GERMANY

Location - Western Europe; Capital - Berlin; Population - 83 million; Currency - Euro MORE GERMANY

I spent a few days at the beginning of September in Germany, flying to Berlin and returning to London via Cologne.

Germany is in the Euro zone

The 18th century Brandenburg Gate is the sole surviving gate into the city - Berlin

The Berlin Quadriga sits atop the Brandenburg Gate - Berlin

Close to the gate is the Hotel Adlon Kempinski, notable for the Michael Jackson baby dangling episode - Berlin

Just off the Unter den Linden is Bebelplatz, famous as the site of the book-burning event by Nazis in May 1933 - Berlin

Opposite Bebelpatz is Humboldt University. Amongst many notables, Albert Einstein lectured here and Albert Einstein was a student - Berlin

Keep walking down Unter den Linden and you'll arrive at Berlin Cathedral - Berlin

In 1961 the East German goverment constructed the Berlin Wall, cutting off West Berlin from the East German territory surrounding it and dividing the city in two - Berlin

It was built in order to reduce the huge numbers of Eastern Bloc emigration to West Germany; though officially it was erected to prevent 'fascist elements' interfering with the creation of a socialist state - Berlin

Looking through the Berlin Wall to the Spree River. East Germany referred to it as the Anti-Fascist Protection Wall - Berlin

Only a small length of the Berlin Wall now exists, the main section being the East Side Gallery, home to this controversial painting of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German counterpart Erich Honecker getting cosy - Berlin

Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous crossing point between East and West Berlin, and a symbol of the Cold War - Berlin

Replica signs at Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin. Wikipedia entry on Checkpoint Charlie.

One of the last Soviet flags. This is also a replica, the original being housed inside the Checkpoint Charlie Museum - Berlin

Near Potsdamer Platz is the site of the Fuhrerbunker, aka Hitler's Bunker, his last hideout. On 30th April 1945 Adolf Hitler and his wife Eva (Braun) committed suicide in the bunker. Soviets blew up the bunker in 1947; it was eventually filled in and is now a car park - Berlin

BBC and Wikipedia entries on Adolf Hitler.

The 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' consists of a museum and 2711 stelae - Berlin

Walking amongst the Memorial's stelae, which was inaugurated in 2005 - Berlin

The Reichstag is home to the German parliament - Berlin

A celebration of Vietnamese culture in full flow at Alexanderplatz - Berlin

Straining the neck to take in the 368 metre TV Tower, or Fernsehturm - Berlin

Walking down Freienwalder Strasse in the eastern part of Berlin. In the Cold War period this was a restricted area within East Germany (GDR); it was home to a prison and also intelligence, armaments and foreign espionage departments - Berlin

In the restricted area was the secret archives building, which contained dossiers from the Nazi period on individual citizens - Berlin

The Berlin-Hohenschonhausen restricted area's main draw nowadays is the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, better known as the Stasi Prison - Berlin

At the end of World War II a Soviet internment camp was set up here. It then became the main Soviet remand prison in Germany.
In the 1950s East Germany (GDR) took it over as the main remand prison for the Ministry of State Security, or 'Stasi'.
This is the U-Boot, or Submarine (cellar prison) section - Berlin

Physical and psychological torture were carried out on alleged Nazis and suspected political opponents - Stasi Prison, Berlin

The interrogation wing of the Stasi prison - Berlin

Padded dark cells of the Stasi Prison. The prison was closed in October 1990 following reunification - Berlin

North-west of central Munich is Schloss Nymphenburg, a 17th century royal palace

Schloss Nymphenburg served as the Bavarian rulers' summer residence - Munich

Schloss Nymphenburg, or Nymph's Castle - Munich

The gardens of Schloss Nymphenburg - Munich

Preparations for Munich's Oktoberfest - the world famous beer festival - were well under way in Theresienwiese, a park south of the main train station

Overlooking the Oktoberfest grounds is the Bavaria statue - Munich

Climb inside and up to the statue's head for views - Munich

Looking down on Theresienwiese and the Oktoberfest grounds - Munich

At the centre of Munich's old town, or Altstadt, is the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall)

The Mariensaule statue stands outside the Neues Rathaus on Marienplatz, the old town square - Munich

The New Town Hall's Glockenspiel - Munich

Climb the tower of St Peter's Church for views of Marienplatz and the New Town Hall - Munich

Also on Marienplatz is the Fish Fountain - Munich

A statue of Bavarian King Maximilian Joseph stands in front of the National Theatre - Munich

Evening descends on the Altstadt (old town) in Munich

A great place for a beer is the Hofbrauhaus in the old town - Munich

A traditionally dressed Munchener sits next to a set of padlocked steins owned by locals. These steins have often been passed down through the generations - Munich

With Taran, Manu and an empty stein at the Hofbrauhaus - Munich

Lining Odeonsplatz, site of the Beer Hall Putsch, are the Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshal's Hall) and the Theatinerkirche (Theatine Church) - Munich

The Munich Residenz was the royal palace of Bavarian monarchy - Munich

A few minutes walk from the Residenz is the vast Englischer Garten (English Garden) - Munich

The Olympic Tower stands in the Olympiapark, site of the 1972 Olympics - Munich

The Swimming Hall at Olympiapark - Munich

Also at Olympiapark is the BMW Museum and BMW Welt - Munich

A short train and bus ride from Munich is the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. The camp was the first one built by the Nazis, in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler. The above photo shows the Jourhaus, the entrance to the camp - Dachau.

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial website

The Jourhaus entrance gate. 'Arbeit macht frei' translates to 'Work sets you free' or 'Work will make you free'; the slogan was placed at the entrances to Nazi concentration camps - Dachau

The maintenance building was built by the prisoners in 1937/38 - Dachau

A watchtower overlooks the camp. Electrified fencing and ditches surrounded the camp - Dachau

Dachau processed over 200,000 prisoners of which at least 43,000 were killed. Pictured here are the sites where the blocks or barracks once stood; they were torn down in 1964, with the two front blocks being reconstructed for the memorial - Dachau

Inside one of the reconstructed blocks are the prisoners' sleeping bunks - Dachau

Block 5 was one of the blocks used for medical experiments on prisoners - Dachau

Poplar trees line the road between the rows of barracks - Dachau

The crematorium building was built as the number of dead increased - Dachau

Above the entrance to the gas chamber is the word 'brausebad' or shower room - Dachau

For some reason the gas chamber was never put into operation, though executions were carried out here.
The gas flows are disguised as shower heads - Dachau

Hangings were performed in front of the furnaces in the incinerator room - Dachau

'Grave of many thousands unknown' - Dachau

The entrance to the 'Bunker' (prison camp), where torture and executions were carried out - Dachau

The Bunker's interrogation room was used by the Gestapo to force confessions - Dachau

The Bunker's corridor - Dachau

The SS area of the Bunker - Dachau

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2011 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.germany-tourism.co.uk - German tourist board

www.about-germany.org

www.bvg.de - Berlin transport

www.bahn.de - excellent German train website. Buy tickets online.

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.