Berlin, Germany - 2016.
Visiting Berlin was an impressive experience. Berlin is, in my opinion, one the greatest cities in the world that is embedded with intriguing history. A city that carries impressive, painful and inspiring stories, basically; every broken brick tells a story. Every body knows, every body sees. Every body feels.
Berlin, a healing city struck by the scars of war.
Wherever you go, you smell, taste and breath in some part of world history. Even when Berlin is covered in the present, history is a gift. As we learn from the past, Berlin is a perfect example how the power of positivism can speed up the process of healing. I have much respect for its citizens, as they carry the burden of living life in a destroyed city.
Before sharing some details of Berlin, I'd like to show you how impressive Berlin is in it's totality.
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Overview
There are two hot-spots where you can see a overview of Berlin. The most common spot to see all the different sides of Berlin is the TV-Tower, which is located in the center of Alexanderplatz. There is another spot where you can see Berlin from a lower angle: Park-Inn.
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The Fall of the Wall.
Breaking down the wall started on the 9th of November in 1989. This historical moment connected East-Berlin with West-Berlin once again. The official date of demolition began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992. During the years 1961 and 1989 around 5000 people attempted to escape over the wall. Over 200 people have died trying.
Looking at the remaining parts of the wall takes me back into time. I wonder how though life must have been. Maybe we have lost contact with a dear beloved one. The two sides that claim to be 'better' than the other. Agony. How happy would the majority have been the moment the wall was demolished? I see sadness and tears in the concrete. Written messages on the wall of already dead people. A cry to the other side. How mad did we become? How much have we learned?
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Raddison Blue
Raddison Blue is very close to the Berliner Dom and Alexanderplatz. The hotel has a unique feature; a 150 meter high aquarium. When you visit Berlin and would like to see a massive aquarium: Just get your feet in the Hotel and run to the bar. No, you're not dreaming. This fish tank is real.
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Berliner Dom
Also known as "Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church". During WWII the Cathedral got heavily damaged by bombings that caused a fire that could not be extinguished. Reconstruction began in 1975 and the Cathedral re-opened in 1992. As you can see in the pictures, fine-tuning the Cathedral is still going strong.
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A random meet-up.
Like I said before, I have much respect for Berlin and its citizens. Meet Maura, she is a proud Berliner. Adventurous as her soul is, happy and always smiling. She proudly showed me around in Berlin and we took some pictures. Looking forward to meet up with her again.
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Thanks for tuning in!
Hopefully you have enjoyed a piece of Berlin as much as I did.
I have more photographs from Berlin I'd love to share with you in another post.
- Checkpoint Charlie
- Holocaust
- Street Photography
- Siegessäule
Let me know in the comments if you're up for a part two of Berlin.
Cheers,
Ruben