Kaiser Wilhelm Church, Furherbunker, Brandenburg Gate and More
We decided to get off the bus and do a little exploring in the city. We had made it almost completely around the loop so we were close to the apartment and near a few things on our “must see” list. Weather is holding for us, a bit cool at 370 but at least no snow or rain.
If I could characterize Berlin in one word it would be “grey”. Even though this time of year doesn’t help brighten up the place, most of the buildings that were rebuilt after WW2 are grey, off-white, or some other dark tone brick / cement. The people have been very nice, but the overall feel is subdued. But that isn’t going to stop our exploring. Onward to our first stop, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche on Kurfürstendamm) is a Romanesque Revival styled church which was designed by the German Emperor Wilhelm II in honor of his grandfather Wilhelm I. The original temple built in the 1890s was not one of the most prominent churches in Berlin.
In 1943, the Allies bombed Berlin and scored a direct hit on the church. What was left was declared unsafe in 1950 and scheduled for demolition until huge protests broke out. The German people saw this ruin of a church as a statement to their past Kaiser and petitioned to save it. And they won. A new church was commissioned to be built next to the ruins to create a symbolic depiction of old & new, peace & war, reconciliation.
Church ruins
Ceiling in foyer
Just outside the church ruins is one of Berlin’s 80+ Christmas Markets so we had to check it out. Lots of stalls selling ornaments, carvings, and food & drink. Some of the food was a bit questionable, like this sausage vendor’s selection.
Check out the sausage on the far left
But we did find a get booth selling a magical elixir that was absolutely wonderful. We had something similar at one of the previous Christmas Markets in Prague, but this one has a little different taste making it unique to Berlin. We ordered a nice hot cup of heiber apfel with rum, a warm spiced apple drink with a shot of rum. That will warm you up on a cold day, yessir!
Pretzels!
For our friend Janine
Just can’t keep the little woman off a bike
The drink booth!
Toasty warm so let’s keep walking. Just up the street we came across a sight that we wanted to see but didn’t know it was right here. May just look like apartment builds today, but in 1943, this was the sight of the Furherbunker, that last rat hole our boy Adolf saw before taking the cowards way out. Amazing that we even saw the plaque explaining the significance of the site, they are everywhere in the city and you can’t read all of them. This one though, we really wanted to see.
The bunker was part of a complex started in 1936 and added on in 1943. Hitler retreated to his underground Führerbunker in central Berlin in early 1945, as Allied forces made greater gains in German territory. During the last months of the war, as the Soviet army advanced west towards the German capital, the underground complex served as the headquarters of the Nazi regime.
Hitler married Eva Braun in the bunker shortly before they both committed suicide there. The site was destroyed in the war’s aftermath as part of an effort to wipe out landmarks from the Third Reich. Today, the area is covered by parking spaces with an inconspicuous information plaque explaining its former purpose.
Where the Furherbunker was located
Pressing on before it gets dark, to the Brandenberg Gate. Constructed between 1788 and 1791, the Brandenburg Gate was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, architect to the Prussian court, it was inspired by the monumental gateway at the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Brandenburg Gate is 85’ high, 215’ long and 36’ deep, and supported by two rows of six Doric columns.
The Quadriga on the Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate
The quadriga on top was taken by Napoleons army as a reward for sacking Berlin in 1806. It was placed on display in Paris as a sign of his victory. Once ole Bonaparte was forced to go into exile, the quadriga was returned to Berlin and placed back on top of the Brandenburg Gate.
In 1946, the Soviet sector border between the West was just in front of the Gate. Once the Berlin Wall was erected, the Gate became a symbol of exclusion. Once the Wall came down in 1989, Brandenburg Gate became a symbol of reunification.
One last site for today, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Located in what was once the “death strip” between the Berlin walls, artists Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold created what many call a field of coffins or a mass cemetery. Interpretation of the work is certainly left up to the viewer, I felt it reminded me of a field of coffins. The dark grey color of the blocks, their size, and their placement in rows and columns seemed to suggest coffins to me. There are 2,711 stone blocks representing approximately 6 million Jews murdered in WW2.
Murdered Jews of Europe Memorial
Collette getting that awesome photo
Enough for today. Time to start back to the apartment and enjoy a nice gin & tonic. Here’s a shot of a piece of the Berlin Wall.
The Berlin Wall