While I lived overseas, I went to Berlin twice. Berlin, Germany was a great place to visit and to see incredible monuments that are so historic and had a great influence in history. Berlin was where Hilter was and the Berlin Wall was. It’s so full of history and most of it was built during Hilter’s reign.

I would like to give you some ideas on where you should go while you’re traveling throughout Berlin.

Place 1: Go to and in the Victory Column

This monument is incredible! Not only is it in a central place and right down the road from the Brandenburg Gate, but it’s huge as it stands more than 67 meters tall (almost 220 feet)! Go up inside the monument and take your time looking through the museum that they have in there. Then take the stairs all the way up until you reach below the Goddess of Victory. The view is incredible!

Place 2: Walk down Str. Des 17 Juni (17^th of June Street)

This is the road that is between the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate. It’s where parades were held in both World War 1 and in 1940 after Hitler returned from his inspection in Paris. The road was named 17^th of June in 1953 to commemorate the uprising of East Berliner workers on June 17. 

Another site to see while walking down the road is to visit the Soviet War Memorial, which is to honor the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who died at the Battle of Berlin in 1945.

 Place 3: Brandenburg Gate

This gate has been seen in plenty of movies and is most widely known. Unfortunately both times I went, there was something going on so I could never get a very clear picture of the gate. But it’s fantastic! Nathan and I both walked underneath the gate and it’s just amazing to be walking underneath a piece of history.

(Note: When we went, there was a protest going on to end something... In other words, they ruined the site)

 

Place 4: Bebelplatz (or Bebel Square)

Amidst the square is the State Opera House, St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, and the Old Library. But what it is most famous for and why I visited it was because on May 10, 1933, Joseph Goebbels organized a nationwide book burning that burned over 20,000 books by Jews, Communists, and Pacifists. As you can see below, there’s a glass plate where one can look through and see the empty bookshelves from that awful day. 

Place 5: Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie is one of the most pivotal points in history. It’s where East and West Berlin separated, one side flourished as the other side died. One side was governed by the Soviets and the other side by the Germans. 

While Nathan and I were walking to see the Checkpoint, we could literally feel the difference between both sides. One side, still today, is kinda ghetto, with buildings looking unstable and old. The other side of the checkpoint seem to flourish more. Remember, this wasn’t too long ago. The wall came down the year I was born. U.S. pulled out from Checkpoint Charlie in 1990. 

They still have the Checkpoint in place and people dressed up like U.S. soldiers are there to help you take pictures with them or of the checkpoint itself. 

Place 6: Checkpoint Charlie Museum 

This museum is sad… probably as sad at the holocaust museum. It describes life between the two sides and how impossible, if not hard, it was to escape from one side to the other. The museum covers the history of the Point and how lives were affected. The East side was controlled by the Soviets and the West by Germans. The East was plagued by inflation and job loss. 

It also included how people helped those on the East side (where the Soviets had control) to the West by sneaking them through luggage, mini helicopters, and other unique ways. 

 

Place 7: The Berlin Wall

Although we didn’t go to any of the museums about the Berlin Wall, we saw pieces of it at Checkpoint Charlie and near the Reichstag. At Reichstag, there was a line showing where the wall used to stand.

Place 8: Reichstag

Nathan and I went to Reichstag not knowing anything about it besides it was a big building and a lot of tourists were around it. But it’s a neat piece of history as it was the place where the Soviets hung their flag when Germany was defeated.

Place 9: Tiergarten

This is the park between Victory Colum and Brandenburg Gate. My sister, my friend Lila, and me all strolled through it to see what it had to offer. It’s a nice stroll and perhaps a good place to sit down and eat.

 Place 10: The Zoo

Just in case you ever wanted to go to the Berlin Zoo, here are some snap shots of what that consists of. The first time I went, Nathan and I didn’t have enough time in the day to explore so we decided to visit the zoo. It’s always fun to go to the zoo!

I hope you sincerely enjoyed my posts today and the pictures! I found this website as I was searching for a quick history refresher that you might enjoy if you ever decide to go to Berlin. It mentions way more places than I did or even went to see. Every time I went to Berlin, I was there for two days before leaving. You can see all the major historic sites within that time frame, but if you wanted to see more, then that website is a good source to go to. 

So, if you were to go to Berlin today, which sight would you visit first?