Day 01
Checkpoint Charlie, Holocaust Memorial and Reichstag
- Discover the most famous - or infamous - checkpoint of the Cold War. Hear all there is to know about its history and significance during the Cold War.
- Learn all about the Topography of Terror, a site steeped in Berlin's darkest history, and how it eventually became a learning and documentation centre.
- See the Ministry of Finance - formerly the Reich Ministry of Aviation. This monstrous building was erected in 1935 and was the only Nazi ministry not to be hit during the air raids. Why? Find out during our tour. You will also hear all about the history of this building, one that, more than any other, speaks volumes about German history over the past 90 years.
- See the most expensive parking lot in the world. No surprise, since it sits right in the centre of town, where apartment and office buildings would normally have been erected. Alas, there are no ordinary circumstances here, as in April and early May 1945, unspeakable things went on 5 m below street level - things that have since been widely written and talked about, not to mention turned into a film.
- Visit the Holocaust Memorial. Berlin's Holocaust Memorial has a long and painful history - painful in every way. It finally took around 17 years before it was inaugurated on May 10, 2005. During the tour, you will learn about the memorial's genesis, its significance, and the symbolism behind it.
- See the Brandenburg Gate, Germany's most iconic building and one that is instantly recognised worldwide. But what is the history behind it? When was it built, and why? You will find out all that and more during our tour.
- Continue to the Reichstag Building. If the Brandenburg Gate is Berlin's most iconic building, the Reichstag comes second. It, too, is rich in history, both good and evil, and has relevance not just to the times of the German Empire, when it was built, but also to the Nazi dictatorship and especially to the Germany of today. How this building came to be the German Parliament once more following reunification is part of what we will explore during our tour.
