School trips to Berlin - WW2 to the Cold War

CURRICULUM FOCUS - German, History, Geography, Art, Religious Studies, Business Studies - KS 3 & 4

Discover the history, art and architecture of Germany's capital city. In 1944 Berlin had been almost totally destroyed by Allied bombing yet a few Third Reich buildings, such as the Air Ministry, survive today. In 1933 Hitler seized control of Germany after the burning of the Reichstag, home to the German Parliament. It is now restored to its former glory. Nearby the granite ‘tombs' of the Jewish memorial and the silent menace of Sachsenhausen Concentration camp remind us of the underlying evil of Hitler's regime. Visit the Berlin Wall and Check Point Charlie - the last reminders of the divided Berlin, created by the ‘Cold War' between the Soviet Union and the West.

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The Reichstag

The Reichstag building was opened in 1894 and housed the German Parliament until 1933. After the Second World War the Reichstag building fell into disuse. The reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990 led to the reconstruction under the British architect Sir Norman Foster. The amazing glass dome on the roof is open to the public.

www.bundestag.de

The Story of Berlin

This interactive exhibition in the Kurfürstendamm district of Berlin enables students to experience the development of the city from its beginnings to today. There are 23 theme rooms, all equipped with up-to-date animation technology and walk through sets. The museum is an exciting journey through 800 years of Berlin history.

www.story-of-berlin.de

The Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which one formerly entered Berlin. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building.

Holocaust Memorial

The Holocaust Memorial is a memorial to the Jewish victims and other victims of the Holocaust. It consists of a 5 acre site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs, one for each page of the Talmud. It was finished on December 15, 2004. There is a visitor centre under the memorial with several galleries. Audio headsets are available.

www.stiftung-denkmal.de/en

Sachsenhausen Camp

The Sachsenhausen concentration camp was established by the Nazis in 1936. It was intended to set a standard for other concentration camps, both in its design and the treatment of prisoners. About 200,000 people passed through Sachsenhausen between 1936 and 1945. Some 30,000 inmates died there from exhaustion, disease, malnutrition or pneumonia from the freezing winter cold.

www.stiftung-bg.de

Check Point Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie "Checkpoint C" was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Germany and West Germany during the Cold War. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west, and-for some East Germans-a gateway to freedom.

Topographie of Terror

The Topography of Terror was an outdoor museum dedicated to the victims of the Gestapo. A new Documentation Centre holding details of people who were exterminated by the Nazi regime has now opened on the site of the former HQ of the Gestapo and the SS. The buildings that housed the Gestapo and SS headquarters were largely destroyed by Allied bombing during early 1945 and the ruins demolished after the war.

www.topographie.de

Charlottenburg Palace

Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin and the only building in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. The palace was built at the end of the 17th century and was greatly expanded during the 18th century. It includes much exotic internal decoration in baroque and rococo styles.

www.spsg.de

Wannsee Villa

The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials of the Nazi German regime on 20 January 1942. The purpose of the conference was to inform administrative leaders of Departments responsible for various policies relating to Jews, that Reinhard Heydrich had been appointed as the chief executor of the "Final solution to the Jewish question". The Wannsee Villa, where the conference was held, is now a Holocaust Memorial.

www.ghwk.de

5 Day School Trip to Berlin from £245

Day 1: We leave in the evening and drive overnight to catch the ferry from Dover to Calais.
Day 2: After a breakfast* and lunch stop* we will arrive at our hotel in time for dinner*.
Day 3: We could head for former GDR city centre. We could have a stroll along the boulevard of Unter den Linden and see the Berliner Dom (cathedral), the Neue Wache memorial to the victims of war and the Humboldt University buildings. We could visit the Bebelplatz where the Nazis burnt 25,000 books on May 10, 1933. Later we could view Berlin from the 365m high TV Tower, the Fernsehturm*. We could walk to see the Rotes Rathaus (Berlin’s main town hall) and the charming Nikolaiviertel area with its recreated medieval streets. Later we could see the Reichstag (free tour) and the famous Brandenburg Gate. We can then walk to the Jewish Holocaust memorial (3€ for audio tour headsets). We will return to our accommodation for our evening meal*.
Day 4: We could visit Checkpoint Charlie and the nearby Haus am Checkpoint Charlie museum*. We could also see the nearby Topographie of Terror exhibition on the site of the infamous Gestapo HQ and a walk along the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. After lunch we could walk to the Jewish Museum* for a tour before meeting our coach at 1700h for the journey home. Evening meal* and return journey.
Day 5: We continue the return journey, stopping en route for breakfast*. Arrival back at school around lunch time.; *extra

7 Day School Trip of Berlin from £355

Day 1: We leave in the evening and drive overnight to catch the ferry from Dover to Calais.
Day 2: After a breakfast* and lunch stop* we will arrive at our hotel in time for dinner*.
Day 3: We could first visit the Story of Berlin* in the Kurfustendamm district of the city in the west. This excellent exhibition documents the history of Germany’s capital city from 900 AD to the present day. We could also spend some time shopping in the famous Europa shopping centre and see the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche (famous old church destroyed in WW2 and left as a haunting symbol). After lunch we could visit the famous Berlin Zoo*. We could then drive through the Tiergarten past the Triumphal Column and see the Reichstag (free tour) and the famous Brandenburg Gate. We can then walk to the Jewish Holocaust memorial (3€ for audio tour headsets). We will return to our accommodation for our evening meal*.
Day 4: We could head for former GDR city centre. We could have a stroll along the boulevard of Unter den Linden and see the Berliner Dom (cathedral), the Neue Wache memorial to the victims of war and the Humboldt University buildings. We could visit the Bebelplatz where the Nazis burnt 25,000 books on May 10, 1933. Later we could view Berlin from the 365m high TV Tower, the Fernsehturm*. We could walk to see the Rotes Rathaus (Berlin’s main town hall) and the charming Nikolaiviertel area with its recreated medieval streets. In the evening we could go to a swimming centre*.
Day 5: We could visit Potsdam and see the Schloss Sanssouci* before a leisurely stroll in the gardens and lunch*. We could then visit the Babelsburg Film Studios*, the centre of the pre-war and modern German film industry.
Day 6: We could visit Checkpoint Charlie and the nearby Haus am Checkpoint Charlie museum*. We could also see the nearby Topographie of Terror exhibition on the site of the infamous Gestapo HQ and a walk along the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. After lunch we could walk to the Jewish Museum* for a tour before meeting our coach at 17.00 for the journey home. Evening meal* and return journey.
Day 7: We continue the return journey, stopping en route for breakfast*. Arrival back at school around lunch time.