I took advantage of a holiday to spend four days in Berlin. The weather was not the greatest, but I missed worst weather in Belgium, so I should be thankful; in general, the little rain I did have did not affect what I wanted to do.
My hotel was right on Gendarmemarkt, a square in what used to be East Berlin, but much developed since 1990. There are two identical churches on the square and this is the French Huguenot’s Church during a rare bit of sunshine.
My first stop was Brandenburg Gate, from the East Side. I had seen it in picture so much that I could not wait to see the real thing. There is a very similar gate in Brussels, built in 1880 for the 50th anniversary of Belgian Independence. The Brandenburg Gate is older, but a lot smaller – I was almost disappointed when I realised that the space between the columns is not really big enough for a car – except for the center span. The Gate in Brussels is probably 30-40% larger than this one, but it certainly does not hold the same symbolic importance…
The view from the West Side has a little better light, but fewer people. And you only see the back of Athena. To get where I took this picture, I had to cross the ‘trace’ of the wall, for the first, bit certainly not the last time. With it gone, it is almost impossible to imagine what the city was like when it was separated by that ribbon of concrete forms.
Now, there is just a trace on the pavement that tells you where the wall was. I am straddling the line where the old wall to take this picture. The wall’s location is indicated by the two rows of cobble stones heading away. 20 years ago – only 20 years ago – this picture would have been impossible and 21 years ago, this would have been very very dangerous!
Not far from Brandenburg Gate is the Memorial to the Murdered European Jews, an ensemble of 2711 upward boxes aligned in a square. From the outside, it looks plain and mundane. I had the impression that there were not many visitors at all.
Continue reading “Berlin – East and West”
(1863 Page Views)