The history of the city of Berlin is absolutely fascinating, in no small part due to the period comprised between 1961 and 1989, which is when the city was divided by the terrible wall. If you’re interested in history and want to find out some unbelievable stories, here are five places related to them that you cannot miss during your trip to Berlin.
The fascination for everything East German is one of the main reasons why hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Berlin every year. And it’s no wonder, since some of the stories you can read and find about the time when Berlin and Germany were divided into two are truly fascinating and remarkable. Whether you’re a history fan and have an interest in this subject or you have never heard of any of the stories, these are five places you cannot miss out on when you visit the German capital.
1. Hohenschönhausen Prison
Perhaps one of the most important places to visit. Located way outside the city centre and on a 15-minute bus ride (the only way of getting there) from Frankfurter Allée, Hohenschönhausen used to be the prison where political prisoners were put into. There are daily tours in German and English, some of them carried out by former prisoners, during which you can visit the cells and see how the prison worked, as well as the methods that the Stasi (secret police) used to have to arrest people (some of them truly bizarre).
2. Stasi Museum
Way out in the Lichtenberg district, the Stasi Museum were the headquarters of the Stasi, the East German secret police. This huge complex of buildings were the offices where the country was controlled, where hundreds of thousands of files on citizens were stored and where Erich Mielke, the Minister of State Security, used to have his office. You can visit his office, which is in the exact same state as it was when the Wall came down, and also the exhibition that goes around in the corridors and offices. Generally, like Mielke’s office, everything is as it was when the building was abandoned. The actual location is more interesting than the exhibition but being there is an experience in itself.
3. Günter Litfin Memorial
The name might not ring a bell but Günter Litfin was the first victim by gunshots caused by the Berlin Wall. Litfin, 24, tried to swim across the border but despite surrendering when caught by the East German guards, he was shot in the water and killed. His brother Jürgen set up a small yet moving memorial in the same watchtower from where the guard who killed his brother shot him. The exhibition tells the story of his brother and the Wall, as well as other victims. On the Sandkrug Bridge on Invalidenstraße there’s also a memorial stone that marks the spot where Litfin was murdered.
4. DDR Museum
Fans of everything DDR (GDR) will love this interactive museum that shows how life was in the GDR. The museum shows how the houses were with recreations of bedrooms and living rooms, as well as different cars and items that were part of the everyday life of the osties. You can also learn how to dance the Lipsi, which was the traditional dance of the GDR. A very bizarre place but a unique one that you should definitely visit during your stay in Berlin.
5. Marx-Engels Forum
The fathers of socialism have their spot in Berlin in this park in Mitte. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels have a larger-than-life-size statue each in which Marx is sitting down with Engels standing next to him. The statues were built by the GDR Government in 1986 and around them is a rectangular park which was intended to be a green space in the city. After the fall of the Wall, the Marx-Engels Forum became a spot of controversy due to its symbology and there were rumours that they were going to be knocked down but they can (at the moment) still be visited.
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