Wednesday of week two

Today was about the Nazi past of Germany and the area of Berlin we are living in. We walked around the area of our apartment and the grocery store. First, we had a history lecture that took us from the Wilhelmian Era and World War I to World War II.  Germany went through a depression that made the Deutschmarks almost worthless. Children played with stacks of money like building blocks. The discussion also was about the cause of both World Wars and how they were different. It was cool to have the history of not only Berlin but also Germany so close to you and even surrounding you. The boys are over Hitler’s underground bunker. Many more former Nazi building locations are marked by information markers. 

Afterwards we walked by the only Nazi building to survive. The building is called the. The Reich Aviation Ministry building was built in 1936 and is still used by the government today. Then was the former SS HQ museum and memorial also known as the Topographies of Terror. It was a void space where the building was and very solemn. This area was designed to be depressing and to have no fun or joy related to the area. This was do because of what happened and what the SS did from this location. It was very interesting to see parts of the wall that stands by the memorial and museum. It was very sad to see what was done by the SS. The building that houses the museum was simple and muted. It was bigger than I thought it was going to be. You got to see how the acts of the SS effected people and how they were seen by the public. There was on picture of two SS walking around with a dog and I can see how that would scare people into doing what they say. It was interesting to see how the socialist came into power and then used that to do as they wished after the fire at the Reichstag. 

 

We then went to the Jewish Museum that was designed by Libeskind and built in 1996. It was suppose to be for the Berlin History Museum but was turned into a museum just for Jewish History. It is quite different form how he designs today.  One way is that it respects the buildings that surround it. It was one of the most unique buildings I have seen. It was a very interactive museum, which I liked. It got you involved in learning and allowed different people to have different experiences. It had an area dedicated to the different paths that a Jews life could have taken during the war. Those paths are to death, to emigrate and to live through the war. It was not all completely sad but Jewish history is marked by persecution. I sat down, answered a couple of yes or no question, and heard arguments for that answer. That was interesting to me so I went through and listened to both yes and no for each question. I did not always agree with what was said but it was interesting to get a glimpse into the thoughts and people from the past. 

We finally got to the Dome. The Dome is behind the Reichstag. It was a beautiful view from the dome. You could see people at the Brandenburg Gate watching Germany play in the Euro Cup. It was a cool Dome and well worth the wait to go see it. After the Dome, my roommates, Aaliyah, and I went to the soccer game. Germany won the game and we had fun watching them play.