History School Trips and Tours to Berlin

CURRICULAR LINKS:

A WST tour to Berlin will support the study of elements of the following exam board specifications.

AQA

GCSE

Paper 1: Understanding the modern world

• Section A - Period studies: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship
• Section B - Wider world depth studies.
• Conflict and tension: The inter-war years, 1918–1939
• Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972

A level

• 1K The Quest for Political Stability: Germany 1871-1991
• 2P Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918-1945

Edexcel

GCSE

• Paper 2: Period study. Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–93
• Paper 3: Modern depth study. Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–41

A level

• Paper 1 Option 1G: Germany and West Germany, 1918–89
• Paper 3, Option 37.2: Germany, 1871–1990: united, divided and reunited

OCR

GCSE A

• Non-British depth study: Germany 1925–1955: The People and the State

A level

• Non-British Period Study: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919–1963

SQA

National 5

• Part 4: Hitler and Nazi Germany, 1919–39
• Part 10: The Cold War 1945–89

Higher

• European and world: Part D Germany 1815-1939
• European and world: Part I: The Cold War, 1945–1989

Advanced Higher

• Germany: from democracy to dictatorship, 1918–39

Eduqas

• Component 1: Non-British Study in Depth 1G. Germany in Transition, 1919-1941
• Component 2: Period Study 2B. The Development of Germany, 1919-1993

THE RISE OF NAZISM AND THE THIRD REICH

Brandenburg Gate area:

See the iconic monuments of 20^th Century Berlin including The Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, The Victory Column and the Soviet War Memorial. These monuments are usually included in an introductory guided tour.

Berliner Unterwelten

Go beneath the Gesundbrunnen UBahn station for a tour below the city’s streets which shows the hidden world of Berlin via a series of underground tunnels. This visit offers an insight into life in Nazi Germany. We recommend the Dark Worlds tour if you are studying the Third Reich, which takes you to explore one of the last remaining WW2 bunkers, as it was left after the war. 

Olympic Stadium

This stadium was purpose built for the 1936 Olympics and is a great opportunity to view Nazi architecture, surviving virtually untouched in the battle to capture Berlin.

German Resistance Memorial Centre 

Located in the Bendler Block where the July Bomb Plot was organised. A commemorative courtyard is dedicated to the memory of the officers executed here on the night of July 20, 1944. The permanent exhibition covers the struggle against and opposition to National Socialism in various forms.

Topography of Terror

Located on the site of the former Gestapo HQ this is an exhibition covering the central institutions of the SS and the system of terror.

THE HOLOCAUST

Berlin was once home to the largest and largely integrated Jewish community in Germany. Key visits in and around the city will tell the story of persecution beginning in the early 1930’s that ended in the tragic events of the Final Solution.

Neue Synagogue

Once one of the largest synagogues in the world, it was damaged during Kristallnacht  and then destroyed during the war. The front section has now been restored and is home to a museum which tells the story of the building and its congregation.

House of the Wannsee Conference

At the location of the now famous Wannsee Conference of January 1942 the exhibition focuses on the significance of the conference in the process of planning the genocide of European Jews, as well as the involvement of the conference participants and the authorities they represented in the persecution and murder of the Jews.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

One of the earliest concentration camps, Sachsenhausen tells the story of its origins, on to life in the camp and then its liberation with a series of exhibitions through the buildings.

Holocaust Memorial

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is now a prominent site of remembrance in the centre of Berlin. The memorial can be visited 24 hours and there is also a visitor’s centre open during daytime hours.

Otto Weidt Museum

During World War II, visually impaired broom and brush maker Otto Weidt employed many Jews in his workshop. As tensions in the country grew, Weidt endeavoured to protect his mostly blind and deaf employees from persecution and deportation, bribing the Gestapo, falsifying documents, and eventually hiding a family behind a backless cupboard in one room of his shop. This museum is dedicated to him and is administered by the German Resistance Memorial Centre Foundation. It tells Weidt’s story with archival photos and interviews with some of those he saved.

THE COLD WAR AND FALL OF COMMUNISM

The Berlin Wall

It is essential to see the remains of the Berlin Wall when studying the Cold War and the Fall of Communism. Remains of the Wall can best be seen at the East Side Gallery or Bernauer Strasse.

Berlin Wall Documentation Centre

The central memorial site of German division situated on historical Bernauer Strasse. This is an ideal location to view the wall and is now an open air exhibition explaining the history of the division. 

Museum-Haus am Checkpoint Charlie

A museum dedicated to the legendary border crossing point, with imagery and exhibitions of attempts to escape to the West, it follows the stories of fugitives and their helpers.

Timeride Berlin

Embark on a unique journey through time & see Berlin in the mid-1980s. During your one-hour stay you will: catch a glimpse through the Berlin Wall, and see what everyday life like in the West, how people lived in the East; Listen to eyewitnesses and see how everyone dealt with the separation and the political oppression in an individual way? Take a seat in a bus of the 80s and set off on a VR city tour, to experience a border control at Checkpoint Charlie, drive along Friedrichstrasse and see the Palace of the Republic shining in its former glory.

