Our first half a day in Berlin was quite eventful after we reached here from Athens. Hotel Pension Classic was strategically located on Wittenbergplatz which is in the city center of western part of Berlin. And we managed to have a wonderful eight hours to explore and get a first glimpse of the city. Fun, food, shopping & music. Next the first thing lined up on our second morning was one of our look forward to landmark visits. And we soon found out why a visit to Berlin Wall is amazing.

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall became an international symbol of the division of Germany after the Second World War. And also the days of cold war between East and West Germany. The construction of the wall began on August 13, 1961 and this 150 km long barrier was built to seal off East Berlin with Soviet control from the rest of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). More than 2.7 million people by then had fled from the east to the west from October 1947 to August 1961 across the border separating eastern and western sectors. The wall was designed to halt future migrations.

How to reach the monument

A favorite of ours has always been the hop-on-hop-off buses to explore the landmarks in all European destinations. And this time too it was no different with our CitySightseeing Berlin tickets bought in advance.

But if you happen to be staying a bit far from the nearest stops you could use the vast public transport network including trains, metro, buses and trams by buying tickets at the ticket vending machines or online by downloading the BVG Ticket App on your mobile.

Our hop-on-hop-off stop was KaDeWe, the largest departmental stores in Berlin and the second largest in Europe located on Tauentzienstrabe. And it was just across the street from our Wittenbergplatz hotel.

The journey to Berlin Wall

One thing that we love about these hop-on-hop-off buses are that you can get a good feel of the city first before you stop at the landmarks of your choice. Since the weather was nice and cool, the rooftop provided some great views during our short journey. Of landmarks, plazas, squares, museums, corporate headquarters and many buildings which are architectural masterpieces of centuries gone by.

We are at the Berlin Wall

German history on Berlin Wall

Berlin became the political center of Germany after the founding of German Reich in 1871. The Reich’s most populous city, Berlin became it’s prime location for culture and industry. In the 1920’s it became Europe’s most attractive metropolis.

However the worldwide economic crisis that began in 1929 hit the city hard. With mass unemployment and corruption scandal people lost trust in politics. The resultant political crisis favored the rise of the Nazi Party. By the end of the year the Nazis had won sets on the city council for the first time. Joseph Gooebbels headed the Nazi Party in Berlin from 1926.

But the party’s success was limited in Berlin compared to the rest of German Reich where they were the strongest party after July 1932. Six months later Hitler was appointed the Chancellor of the Reich in Berlin.

The Nazis consolidated their power immediately after Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor. They destroyed democracy and the rule of law but without formally repealing the Weimar constitution. They shaped political and cultural life to suit their ideology, abolished freedom of speech and established the one-party state. The death of Reich President Hindenburg on August 2, 1934 meant that nothing more stood in the way of Hitler’s domination.

The Nazi concept of the ideal social system was called the ‘people’s community’. They used propaganda and economic and social policy to win the population’s commitment to the community. The community was defined by racial ideology and Hitler’s policies were aimed at expansion and war from the very beginning. He wanted to create The Third Reich with Berlin at its center.

The broken wall

The beautiful Berlin Wall complex

As we moved out into the square for a coffee before being back on our hop-on-hop-off bus, it certainly was a morning well spent refreshing some historical memories of the Berlin Wall and being right there. And the journey quite amazing.

If you loved this Berlin Wall travel experience, PIN it for planning & forward for friends!