East Germany in Berlin(#52)

We stopped in Berlin on our way to Munich.

We ended up getting a hotel in the Spandau district which turned out to be fabulous. Spandau was a former Slavic settlement and medieval town that maintained it's character.

From Wikipedia: The history of Spandau begins in the 7th century or 8th century, when the SlavHeveller first settled in the area and later built a fortress there. It was conquered in 928 by the German King Henry I, but returned to Slavic rule after the rebellion of 983.

Laura immediately took a walk to the surrounding water and found this lock surronding the fortress town. Berlin currently uses the locks to keep enough water in for the boats to be able to navigate.

Laura loves finding marinas.

The bridge walking to a neighboring island.

The island had many buildings that looked mostly abandoned and not maintained.

After WWII, Spandau was part of the British Sector of WWII.

Gatow airfield, in the south of the district, was used by the Royal Air Force during the post-war Allied occupation, most notably during the Berlin Airlift.

The next day we scheduled a walking tour of Berlin focusing on after WWII.

These bricks were where the border wall was erected in Berlin in 1961. In the 1950's , when many Germans were leaving East Germany (like the glassblowers family that we met on our cruise, armed checkpoints were established.

The border wall was erected very close to the Reichttag (West Germany).

This picture shows remnants that were not deconstructed as a memorial.

The Reichstag is the big building across from the wall (and wall memorial). This picture is taken from the Gestapo Headquarters (nicknamed the Place of Terrors) and has been demolished. There is a newly constructed building museum and this memorial site.

The memorial is on the East German side of Berlin showing the image of a US Soldier at Checkpoint Charlie. There were 17 border crossings, but only two allowed international travelers. The most famous is this one - Checkpoint Charlie.

Not the original, this building commemorates the approximate location of Checkpoint Charlie. The original was immediately demolished when the wall came down.

This direction shows Checkpoint Charlie with a Russian soldier.

Later in the day we took a water tour to see Berlin and the buildings from the water. We had a jovial guide who told funny stories and lightened the day after the somber morning tour.

The modern goverment buildings in Berlin.

The "Taco' building was a gift from the US to Germany which is used as a Theater.

This bridge was made in the 1870's with the same construction methods as the Eifel Tower with rivits and has needed no repair in it's lifetime.

On our final day in Berlin, we walked over to the Spandau Fortress that was first settled at the time of the Slavs and then used as a prison for the last living convict from WWII.

This is the view from the tower.

Stay: 3 nights

Pros: Great location in Spandau, fabulous live water tour

Cons: somber history

Rating 5 stars