Following a historical sight-seeing tour of central Berlin, the students visited the Neue Wache sculpture and saw the Burning of the Books memorial. After visiting the Brandenburg Gate which demonstrated Prussian military prowess, and the Tiergarten, the students saw the Soviet War Memorial.
Girls from years nine to 11 visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The Olympic stadium helped the school imagine a more positive aspect of the syllabus – Jesse Owens winning four gold medals in the showcase 1936 Berlin Olympic Games for the Nazis. This was where the torch procession was used for the first time as a tool of propaganda.
The Jewish Museum was deisgned by Daniel Lieberman, a student of the holocaust memorial architect Peter Eisenman. It has a dynamic and industrial impact set against the blossom trees of its surrounding garden. The exhibition and tour enlightened students about the deteriorating status of Jews, from the boycott, to the stripping of their citizenship in the Nuremburg Laws, and finally transportation from concentration to death camps.
Berlin is a modern city, steeped in history. Its mix of modern architectural ideas and remembrance has a unique appeal, embracing the ideologies of east and west of yesterday. Studying the Nazi regime and buildings brings the syllabus to life.
