall came down in 1989 which had finally reunited Berlin.

This image doesn’t look like much but at the base of the tree in the middle was actually the entrance to Hitler’s bunker. With a total of 30 rooms, its walls and ceilings were 13 feet thick of concrete (4m) and it was located 26 feet underground. It was here that he and his wife committed suicide on April 30, 1945. All that now remains is a parking lot with residential buildings. It’s rather weird to just park your car on top of Hitlers bunker I guess but it was decided to make this site as far from any type of tourist landmark as possible….

For the most part, only the youth born after 89′ were not impacted from the differences between the two cities that existed as a result from the wall. Many died while trying to cross the border. I was even told that some had dressed up as cattle in the fields as well as ‘becoming’ a car seat for someone else that had access to drive across the border. Some attempts were successful, others not but the stories were definitely interesting!

Throughout Berlin, you will find this cobblestone border cut into the streets that runs the perimeter of where the wall once stood.

Another section of the wall…

One of the things that makes a trip to Berlin so unique is the fact that the city is actually a huge melting pot of people with cultures from all over the world. In fact, in the first section of the city I stayed in, you would of had difficulty actually spotting a German from the crowds walking the streets. Either way, this city has been re-inventing itself from its tumultuous past over the past 20 years and to many, has been named one of Europe’s ‘coolest’ cities…definitely worth a visit and still much cheaper than its Western European neighboring cities.

Berlin Victory Column