A Collision of Worlds

As someone who has been taking German classes in one way or another for the better part of six years now, I simply could not turn down the opportunity to spend a weekend exploring two of Germany’s most famous cities: Berlin and Munich. Berlin is a capital city steeped in history, both glorious and infamous, and Munich exudes a character that few other destinations in the world can match. Although I had already spent some time in both of these cities two years ago, I felt like going back a second time could give me somewhat of a different perspective on both places. After my first visit, I had found Munich to be much more interesting and charming than Berlin, but I feel like that feeling has somewhat changed the second time around. Munich is still a city better suited to finding a truly ‘German’ experience, but I feel like I have a much greater respect for all of the history surrounding Berlin after going back for a second trip. Standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate where the wall used to stand and seeing the Reichstag right next to it, I could just feel the historical magnitude of that one single location.

The Reichstag (German Parliament building), right next to the Brandenburg Gate, is a symbol for the German people. Originally opened in 1894, it has served as the home to the German government at different points throughout history, with the notable exceptions of Berlin Wall years and the Third Reich. After a 1933 fire, which provided opportunity for increased Nazi control, the building was severely damaged, and after heavy bombing during WWII it was virtually destroyed. The Reichstag was never completely restored until after the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, and it didn’t begin housing Parliament again until 1999. One interesting feature of the building’s architecture after restoration is a clear dome that was placed over the room where the German Parliament conducts all of its activities. The dome is open to the public, provides a panoramic view of the city, and allows the people to actually see their government in action. From a symbolic standpoint, it represents transparency and the constant desire of the German people and government to atone for their past mistakes. (http://rol.vn/weben/chuyende/thegioi/2009/10/19/031444/975/) It shows the willingness of the people to make sure that an entity like the National Socialists is never again allowed to rise to prominence. Ever since I began taking German classes six years ago, I’ve always found it interesting that we as Americans tend to still view the Germans in a negative light because of their past. I am certainly guilty of making some of the same jokes as everyone else, but with that said, I think we all need to have a better understanding of what Germany has gone through and the actions they are taking to make sure that their past never again becomes their present. Today’s Germans understand what it means to be free perhaps better than any American ever can, and I feel like we need to give them a little bit of credit for that.

Standing in the middle of Berlin at the location where the Wall once stood, it becomes very easy to see the differences in development between the East and the West. It’s interesting how a border like the Berlin Wall caused people who had shared a common culture for centuries prior to grow so far apart in just under thirty years. It was the border between the two dominant forces of the 20th Century: Western capitalism and Soviet communism, and the success of the former compared to the latter is quite evident. Germany has actually experienced quite a bit of difficulty since reunification in adapting the citizens of the former East to the nation’s capitalist economy, and it continues to be an issue even today. ( http://german-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-asymmetry-of-german-reunification) It’s incredibly interesting how one border could cause such a large shift in such a relatively short period of time.

To me, Berlin is the city that best represents every major event of the 20th Century. It symbolizes a war which changed literally everything that all of us understand about the world and its workings. It symbolizes the Cold War and the tensions between capitalism and communism. It symbolizes a people and their ever-enduring desire to put to rest the stain of the Nazi party and become one with the rest of the Western world. The historical context of the city is simply overwhelming, and it’s a place that I feel to be one of the top destinations in Europe.