Germany > The Berlin Wall

The last full day in Berlin. Just as we take four tickets from the machine for the S-Bahn, an announcement is made. It seems there are problems further down the track. We can’t hear it very clearly. The train stays at the platform. The S-Bahn trains run every few minutes. A delay immediately causes a chain reaction of delays. Local passengers stay on the train. We validate our tickets and board. After a few minutes, the train starts moving again. It turns out there is a broken-down train at Jannowitzbrücke station. All trains must use a single track. With some delay, we arrive at Warschauer Straße station on the east side of the center. From here, we walk to the Oberbaum Bridge. This original bridge was once part of the city wall. Later, the bridge was rebuilt eastwards. The bridge has two levels: one for normal traffic and a higher one for the railway. Rightly so, this bridge is called the most beautiful bridge in Berlin. It’s a pity it lies outside the city center. After the war, the bridge lay on the border between East and West Berlin.

Germany - Traffic and trains are separated the train runs on the higherlevel tracks

There was a border checkpoint on the bridge. Along the banks of the Spree just next to the Oberbaum Bridge still stands a section of the original Berlin Wall. Once, a 46-kilometer-long wall separated the two parts of the city. Here at the East Side Gallery, 1,300 meters of this concrete barrier remain. 128 artists decorated the wall. The “Kiss between Honecker and Brezhnev” is the most famous artwork. We walk along the Berlin Wall. Where the wall ends but once curved around, we turn off as well. At St. Thomas Church, the border ran right alongside the church. A photo exhibition in the church shows how the wall, guardhouses, and no-man’s land strip separated the two halves of the city. Over one hundred people lost their lives here alone attempting to flee from East to West. Slowly, we return to the city center. After a coffee break, we take the metro at Märkisches Museum station.

Germany - A 1300meter remnant of the wall that divided Berlin for years

From here, we travel to Alexanderplatz. With the S-Bahn, we continue to the other side of the city. At Savignyplatz station, we get off twenty minutes later. This stop is close to the famous Kurfürstendamm boulevard. The Kurfürstendamm is Berlin’s main shopping street. All the luxury brands have branches here. At the end of Kurfürstendamm, we reach Breitscheidplatz. Here stands the prominent Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This church was heavily damaged during World War II bombings.

Germany - The famous Kurfurstendamm of Berlin

It was decided not to restore or demolish the church. The ruins have become a symbol of World War II. Next to the church, a modern bell tower and a memorial space were built. Around the square are roadblocks to stop trucks. Over three years ago, a truck rammed into the Christmas market here, resulting in 12 deaths. Both war history and recent history converge here. We visit the memorial space and the Memorial Church. Only the church’s porch survived the war. The golden mosaic roof is remarkable. We have a beer on the square. Over the past days, we have visited all the important districts of the city. Through Tiergarten park, we walk back to our hotel. A beautiful conclusion to our trip. In the evening, we eat at a terrace by the Spree near Friedrichstrasse station.

Germany - Eating on a terrace on the Spree river