Asisi Panorama – The Wall

Right across from Checkpoint Charlie is a large cylindrical building made of steel. Inside is a fascinating display of life in the vicinity of the wall in divided Berlin during the 1980’s. The display shows the contrast of daily life on both sides of the wall according to the memories of Yadegar Asisi's, who actually lived in Kreuzberg in the 1980s. It’s great visit for helping students to understand life on both sides of the wall.

DDR Museum

An interactive museum which not only focuses on the politics of East Germany, but gives a fascinating insight into what it was like to live in the East. 

Stasi Museum, Normannenstrasse – Former Stasi HQ

The series of exhibits and preserved offices gives an insight into the Stasi organisation and the power it had over life in the East. Highlights of the exhibition include Erick Mielke’s office, surveillance and observation technology and political – ideological education.

DDR Museum in the Culture Brewery

The ‘Museum in der Kulturbrauerei’ hosts a permanent exhibition on everyday life in the DDR and shows the tension between the demands of the political system and the real life of people living in East Germany.

Palace of Tears

The former border crossing point at Friedrichstrasse known as ‘the palace of tears’ is now a listed building. The permanent exhibition ‘Border Experiences – Everyday Life in Divided Germany’ delivers real life stories through images and videos. 

Hohenschönhausen Memorial – Former Stasi Political Prison

Provides an authentic picture of prison conditions in the GDR. Guided by a contemporary witness you will discover what life was like for inmates during the soviet occupied zone and the GDR, as well as interrogation methods employed by the former GDR’s State Security.

The Berlin Story

Located in a World War II bunker not far from the Anhalter Bahnhof, the Berlin Story combines two exhibitions. ‘Hitler, How could it happen?’ and The 1968 Museum. From the Unconditional Surrender to Corona. How Germany became what it is. Rubble desert, economic miracle, building and fall of the wall, "We can do it" - but the turning point is 1968, the transformation of society

GUIDED WALKING TOURS OF BERLIN

A guided walking tour around Berlin is the best way to really find your way around and to understand this ever changing city’s past, present and future. We can arrange half day guided walking tours to be tailored visits to suit your preferred study theme. Here are some samples:

Introductory tour

Covering all the major landmarks and key sights of the city such as The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Alexanderplatz and Checkpoint Charlie. This is an ideal way to find your way around the city and we recommend this at the start of your trip.

Jewish Life: Destruction & Rebirth

This tour covers key locations in the city to piece together the story of the Jewish community in Berlin before, during and after Nazi regime. 

Cold War Berlin

This tour around the former East Berlin will take in the main locations from the height of the Communist regime and the key events that led to the Fall of the Wall. 

The Reichstag

A guided tour of the Reichstag building is one of the most popular visits in Berlin. It will explain the functions, working methods and composition of parliament whilst also covering the history and architecture of the building. The highlight at the end is the opportunity to visit the famous dome, which has become an iconic image in Berlin and gives a great view of the city. 

The Story of Berlin

An interactive museum that explores 800 years of Berlin’s history. There are 23 theme rooms equipped with multi-media technology. 

TV Tower

Located in former East Berlin, in Alexanderplatz, this is Berlin’s highest structure offering fabulous views over the city.

Alexanderplatz

The square was once the centre of East Berlin. Since re-unification there’s been a complete redevelopment and now Alexanderplatz is a major sightseeing and shopping area.

Museum Island:

A group of museums located in the centre of Berlin on the River Spree:

• Alte Nationalgalerie: 19th Century paintings and sculptures from artists such as Monet, Renoir, Cezanne.
• Pergamon Museum: Antiquities, Islamic Art, Middle Eastern Art and objects.
• Bode Museum: Home to a collection of sculptures from Byzantium through to the Middle Ages.
• The New Museum and The Old Museum: Greek, Roman and Egyptian art.

Eastside Gallery

The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery is a 1.3km-long section of the wall near the centre of Berlin. Approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world cover this memorial for freedom and make it the largest open-air gallery in the world.

Potsdamer Platz

Another redeveloped area of Berlin, this has an ideal central location and is full of shops, cafes and entertainment.

Sony Centre

Located in Potsdamer Platz this is home to the Imax Cinema where you can catch a film in German or English, along with a great selection of cafes and shops. Great for a night out, especially if seeing a film on the giant screen.

Kurfürstendamm

This is the main shopping street in Berlin and home to one of Europe’s largest department stores, KaDeWe, with all that a major store offers.

Bowling

Berlin has a range of bowling centres throughout the city. Ask us for more information if you wish to book a session

Ritter Sport Colourful Chocoworld (Bunte Schokowelt)

Located at the Gendarmenmarkt Square, this store offers a unique and varied assortment of items revolving around Ritter Sport chocolate. Chocolate lovers big and small can explore the store’s three floors. The SchokoKreation area allows visitors to create their own favourite chocolate bar.

Tropical Islands Water park

An indoor tropical beach with waters slides, lagoons, rapids and wave pools. Great fun and a great place for students to burn off excess energy. This is approx. 1 hours drive from the centre of Berlin.

RESTAURANTS

Make your evening meal a night out. We can book a variety or restaurants ranging from traditional German, American diners, Italian and Chinese.