Berlin is the capital city of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, it is Germany's largest city. There are so many museums, monuments and historic buildings in Berlin, but the pictures below are some of my favorites of what we saw.
The victory goddess Viktoria stands on top of the Victory Column (Siegessaule). It was constructed in 1873 to celebrate the military successes of Prussia over Denmark.
The Brandenburg Gate is probably the most well-known landmark in Berlin. It was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace. Ironically, the gate was incorporated into the Berlin wall during the years of Communist government. It now stands as a symbol of the reunification of the two sides of the city.
Berliner Dom is a baroque Cathedral built between 1894 and 1905. It is located on an island in the River Spree, also known as the Museum Island. The current building is the third church built at this location.
The Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin's most historical landmarks. The building was constructed between 1884 and 1894, mainly funded with wartime reparation money from France, a result of Prussia's defeat of France in 1871.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is a memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is made up of 2,711 gray stone slabs that bear no markings, such as names or dates. The slabs undulate in a wave-like pattern. Each is a five-sided monolith, individually unique in shape and size. The memorial was dedicated in May 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the fall of the Nazi regime and the end of World War II.
This is all that is left of the Berlin Wall today. These sections have been preserved to remind Berliners of the 28-year division of their city. Built 50 years ago, the wall was originally one hundred miles long constructed by the Communist to stop the east Germans fleeing to the West.
We started our 2 hour bus ride to Berlin from Dessau. After our city tour, we were served a traditional German lunch, followed by 2 1/2 hours on our own. It was a very warm day in Berlin (the hottest of the year so far), but as long as we were in the shade, the breeze kept us cool. The bus ride home was another matter. There was minimal to no air conditioning, and we just baked. Liisa was not able to join us on our field trip today as she caught the stomach flu that is making its way around the ship. Luckily it seems to be the 24 hour variety.
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