In the October half term, the Politics department took twenty eight students to Berlin. In the four days we spent there, we managed to immerse ourselves in the diverse culture the city has to offer.
Sachsenhausen concentration camp was our first visit and immediately gave us an idea of the nation's painful past. Although not one of the main extermination camps, it was still harrowing to observe the dire conditions that the prisoners had to endure. The Nazi regime is still fresh in the mind of the city, and the stadium originally built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympic Games was a poignant image of how the idea of national pride was exploited in order to deceive the German people.
The scale of Hitler's plans for Germany were evident in the Tempelhof Airport, still used until recently, whose unrealistic plans, including a viewing gallery for air force displays, were left uncompleted after being interrupted by war.
Berlin is steeped in history, and this is apparent primarily in its diverse architecture, which combines acknowledgement of the city's heritage with a desire to embrace modern design. We gained a deeper sense of this struggle on our guided tour from Check point Charlie to the Bundestag. During this tour, we visited the memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, a breathtaking forest of grey stone pillars that provides a place for reflection and recreation. Seeing the remnants of the Berlin Wall was powerful, as it was such a defining feature of the twentieth century. Visiting the German Parliament, the Bundestag, brought together all aspects of the trip, and from its glass dome we could look out over all of Berlin.
The trip was both educational and enjoyable, and gave a sense of context to the curriculum of all three subjects.
To view a slideshow of images of the trip please click here
Dora Taylor (NC U6) and Georgia Bishop (EL U6)