I took around 1000 pictures in Berlin, in this post are the highlights from everywhere except galleries. The first place we went was the Tränenpalast – Palace of Tears, the building constructed in 1962 when the Berlin wall went up. This was a great place to start because it really helped me to understand how strict and heartbreaking this divide was for family, friends and communities.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was particularly emotional. 2711 concrete slabs have been placed at different heights and from all four sides, you can fully immerse yourself in the fully accessible spatial structure. The memorial is on a slight slope and its wave-like form is different wherever you stand. The uneven concrete floor can make you feel giddy or even uncertain. Its openness and abstractness give you space to confront the topic in your own personal way. It is like a mass grave, and it is very powerful with no central point of remembrance. Underneath it, there is a museum which remembers the history and terror. One of the rooms was particularly powerful; the numbers of Jews killed in each country circled the walls and on the floor were slabs telling individual stories. Seeing the staggeringly high numbers, and hearing individual stories of the terror of the concentration camps was so emotional but allowed me to see the reality, there was such a heavyweight in the air. I think it is very important this memorial and museum exist so we don’t forget the losses and pain caused by racism and discrimination against both religious and racial groups.

The Topography of Terror was particularly informative, although it was a huge amount of information. Outside they had some photos of before and after WWII which showed just how much of Berlin was flattened. The sheer amount of rebuilding required means that the divide between East and West is still very prominent in the architecture, with some areas of wall remaining as reminders. The wall outside the Topography of Terror has been preserved with all the traces of the destruction that occurred during the transitional period, regarded as a monument since 1990. The building itself is on the site where the headquarters of the Secret State Police, the SS and the Reich Security Main Office were located at the site during the Nazi regime. It is now a place of research and education in the form of a documentation centre. We also went on top of the Reichstag building where they do free audio tours that explain the significance of different buildings, I really enjoyed seeing Berlin from up high and  it gave me more of an idea of where things were in relation to each other in the city and its history.